INTERPOL secretary warns concerted effort needed to combat threat of foreign fighters

International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Secretary Jürgen Stock recently warned that greater coordination is needed for the global community to respond to the threat of foreign terrorist fighters.sWhile speaking at a G6 interior ministers meeting in Rome, Stock said the ongoing conflict with ISIS may displace many foreign terrorist fighters who will exploit the gaps in global screening efforts when vetting refugee populations.

“The concern is what these foreign terrorist fighters will do with the skilss acquired in battle and the networks which facilitated their recruitment when they leave the conflict zones. We are moving away from the original ISIS foreign terrorist fighter landscape, with flows now potentially heading towards multiple conflict zones as well as individuals returning to their countries of origin,” Stock said.

According to INTERPOL reports, more than 80 nationalities have been linked to foreign terrorist organizations.

Stock said authorities must apply the lessons learned from terrorist attacks like the one led by Mehdi Nemmouche. Nemmouche killed four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels after going unnoticed by Belgium’s migrant screening process.

“For INTERPOL, here lies perhaps the greatest gap in international efforts against this threat,” Stock said. “By sharing information globally via INTERPOL, countries extend their national security perimeter, potentially enabling the identification of a threat far away from their own border, or even closer to home.”