Increased IS threat against Denmark

For Islamic State, desperate times call for desperate actions

Apr 29, 2016

According to the Danish intelligence agency PET, a terror attack by Islamic State (IS) is the greatest threat to national security at the moment.

A new report (here in English) from the Centre for Terror Analysis (CTA) under PET pointed to the attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels last month as examples of IS’s capability to organise complex attacks in western Europe.

“The terror threat to Denmark remains significant. This means there are individuals with intent and the capacity to commit terrorist attacks in Denmark. Terrorist attacks can take place without prior intelligence-based indications. However, the risk of falling victim to a terrorist attack in Denmark remains limited,” the CTA report found.

“The terror threat is primarily posed by militant Islamism. The key factors affecting the threat picture are the conflict in Syria and Iraq and the group that refers to itself as Islamic State (IS). IS propaganda has an influential effect on persons in Denmark to commit terrorism or to travel to Syria/Iraq to join IS. Moreover, IS can direct attacks against Denmark.”

IS more desperate
According to CTA, the attacks are becoming more frequent because IS is under pressure from the US-led coalition in Syria and Iraq.

CTA estimated that support for IS among people in Islamist environments in Denmark has grown, and it is these individuals in particular who pose a terror threat.

Despite the increasing threat, the overall threat level remains unchanged at serious.