4 SEPTEMBER 2019 Guns and glory: Criminality, imprisonment Ian Acheson and jihadist Amanda Paul extremism in Europe (eds.) EDITORS Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre EDITING Emi Vergels GRAPHIC DESIGN Mariusz Dabek - mgraphicdesign.eu PHOTOGRAPHY AFP Forum LEGAL DEPOSIT D/2019/10.825/2 September 2019 With the kind support of the Counter Extremism Project Guns and glory: Criminality, imprisonment and jihadist extremism in Europe Ian Acheson Amanda Paul (eds.) EUROPEAN POLICY CENTRE – COUNTER EXTREMISM PROJECT 1 PREFACE Interest in the nexus between crime and terror has increased in recent years. This is due in part to terror attacks in Europe carried out by individuals with a criminal history and in part to the large number of European foreign terrorist fighters with criminal backgrounds. This publication presents new research intended to help solve a deep-rooted and ever-evolving problem. It is the result of vigorous and fruitful cooperation between experts at the Counter Extremism Project and the European Policy Centre. We are grateful for the additional support from EPC in the production and design of this important report. The urgent need for the European Union to counter radicalisation in all its forms is clear, but the solutions are complex. We hope that readers will find the following chapters illuminating, and that decision makers use them to inform their policies. This report is a starting point for further deliberation on how to tackle the growing problem of the nexus between crime and terror in the European Union and its neighbourhood. David Ibsen Executive Director, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) 2 GUNS AND GLORY: CRIMINALITY, IMPRISONMENT AND JIHADIST EXTREMISM IN EUROPE TABLE OF CONTENT About the project 6 About the authors 7 List of abbreviations 9 Introduction 11 1 Albania 15 2 Belgium 25 3 France 35 4 Germany 45 5 Kosovo 53 6 The Netherlands 61 7 North Macedonia 71 8 Republic of Ireland 79 9 Sweden 87 10 United Kingdom 97 11 Conclusions & recommendations 107 EUROPEAN POLICY CENTRE – COUNTER EXTREMISM PROJECT 3 The European Policy Centre (EPC) is an independent, not-for- profit think tank dedicated to fostering European integration through analysis and debate. The Europe in the World Programme scrutinises the impacts of a changing international system on Europe, and probes how the EU and its member states can leverage their untapped potential to advance their interests and values on a regional and global level. It thus examines the evolution of EU relations with major powers, such as the United States, China, and Russia, and how Europe can contribute to a rules-based global order. Second, the Programme focuses on the role of the EU in fostering reforms, resilience and stability in neighbouring regions. It looks closely at the developments in Turkey and Ukraine. Third, the Programme examines how the EU can strengthen its security in the face of terrorism, jihadist radicalisation or hybrid and cyber threats. It also seeks to advance the debate on Europe’s defence policy. 4 GUNS AND GLORY: CRIMINALITY, IMPRISONMENT AND JIHADIST EXTREMISM IN EUROPE The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, international policy organisation formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideologies. Led by a renowned group of former world leaders and diplomats, it combats extremism by pressuring financial and material support networks; countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment; and advocating for smart laws, policies, and regulations. Extremists are spreading their ideology and recruiting support across the globe, posing a complex and urgent challenge that cannot be addressed by government alone. There is a responsibility for private groups and individuals to organize in opposition to extremists. To this end, CEP is: q assembling an extensive research and analysis database on extremist groups and their networks of support, providing an indispensable resource to governments, the media, NGOs and civil society organizations, and the general public; q exposing channels of financial and material support to extremist groups; q using the latest communications, social media, and technological tools to identify and reveal the extremist threat and directly counter extremist ideology and recruitment online; and q assisting policymakers around the world to devise legislation and regulations that effectively combat extremism. EUROPEAN POLICY CENTRE – COUNTER EXTREMISM PROJECT 5 ABOUT THE PROJECT From October 2018 until the summer of 2019, the European Policy Centre (EPC) and the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) partnered in a research project looking at the link between criminality – including organised crime groups, local petty crime gangs or individuals – and jihadist terrorism, which culminated in this book. These days, terrorist groups, in particular the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), are increasingly recruiting individuals with backgrounds in crime and using their skills, connections in the criminal world, and experience with law enforcement bodies to finance, plan, prepare and execute their attacks. This recruitment takes place both outside and inside prisons. In this context, EPC and CEP experts have carried out an independent assessment of these urgent challenges as they occur in ten European countries (Albania, Belgium, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom). Drawing on this, they have proposed a number of bold recommendations to European governments and EU institutions to counter the ongoing threat when criminality intersects with jihadist terrorism. 6 GUNS AND GLORY: CRIMINALITY, IMPRISONMENT AND JIHADIST EXTREMISM IN EUROPE ABOUT THE AUTHORS Ian Acheson is an international expert on violent extremism in prisons and prison reform. Much of his experience is operational, having been gained from 25 years of experience in the UK criminal justice system, from the frontline to command and policymaking. In 2016, he led the ground-breaking independent review of the threat posed by Islamist extremism in the British prison and probation system on behalf of the UK government. He writes and speaks widely in the media on prison regimes for ideological offenders and the reintegration of terrorist offenders after custody. In 2018, Acheson joined the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) as a Senior Advisor on this critical challenge. Amanda Paul is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Europe in the World Programme at the European Policy Centre (EPC), where she focuses on Turkey, conflict resolution in the Black Sea region, EU foreign policy in its Eastern neighbourhood and Russian foreign policy in the former Soviet space and Middle East. Since 2016, she has also led EPC work on preventing and countering violent extremism and the challenge of jihadist radicalisation. Paul is also a Senior Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Policy Studies, a leading Kyiv-based think tank, and Senior Advisor for issues related to the Eurasia region at Stober, Poltavets and Associates Consultants. She has also worked as a columnist in the Turkish media for ten years. Prior to joining the EPC, Paul worked with the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies, the German multinational Türk Henkel, and for the European Commission. Paul holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Staffordshire. EUROPEAN POLICY CENTRE – COUNTER EXTREMISM PROJECT 7 With contributions from: Ivano di Carlo is a Junior Policy Analyst in the Europe in the World Programme at the EPC. Before joining the EPC, he worked at NATO, the European Investment Bank, the University of Warwick, Boeing and the ASEAN Centre. He holds a Master from the University of Warwick as well as a Double Masters from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow and the University of Bologna. Francesca Fabbri is a former Policy Analyst in the Europe in the World Programme at the EPC, where she focused on EU external policies and relations with the Middle East and North Africa. Since May 2019, she is a Policy Officer in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations. Prior to joining the EPC, she worked at the European Institute of the Mediterranean. Fabbri holds a Master in International Cooperation with the Middle East from the University of Bologna. 8 GUNS AND GLORY: CRIMINALITY, IMPRISONMENT AND JIHADIST EXTREMISM IN EUROPE LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AIVD Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst) BCRP French Central office for prison intelligence (Bureau central du renseignement pénitentiaire) BfV German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) BKA German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) BMI German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat) CPS United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service CTI Irish Counter-Terrorism International CVE counter violent extremism DDP United Kingdom’s Desistance and Disengagement Programme DES Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions DGSE French Directorate-General for External Security (Direction générale de la Sécurité extérieure) DGSI French Directorate-General for Internal Security (Direction générale de la Sécurité intérieure) EU European Union EULEX European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo Europol European Union Agency for Law Enforcement