Austria’s Fischer: Armed Terrorist Groups’ Crimes in Syria, Iraq a Horrible Disaster

VIENNA-Austrian President Hans Fischer has described the crimes perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq as a horrible disaster, stressing that terrorist concepts and ideas always face deadlock.

Fischer, who was speaking to “Austria” Newspaper, urged the Austrian authorities to prevent “misled” youths from responding to terrorists’ “jihad” calls and to punish all young people returning from Syria to Austria if they were proved to be involved in terrorist activities there.

He said the authorities must prevent young Austrians from leaving their countries without the permission and knowledge of their families and the approval of the state’s authorities. 

Some Western countries have fears that the terrorists they had financed, trained, armed and sent to Syria to destroy the state, may return and carry out terrorist operations in these countries.

In the same context and in his annual televised speech on Austria’s National Day, Fischer warned against the growing danger of terrorism on the stability and security of Austria and all Europe.

Fischer, who said that terrorists always target the security and stability of countries, clarified “Austria’s neutrality means that it adopts the peaceful approach, but that doesn’t mean the state won’t confront terrorism and extremism when they threaten human rights and peace.”

Austria has recently adopted a package of procedures connected with fighting terrorism on its lands as to control what it called “jihadist” tendencies and to face the threats of terrorism.

Hamda Mustafa