According to TV2, the National Police PET and the Centre for Terrorism Analysis (CTA) today presented a report on the annual assessment of the terrorist threat against Denmark 2023, and according to the report, the threat remains serious.
According to the report, the greatest terrorist threat to Denmark and Danish interests comes from people who sympathize with radical Islamists, as PET wrote in its annual assessment of the terrorist threat against Denmark 2023. .
‘'Islamic extremist groups still intend to carry out terrorist attacks in the West, despite the groups' diminished ability to pose a threat to the West and Denmark.'.
PET recognizes that the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan in August 2021, as well as developments in several other parts of the world, have given Islamist militant groups better opportunities to maneuver.
In general, the Centre for Terrorism Analysis (CTA) assesses that the terrorist threat against Denmark remains at the “serious” level. However, PET highlights some changes in the threat picture, and for the first time, CTA introduces the concept of “hybridisering,” which is increasingly trending in Denmark and the rest of the West. In addition, the domestic intelligence service has noted an increase in the number of threats against the authorities.
What is hybridisering?
Hybridisering means an increasing tendency for individuals to form a “mixture“ of images of the world and enemies based, for example, on many different religious, ideological, and conspiratorial concepts.
Hybridization can occur between individuals and between groups, and is based particularly on scenarios in which fascination with violence, methods, and propaganda expressions inspires different types of extremism.
For example, in many cases, right-wing extremists have been inspired by and have used tactics inspired by radical Islamists, according to PET.
Threats to the authorities
According to the report, another trend is the increasing polarization in the political system of several Western countries.
The development is characterized by an increasing normalization of conspiracy theories and questioning of the legitimacy of the political elite: “We have noticed that, especially online, there has been a sharpening of the rhetoric directed at certain people, such as elected officials or certain professionals who will serve as common points of reference for extremists who are particularly opposed to authority,” according to Michael Hamann, president of the CTA Center.
The CTA assesses that threats may help inspire or legitimize vulnerable individuals, including those with mental disorders, to act violently against the target of the threat.
The report indicates that this is a problem, as unrestricted participation in political debate is a crucial prerequisite for representative democracy.
The war in Ukraine
The counter-terrorism agency estimates that the war in Ukraine currently has no direct impact on the terrorist threat in Denmark, but nevertheless the war currently constitutes a kind of instability that could affect the threat picture.
The report also highlights economic recession, energy and supply problems, misinformation, and potential problems with foreign fighters – all conditions that can affect the threat picture.
The terrorist threat in Europe and Denmark may be affected in the future by extremists acquiring weapons currently being used in the war in Ukraine.
