Analysis: Police Report Highlights Threat Posed by Potential Terrorist Plots Targeting Railways
Category: Terrorism
Severity: 3 (Moderate)
Source: Drum Cussac
09/18/2017 (France) - On 16 September, French media published information pertaining to a confidential assessment released by the General Directorate of the National Police (DGPN) in early September. Within the report, the DGPN highlights the heightened risk associated with radical Islamist militants potentially trying to conduct attacks and acts of sabotage against railways. According to the French police, within the last three-month period Sunni extremist propaganda has released several calls to conduct attacks against railways in Europe. This creates a realistic threat of violent action in France. According to the DGPN report, calls have also been issued to poison food supplies and cause forest wildfires in a bid to disrupt life in European countries.
Public transportation and railway networks have been on the target portfolio of radical Islamists since the 1990s. Such targets offer the perpetrators the possibility to cause mass casualties and inflict heavy economic costs. Since 2015, several plots against railways, train stations, subway networks and trains in transit have been thwarted. On 21 August 2015, a Sunni extremist militant with loose ties with Islamic State (IS) operatives tried to carry out a mass shooting on a Thalys high-speed train travelling between Amsterdam and Paris. He was stopped by US military personnel on leave. According to the French ministry of interior, at least one attack against a subway network was foiled in 2017 as IS-inspired militants had planned to hit the Lille Metro in February. There is a realistic possibility that in the coming Sunni extremist militants with ties to transnational groups or inspired by the available propaganda may plan attacks against train and subway networks and infrastructure.
This threat increases the risk of malicious monitoring of these networks, and it is probable that radical Islamists will try to infiltrate local public transportation operating companies as well as national or international railway operators. Terrorist plots targeting subway and railway networks will likely involve the usage of IEDs placed either on moving carriages or along railways and in stations. Militants will also probably try to conduct lone or small-squad assaults using firearms and potentially explosive vests against trains or subways. There is a realistic possibility that such a situation could lead to hostage situations. It is almost certain that the French special anti-terrorist police in coordination with the army are training for such eventualities.
Given the current threat level, French police stated that they will continue to conduct tight controls at transportation hubs and expand the monitoring of key sites that may be used by militants to plot attacks. University and school laboratories will be under special monitoring as militants may try to steal chemicals necessary for making bombs. At train and subway stations, especially major ones in key cities, police and military patrols will continue to monitor open spaces and access to trains. It is likely that sniffer dogs may be used and random controls of luggage may occur. At international railway stations, such as the Paris Gare du Nord, police will almost certainly continue to use metal detectors to control outbound passengers.
The terrorist risk will almost certainly continue to be a major factor negatively affecting the French security environment in the coming 12-month outlook. French security forces will continue to conduct periodic anti-terrorist raids in a bid to collect intelligence, detain militants, disrupt networks and thwart attacks. Local authorities may periodically issue localised and nationwide warnings.
Copyright © 2024 Drum Cussac
Related
News Alerts and Safety Profiles are provided strictly for informational purposes and contain the best available data at the time of writing. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the information in this report has not been independently verified and HTH Worldwide therefore accepts no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies in such information and any such liability is expressly denied, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made. Documents may be amended or withdrawn at any time without cause.