After the Halle attack, Europol warns against imitators. Right-wing terrorists "like the Halle attacker" could try to make firearms or parts of weapons with 3D printers, writes the European police department in a confidential report from the end of October, available to SPIEGEL. The technology is getting cheaper and better.
According to the anti-terrorist experts, drones are also a potential weapon. The scenario of an Islamist attack using drones is "not to be ruled out," the report said. In the propaganda of the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS), the topic received great attention, it could be spurred on supporters. Some returned from Syria IS fighters would also have experience in handling drones.
The report states that the threshold has fallen for extremists, without direct contact with criminals to get illegal pistols and rifles: In the Darknet weapons could be purchased largely anonymous.
However, many right-wing extremists in Europe also have legal firearms. Violent groups repeatedly came across shooting training and martial arts, writes the EU Police Department - right-wing extremists also tried to recruit "experienced military and security personnel."
IS returnees could become "icons", the investigators fear
As potential terrorists from the right, especially small groups or individual perpetrators would come into question, who spurred on by right-wing ideologies or "fake news" to action. In many cases, these "lonely wolves" the authorities had previously not noticed. That makes it harder to prevent assassinations. The right-wing extremist scene has become more fluid overall, the importance of traditional organizations is decreasing.
In addition to the growing danger from right-wing extremists, Europol also sees a still high threat from Islamist terrorists. This clarified attacks and thwarted plans in France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Spain and Germany, writes the police department.
In some EU member states, the scene of the jihad sympathizers even "significantly larger than before the Syria war," says the report. Former members of the Islamic State terrorist militia and convicted terrorists who would be released from prison after serving their sentences would exacerbate this problem. Some IS returnees may become iconic within the scene.
Europol is also worried about developments in northern Syria. According to media reports, European IS supporters from prisoner camps of the Kurds also escaped in the chaos there. The anti-terrorism experts fear that in the confusing situation, a gap in intelligence knowledge emerges - and it is difficult to get information about escaped Islamists. It can not be ruled out that IS followers go unrecognized to Europe. This is a "serious threat to the security situation in the EU," warns Europol.
Europol criticizes information policy of the EU member states
In the report, the Europol experts point out that the EU member states did not provide them with all the information they needed for their work. They complain that there is no reliable picture of the threat posed by right-wing extremists in Europe: in many cases, acts of violence are not classified as terrorist acts.
The current Finnish EU Presidency therefore suggested that a general overview of right-wing extremism should be drawn up in Europe. In addition to comprehensive statistics, right-wing extremist symbols, banned texts and groups linked to extremism and terrorism should also be included. In an internal paper from the end of October, the member states are asked to provide the relevant information.
The Left Party does not go far enough. "The EU papers against right-wing terrorism are half-hearted and will not prevent further attacks," criticizes the spokesman for Europe of the left-wing parliamentary group, Andrej Hunko. "The European Union is not building structures against extreme right-wing groups, nor are any concrete measures planned by Europol." That was a "fatal signal" for the victims of anti-Semitic and racist violence.