America Warns European Travelers: Christmas Shoppers In Jihadist Crosshairs
By Tyler Durden
Submitted by George Igler via The Gatestone Institute,
- In Ludwigshafen, Germany, a “'strongly radicalized” 12-year-old boy “of Iraqi heritage” planted a bomb at a Christmas market at the end of November.
- Previously, the festive shopping tradition of Christmas markets had become “potent symbols of freedom,” with Germany's Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière, urging people to stick to unserem Leben — “our way of life.”
- In Birmingham, England, the Christmas market has concrete barriers installed to deter vehicular suicide bombers. According to the head of Britain's foreign intelligence service, the magnitude of the terrorism faced by the UK is “unprecedented.”
- French security forces thwarted attacks planned for December 1, against Disneyland Paris and the Christmas market on the main thoroughfare of the French capital, the Champs-Elysée.
- With a pro-Sharia (Islamic law) advocate now secretary of state in the Berlin regional senate, and other Muslims even refusing to shake the hand of the German President Joachim Gauck at events designed to promote integration, Germany's “way of life” is changing fast.
As the winter nights lengthen, an even darker shadow is falling across the run-up to the Christmas holidays in several European nations. Families in markets and shopping districts across the continent are buying presents in the knowledge that jihadists mean to target them.
On November 21, the U.S. Department of State cited a “heightened risk of terror attacks” in an advisory statement set to expire only on February 20, 2017.
“Credible information,” quotes Newsweek, prompted a warning to American travellers to “exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets,” given planned attacks by Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Those attending “large holiday events, visiting tourist sites, using public transportation, and frequenting places of worship, restaurants, hotels, etc.” were likewise urged to exercise vigilance.
On December 16, German media reported that:
“a 12-year-old boy was suspected of planning two different bomb attacks in the western German city of Ludwigshafen. The German magazine 'Focus' said he had first tried to target a Christmas market at the end of November, before placing a backpack with explosives near a high-rise building containing both city hall and a shopping center.”
“The suspect was born in Germany but is of Iraqi heritage,” reported NBC News, adding: “the 'strongly radicalized' youth was likely 'incited and instructed' by an 'unidentified member of ISIS.'”
This comes just two weeks after a December 2 report, Changes in Modus Operandi of Islamic State Revisited, from the European policing agency, Europol, cited the possibility of “several dozen” attacks against civilian soft targets.
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In Ludwigshafen, Germany, a “'strongly radicalized” 12-year-old boy “of Iraqi heritage” planted a bomb at a Christmas market at the end of November. (Image source: Focus video screenshot) |
With terrorists claiming to act in the name of ISIS already able to plan “relatively complex attacks — including those on multiple targets — quickly and effectively,” according to the Europol report, the tactics of the battlefields of the Middle East, “such as the use of car bombs, extortion and …read more
Source: America Warns European Travelers: Christmas Shoppers In Jihadist Crosshairs
