Fears are growing over Iran’s ability to strike deep inside Europe using suicide drones and missiles, amid warnings that terror sleeper cells could unleash chaos across the continent at any moment.
Following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime issued a fatwa “to all Muslims” on March 1st, interpreted as a religious duty to avenge the “martyrdom” of the head of state.
Austrian terrorism researcher Nicolas Stockhammer warned that the regime’s fatwa is an “accelerant for potential attacks in Europe.” He stated it targets a “diffuse, transnational support base, from organized core groups to self-radicalized lone actors.”
Germany is considered a hotspot for networks linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian intelligence services. Structures with significant potential to plan attacks exist, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, observers note. According to historian and Islamism expert Heiko Heinisch, Iran has been responsible for more than 100 completed or foiled attacks in Europe since 1979.
The chairman of the German Federal Police Union, Heiko Teggatz (CDU), has called for immediate political consequences, including the suspension of resettlement programs involving non-governmental organizations, stating
We should absolutely not allow any more people into the country whose identity has not been unequivocally established.
Concerns regarding Iran have also escalated in the UK. Asked on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if the UK’s terror threat level was under discussion, Defence Secretary John Healey replied: “Absolutely.”
When you have a regime like this lashing out in the Middle East indiscriminately, hitting civilian as well as military targets, and when you have proxies capable of acting on its behalf, our force protection in the region must be at its highest.
Following the U.S-Israeli strikes, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez instructed prefects to “report to intelligence services any influence or destabilization efforts linked to this conflict.” Police, the gendarmerie and domestic intelligence services have been placed on alert. According to AFP, thte French authorities have strengthened security around diplomatic missions and “certain points of interest of the parties involved.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also convened a national security meeting in light of the escalation of the Middle East conflict. Subsequently, Hungary raised its terror alert by one level, citing fears of retaliatory action by the Iranian regime.
“We must expect an increase in the likelihood of terrorist acts throughout Europe, particularly in countries with large migrant populations,” Orbán said.
