Threat of terrorism growing in Switzerland – spy chief

More and more young people are being radicalized, the head of the Swiss Intelligence Service has warned

The threat of Islamic terrorism in Switzerland is on the rise and minors are increasingly joining their ranks, the head of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service, Christian Dussey, has warned.

There are significantly more radicalized young people in Switzerland due to a propaganda campaign by jihadist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), Dussey told daily newspaper Tages-Anzeiger in an interview published on Thursday.

“We have noticed that the problem has become more acute in recent months,” he said. “In Switzerland, we have an above-average number of cases of radicalized young people compared to other European countries,” according to the Intelligence Service chief.

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He noted that in the first six months of this year, about 30 people have been arrested in Europe on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks, more than the total for the whole of 2023. Several terrorism-related arrests have been made in the past few weeks alone, Dussey added.

The most likely potential attack in Switzerland would be “that of an act of violence perpetrated by an isolated individual inspired by jihadism,” the spy chief said, citing as an example the stabbing of an Orthodox Jew by a 15-year-old suspect in Zurich in March. The victim sustained serious injuries. Prior to that attack the teenager had appeared in a video, expressing solidarity with Islamic State.

Earlier this month, three concerts by US pop mega-star Taylor Swift were canceled in neighboring Austria after police arrested two suspects for allegedly planning terrorist attacks at the shows. Austrian security officials said a 19-year-old, who had previously pledged allegiance to IS, was planning to kill “a large crowd of people” using explosives and knives.

READ MORE: Major EU city cancels Taylor Swift concerts over ISIS attack fears

Also in August, two religious figures were detained in Russia for alleged involvement in recruiting fighters for IS. The country’s interior ministry also reported an alarming surge in crimes linked with terrorism and extremism in the first half of this year.