Greek authorities on high alert for ‘lone wolf’ jihadists

According to exclusive information, Greek authorities are on high alert over concerns of a possible islamist terrorist attack in the country by ‘lone wolves’. Following the repeated terrorist attacks in France and Germany, and the recent dire report by Europol that thousands of possible jihadists have entered Europe, domestic security forces in Greece are focusing on detecting individuals who do not necessarily have any direct links to ISIS or other terrorist groups, but are inspired by the anti-western hate propaganda spread online. Greek authorities do not rule out the prospect of ‘lone wolves’, not only from the pool of thousands of refugees and migrants entering Greece, but also the Muslim community residing in Greece for the past 15 years being inspired to carry out terrorist attacks, mimicking attacks in other European cities. Greek security forces have recorded cases of terrorists using Greece as a transit before moving on to central Europe, while authorities have detected Syrian and other middle eastern foreigners involved in circulating forged passports for refugees crossing the Aegean. In one of those cases, Greek police arrested a group of Syrians, Moroccans and Algerians selling fake documentation in the area of Kypseli in June. The attention of Greek security forces is also directed at makeshift mosques in Athens and other areas of Muslim gatherings, while they are also monitoring any online activities of suspects or potential suspects as a tool for radicalisation. There a peace-loving Muslim could turn into a fundamentalist jihadist and potential terrorist. Meanwhile, the failed coup attempt in Turkey has raised concerns of a spike in refugee flows into Greece, as the numbers that had trickled down are staring to rise again.