ZOETERMEER, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch national intelligence agency said Tuesday that threats targeting the Netherlands are increasingly connected to worldwide turmoil, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Although the number of terror attacks across Europe has been down in recent years, the General Intelligence and Security Service in its annual report said the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the destruction of a Quran outside parliament last year are “trigger events” for extremists.
“The terrorist threat is serious at this moment,” the agency’s director-general, Erik Akerboom, told The Associated Press.
Akerboom said he is particularly concerned about big events, noting that the agency is working closely with French authorities to prevent incidents during the Paris Olympics this summer.
In December, the Dutch counterterrorism agency increased the country’s threat alert to its second-highest level because of concerns about the Islamic State group’s Khorasan affiliates, Akerboom said. IS-K, a Central Asian affiliate, was responsible for the attack at a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people in March.
Tiger Woods FINALLY reveals the three stars joining his TGL team next year
Altuve homers off Eovaldi in first 2 at
InPics: People celebrate Laba Festival in Beijing
Ted Lasso star Keeley Hazell leaves little to the imagination as she shows off her curves in a flesh
Suki Waterhouse reveals the gender of her new baby while performing on
Prince Harry opts for a 'quiet luxury' style in a grey T
Police find body of missing Maine man believed killed after a search that took nearly a year
Concert showcases Chinese traditional music in New Zealand
Alcaraz is cautious ahead of Madrid Open. The Spaniard is not 100% sure he will play
China's Xizang dubs 108 films into Tibetan language in 2023