Bart Schuurman in Dutch regional newspaper 'de Gelderlander' on the threat of unwarranted jihadism fatigue
On 27 September 2019, Bart Schuurman, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs spoke to Dutch regional newspaper 'de Gelderlander' about the decline in attention for jihadism.
Schuurman is worried that despite the fact that IS fighters are returning to the Netherlands and the threat continues to be real, the focus is lessening. He notes that, despite all this, the police seems to be more focussed on the fight against organised crime: 'There is so much more going on in police-land and the world of intelligence than terrorism alone.' It is simply impossible to stay on top of all that and keep taps on all radicalised Muslims. 'Priority has to be given to the most dangerous individuals. People will slip through the cracks. Society has no choice but to accept that this happens occasionally,' according to Schuurman.
Arnhem Jihad group
A year ago, seven suspected terrorists were arrested in Arnhem, the 'Arnhem Jihad Group', who were planning to disrupt a large event. This was a real eye-opener for many Dutch people, according to Schuurman. 'It has been quiet here for so long. Everybody was under the impression that the threat analysis could be relaxed. Arnhem proves that the danger of terrorism is still very much a reality.'
You can read the full article (in Dutch) here.
Arnhemse jihadgroep