Could migrant boats going from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe be used as weapons of war?
Apparently, the answer to that question might be “yes.” Propaganda released by ISIS speaks of plans to use Libya as a base to cause chaos in Europe by hijacking boats that cross the Mediterranean Sea.
An article written by a supporter of ISIS said Libya is the “strategic gateway for the Islamic State.” It was translated by counter-extremist think tank, the Quilliam Foundation.
According to the think tank, an article dated Jan. 23 that purportedly comes from the ISIS supporter explains this is “why jihadists needed to urgently flock to Libya to assist supporters of the so-called caliphate in their jihad.” The article was written weeks before the release of a video that allegedly shows ISIS militants beheading 21 Coptic Christians on a Libyan beach.
The translated extremist article says that from Libya’s long coastline, Europe can be reached with ease “by even a rudimentary boat, and note that the number of ‘illegal immigration’ trips from this coast is massive, estimated to be as high as 500 people a day, as a low estimate.”
“According to many [of these immigrants], it is easily possible to pass through Maritime Security Checkpoints and arrive in cities. If this was even partially exploited and developed strategically, pandemonium could be wrought in the southern Europe. It is even possible that there could be a closure of shipping lines because of the targeting of Crusader ships and tankers,” it adds.
