German state security officials reportedly believe that a regional branch of the Islamic State is targeting the European Championships in Germany this summer.
This week there was an apparent threat by the terrorist group against the stadiums that house Champions League links throughout Europe, with Security intensifies in Paris – where Paris Saint Germain they had to face Barcelona in the Parque de los Príncipes – Madrid, to real MadridThe clash with city of manchesterand in the Emirates, where Arsenal They were going to host Bayern Munich.
The three engagements were uneventful, but French authorities went so far as to recruit their elite anti-terrorist BRI (Brigade of Investigation and Intervention) after the Al-Azaim Foundation, a media channel responsible for disseminating messages from the Al-Azaim Foundation , shared a post. ISIS-K branch of the terrorist group.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the deadly terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow last month.
But tensions will rise again ahead of this summer’s top European competition after a second threat was published in the group’s propaganda magazine.
An Islamic State propaganda magazine has issued a chilling call to arms to terrorists in Europe.
A series of graphics featuring football images have led German state officials to believe that Euro 2024 will be the target.
Security was stepped up at stadiums hosting Champions League matches after matches were subject to specific threats.
according to BILDThe current issue of Voice of Khorasan contains a call to action against terrorist attacks that German state officials say target the UEFA tournament.
The issue features a series of graphics, including one showing an image of a terrorist holding a gun and dressed in camouflage aboard a German S-Bahn train or tram titled: “Last call before leaving.”
In the seat next to the militant there is a box with a label for explosives, under a sign that says “Welcome to Europe.”
Another shows a drone flying over the newly renovated Bernabéu and has the caption: “If they squeeze you and oppress you on the ground, then hit them from the sky.”
“If the enemies of the religion of Allah blocked the path of Hijrah, they cannot block the path of struggle,” the accompanying text reads.
Hijrah can refer to the process of moving or emigration, and refers to the journey of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD.
The group threatened to kill followers in London, Paris and Madrid, and stoked tensions in a letter from IS’s propaganda wing.
The text continues threatening: “Run over the kuffar (non-believers or infidels) with your vehicle, stab them with knives, fill their food with poison, blow their brains out with bullets and set their houses on fire.”
Young people were especially highlighted in the propaganda article, with a direct appeal stating that: “The responsibility of youth is greater than anywhere else.”
‘We appeal once again to the youth of the Ummah (the Muslim community) and especially to the sincere Muwahiddeen (phrase used by the Islamic State to describe its fighters) who lie in the arms of those countries fighting against the world Islamic, Muslims and Islamic rituals’.
German state officials believe that the ISIS-K group, also known as Islamic State – Khorasan Province, ISPK or IS-K, has an organized network of more than 100 agents in Western Europe, 50 of them in Germany alone.
An official told BILD: ‘(This propaganda article) shows that the ISPK absolutely wants to carry out sensational attacks, no matter how and by whom.
“To this end, all potential attackers, including self-radicalized individual perpetrators, the so-called lone wolves, are now asked to carry out attacks.”
Khorosan refers to the historical province that constitutes parts of present-day Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, regions from which the group originates.
The celebration of two qualifiers in Madrid, between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, saw measures intensified both on Tuesday and Wednesday.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the deadly terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow last month, in which 144 people were killed.
With football matches increasingly the focus of targeted propaganda campaigns, UK counter-terrorism police wrote to Premier League clubs on Wednesday urging them to review security procedures following recent threats.
Mail Sport exclusively reported that officials had asked teams to ensure they focus on “preparation and response plans” at their venues.
The insiders are believed to be carrying out reviews of their security measures, having previously been put on alert during the Easter period following the attacks in Moscow.
Four Tajik gunmen stormed the building dressed in camouflage and killed 144 people present in the concert hall and injured another 551 people.