Brussels, 22/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - According to European Commission spokesperson Jonathan Todd on Monday 22 September, the Commission said it had no knowledge of jihadist threats. Todd stated: “we have contacted the Belgian authorities for further clarification and they have confirmed that they are not aware of any specific threats”.
The Commission was responding to news that appeared in the press over the weekend concerning two people who had been arrested in Belgium and were reportedly ready to carry out an attack there - more specifically at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Compromising documents and weapons were found in the two people's flat. The news was first broadcast by Dutch public television channel NOS - according to which the European Commission was among the possible targets for jihadists who have returned from Syria.
“The commissioners were not targeted individually. The action was to resemble the attack on the Jewish Museum (…) with the objective of killing a maximum of people”, said NOS. “The Commission is not immune to risks”, Todd nevertheless stated, and further security measures were taken on Monday - in particular, additional security staff outside buildings.
On Saturday, Belgian newspapers l'Echo and de Tijd reported that the Belgian authorities had prevented several attacks from jihadists who had returned to the country after fighting in Syria. These jihadists are supporters of the Islamic State (IS). Around 400 Belgian nationals have gone to fight in Syria, according to the estimates available, and around 90 have returned, according to l'Echo. “We start from the principle that, among them, one in nine intends to carry out an attack. This is a conservative assessment, when account is taken of the people who can come to help them”, a source told the newspaper. France has also strengthened its security measures after the IS group has reportedly called for the killing of French people and Americans. IS blames France and the US - as it also does Canada and Australia - for taking part in the international coalition against IS. (SP)