LOC18:23
15:23 GMT
BERNE, July 7 (KUNA) -- Switzerland has expressed concern of possible
violent attacks in retaliation for its recent ban on minarets.
The annual report of the Swiss intelligence service warned of possible
"terror" acts against Switzerland after banning the minarets in the country.
The report published here on Wednesday said that it is not be excluded that
some individuals, do not necessarily have direct contact with terror
organizations, carry out "limited terror operations against Switzerland as a
result of the impact, directly or indirectly, to the calls launched by
jihadist organizations throughout the world."
But the report stresses that "Switzerland was not exposed to security
threats, hazardous or immediately following the approval of 5.57 percent of
the voters to ban minarets in a popular referendum in November 29, 2009, as
security experts did not find any relationship between al Qaeda and the
persons residing in Switzerland."
However, the report indicates that the ban of minarets has been viewed
externally as a hostile act against Islam and one of the stages of
Islamophobia deployed in Europe "Switzerland was classified as an enmey of the
Islam", said the report.
These trends strengthened strongly after the re-publication of cartoons of
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the outbreak of controversy over
the Niqab in some European countries.
The director general of swiss intelligencesrvice Marcus Siler said at a
press conference here today that Switzerland "is not a principal target of
terrorism, but can be exposed to a terrorist act, for one reason or another."
He pointed out that the "terror organizers might use the country for
planning a terror operation or coordination between several different actors."
On the other hand the Swiss security experts fear the potential impact of
the organization (al Qaeda in the Maghreb) for residents in Europe -- the
organisation could send one or some of its members to stay in Europe. (end)
ta.rk
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