The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently held an international counterterrorism meeting in Athens, Greece to discuss regional and global trends on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and the threats they pose to their home countries.
The meeting was held under Interpol’s Project Nexus Working Group and gathered more than 60 representatives from 32 countries in Europe, each of which work in counterterrorism units in their respective nations. The meeting served to assist Interpol member countries in disrupting transnational terrorist activities and address information gaps.
“Today, ‘jihadist terrorism’ is a destabilizing factor for both domestic and international security,” Brigadier General Ilias Xanthakis, who leads Greece’s International Police Cooperation Directorate, said. “Recent attacks in Europe and elsewhere have demonstrated clearly that terrorism knows no borders and constitutes an ever-increasing hazard to human life.”
Each representative had the opportunity to share their experiences and recent case studies related to foreign terrorist fighters returning home and the threats they pose in the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and parts of Eastern Europe.
“In line with its global counter-terrorism strategy, and through a better understanding of the modus operandi of FTFs, Interpol is stepping up its efforts in assisting member countries combat terrorist threats, especially in the area of FTF identification and travel route analysis,” Interpol’s Assistant Director of its Counterterrorism Unit Karel Pelan said.
Interpol’s Project Nexus Working Group is funded by Interpol’s Foundation for a Safer World.