Euphoric Islamic State supporters rejoicing at news of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels have launched an online poll asking: “Which colour will the Eiffel Tower be next?” Worryingly, half of the respondents have opted for the red, white and blue of Britain’s Union Jack.
As news broke of the bombings, which left more than 30 people dead on Tuesday, Europe erupted into an outpouring of grief and anguish, with many of the continent’s monuments lit up in red yellow and black, the colours of the Belgian national flag.
But making a mockery of Europe’s grief, jihadi supporters took to social media and online forums to celebrate the deaths. It was there that one forum member took the opportunity to pose the question: “What will be the color of the Eiffel Tower in the next attacks?”
The United Kingdom came out at the top of the poll, with half of respondents saying they wanted to see another attack on British soil next. Russia and the United States were also popular options, the Daily Mail has reported.
Outlining the scope of their vision, one Islamic State supporter tweeted: “The Islamic State will attack London, Washington, Rome and all the infidels’ capitals”. Another, apparently referring to the attacks as part of a holy war on the West, commented: “The Crusaders are blundered and confused. Yesterday Paris, today Brussels, and they don’t know where will be the next attack.”
European nations have shown solidarity with the Belgian people by displaying their flag on national monuments, following Tuesday’s jihadist attacks. From top left, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the town council building in Belgrade, the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam and Rome’s Campidoglio.
This is not the first time jihadis have used social networks for suggestions on attacks and violence; shortly after the capture of Jordanian pilot Mu’ath al-Kaseasbeh, several Islamic State activists launched the #SuggestAWayToKillTheJordanianPilotPig hashtag in Arabic inviting suggestions on how to stage his death. Many of the suggestions were gruesome in the extreme.
Al-Kaseasbeh was eventually doused in petrol and burned to death, while twisted jihadis filmed the event for a propaganda video. That video was entitled: “Healing in the Believers’ Chests.”
Rob Wainwright , the director of the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol this morning admitted that the threat posed by Islamic State is far greater than the agency had previously realised.
Talking to the BBC, he said that Europol is now “uncovering a more widespread network than was first feared,” adding: “We are faced by a more dangerous, more urgent security threat from so-called Islamic State and indeed it threatens not just France and Belgium but a number of European countries at the same time.
“We are concerned about a community of 5000 suspects that have been radicalised in Europe, that have travelled to Syria and Iraq for conflict experience, some of whom, not all, have since come back to Europe.
“And some of those will be among those taking part in what is clearly a new strategy that so-called Islamic State have launched now in the West to take us on in a more aggressive way, to use teams of well-trained, well-planned terrorists to carry out multiple attacks aimed at mass casualties.”