Fico: Risk of Individual Terrorist Attacks in Europe Particularly High

Fico: Risk of Individual Terrorist Attacks in Europe Particularly High

Bratislava, July 29 (TASR) – The risk of terrorist attacks carried out by individuals in Europe is extremely high, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a briefing dedicated to the security situation in Slovakia on Friday.

Fico sees a clear link between migration to Europe and terrorist attacks, as various organised groups could have infiltrated the continent and brought weapons and explosives via migration flows.

The prime minister met Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) director Anton Safarik earlier in the day and asked him to use all of SIS’s capacities within legal limits and to cooperate with foreign partners as much as possible.

According to Fico, cooperation between secret services is the most effective tool for preventing further attacks. He added that security organisations admit that there are a few hundred people in Europe at the moment who could commit an act of terrorism.

“The security of Slovak citizens is at the top of our interests,” said Fico, adding that he’s convinced that the measures that have been taken by the Slovak Government have been correct and have reduced the possibility of terrorist attacks in Slovakia.

Fico is glad that Slovakia hasn’t accepted any migrants. He added that all his previous statements on the migration issue were appropriate, as was the lawsuit against mandatory quotas filed by Slovakia at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Fico was asked whether there is an imminent threat of a terrorist attack in Slovakia. “I can’t say that nothing will ever happen; all sorts of plans could emerge in the minds of terrorists. We only want to eliminate this,” he said, adding that his words shouldn’t be seen as a threat but as an effort to provide the public with relevant information.