Summary:

On 25 March 2024, a Swiss security official announced that a 2 March 2024 stabbing in Zurich was carried out by a 15-year-old Tunisian migrant who was radicalized during time spent in Tunisia and via online forums.

In a video, the suspect claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and linked the stabbing attack to a “global fight against the Jews.” The suspect spent several years in Tunisia, during which the attacker reportedly spent a significant amount of time online and was exposed to extremist views. The suspect legally became a Swiss citizen in 2011.

The attack has raised again debate over migration policies, with some voices calling for a stricter approach to immigration in Europe. Meanwhile, Switzerland launched the “Perspectives” program to attract skilled laborers from Tunisia to move to Switzerland.

Outlook: 

The additional details about the Zurich attacker point to the risks from extremism identified by many European countries.

Multiple countries, including France and Italy, have raised their terrorism threat level as the war in Gaza continues and public anger, particularly in the Arab world, continues to grow toward Israel and Jews more broadly.

The Islamic State attack at a concert venue in Moscow raised further concerns about the threat faced from terrorism and reinforces the reality that the terrorism threat is far from monolithic in ideology, motivation, and chosen targets.

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