In Austria and in certain German regions a growing number of radical Islamists with strong ties both to the Bosnian community and the Saudi Peninsula ones, are exploiting the tolerance shown by the authorities and facilitate to the establishment of global extremist networks, while their nexus has been exposed as of recent due to their support towards the Jihadi cause in Syria and Iraq.
The NGO "Ansaar International" - "Ansaar Dusseldorf” has been particularly active since 2013 regarding the fundraising for the "Syria cause". Along with them the Vienna-based Ebu Tejma self-proclaimed Imam and frequent traveler in Medina-Saudi Arabia plays a key role in mobilizing various networks of support spanning from Austria to Germany and further West to Netherlands and Belgium, as well as Switzerland and Italy.
One of the interesting trends being examined closely by researchers on the radical Islam phenomenon is the emphasis provided nowadays into recruiting youngsters into these formations that have clean criminal records and have not been associated with any type of political violence or action. Thus this makes the networking even harder of being infiltrated by authorities. While the mostly teenager adherents are more easily manipulated and even volunteer of joining Jihad in faraway lands. That in turn further facilitates the backing up of this groups of people by the mostly Saudi pay masters.
Ebu Tejma in his frequent online preaching places the "Jihad" as the foremost obligation of any pious Muslim and provides his own version of religion by which all other pillars of Islam are useless if one does not fight first. Along with Abu Abdullah they participated in meeting of likeminded radicals in the Vienna district of Leopoldstadt and in the Altun-Alem mosque in late 2013, which numbers five preachers known for years for their intense rhetoric. Moreover the presence of "bouncers" with concealed weaponry has been noted, that are threatening in public anyone coming close to the premises who is not invited. Another leading figure is the Gaza-born Ibrahim Abou Nagie who lives in Germany, whilst keeping contact with the Salafi groups in Austria.
Abu Tejma is also cooperating with the fundamentalist preacher Abu Dujana and Abu Abdullah of The "True Religion Salafi" (DWR) group and in 2013 assisted both in the organization of a Salafi "festival" in the German city of Dortmund filled with intense preaching against "infidels", "Western democracy" and 'enemies of Islam". Both of them have travelled in the past few years in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well. The latter provides ample opportunities for expansion and the connections run deeper with the involvement of Pierre Vogel's extremist structures and his "Poziv u raj" (Invitation to heaven) radical organization which has membership from Northern Europe down to Greece, with special focus in Bosnia.
German journalists have pointed out in recent researches that Düsseldorf is becoming a "radical hub" for the above circles, relating to the sending of Jihadists to fight in Syria. The terminal C is at Düsseldorf Airport is a gateway to the Middle East. Airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad or Air Berlin fly from here, among others, in Turkey, North Africa, the Gulf States and other major cities of the Arab world. A mosque has been established in the area with the support of the Turkish community Dusseldorf (TGDus).
Other members who are related in spreading Salafism within Düsseldorf are Bahraini descent groups, jihadist scholar and preacher Shaykh Abu Sufyan, Sulami Turki Al- Binali, Mohamed Mahmoud ,Abu Ibrahim Abu Dujana, Izzudin, Abu Abdullah and Shaikh Ademall of them active figures of the Vienna scene as well and dynamic "players" in online fundamentalist activities.
The "axis" Bahrain-Austria - Germany and the distributors in Syria are paired with German-based radical "Abu Talha" ( Abou Maleeq; Deso_Dogg; Denis Mamadou Gerhard Cuspert) active in the social networks with open calls for participation in the jihad in Syria and attacks in Europe who is now fighting in Syria along with the ISIL terrorist group.
Lastly, it has to be noted that there are indications, but not of conclusive nature, that the aforementioned networks and a multitude of others not examined at this phase, have on the works their expansion in other Central European countries and in particular Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Online material
The following links provide ample data on the preaching involved by the radical Salafi network which spans Between Germany and Bosnia with the hub in Vienna.
It also includes the so-called "Street Dawa" activities which unsuccessfully were tried to be introduced in Greece in previous years.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vttrmmSxWP8
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHN7rb0R2_s
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YnqakW1X10
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuPSe24hGSA
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H1ffE2mWVU
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXeYOK6odUE
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HQ3KR-ObFk
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq0bu8sUkSU
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vym0WwKZDjQ
Radical Islam Monitor in Southeast Europe