Ministry of Interior on radicalization and extremism: Threat low, recruitment ongoing

Local Salafist groups in Montenegro are seeking to recruit new members and are opposing secular laws, gender equality, and even compulsory education, mostly without resorting to violent methods.

This was announced to "Vijesti" by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Petar Koprivica, stating that the threat from these individuals and informal groups is currently of low intensity.

Salafism is a movement within Sunni Islam whose followers seek to align their beliefs and practices with their understanding of the Islam of the first generations of Muslims; it encompasses both non-violent and jihadist currents, and cannot be fully identified with violent extremism.

Koprivica, the national coordinator of the National Interdepartmental Operational Team (NOT) for the Prevention and Suppression of Violent Extremism, Terrorism, Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, said that, despite the low level of terrorist threat, the intelligence and security sector continues to monitor with special attention contemporary trends and potential risks associated with the activities of so-called 'lone actors':

"As well as individuals who show signs of psychological vulnerability or who become radicalized via the Internet and other digital platforms without direct connection to organized extremist structures."

"Such forms of individual radicalization and action pose a challenge for security institutions at the international level and require continuous monitoring, preventive action and strengthening of capacities for early detection and assessment of potential threats. Online radicalization and the spread of terrorist propaganda via social networks, end-to-end encrypted communication applications, as well as various digital platforms for social interaction and online gaming, pose a continuous security challenge. In this context, digital platforms, including social networks, messaging services and gaming and interaction platforms (e.g. social networks, communication applications and gaming platforms), can be misused by individuals or actors to spread extremist narratives, distribute propaganda content and carry out the process of online radicalization and ideological indoctrination," explained Koprivica.

NOT, explains Koprivica, primarily operates through a preventive and coordination approach, bringing together representatives of all relevant institutions involved in the prevention and suppression of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism.

"The work of NOT involves representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Police Directorate, the National Security Agency, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Prosecutor's Office, the education system and other competent authorities, which ensures a multidisciplinary approach to assessing and monitoring security trends. Special emphasis is placed on the development of local multidisciplinary teams that operate at the municipal level and represent an important mechanism for early identification of risk factors, exchange of information and implementation of preventive activities in the community," replied Koprivica.

He emphasized that religious communities are recognized as important partners in the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism.

"Based on the fact that all key institutions of the security, intelligence and preventive system are included in the work of NOT, it can be stated that all activities are carried out with continuous monitoring of security trends and phenomena relevant to the field of prevention of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism, with full respect for human rights, the rule of law and the principle of non-discrimination," he explained.

Koprivica pointed out that the fact that young people, including minors, are among the most exposed categories when it comes to violent and extremist content in the digital environment is particularly worrying.

"Therefore, preventing online radicalization, strengthening media and digital literacy, as well as improving capacities for early recognition of indicators of risky behavior, remain among the key priorities of the competent institutions."

Koprivica emphasizes that an additional security risk may also be posed by the smuggling of weapons from active crisis and conflict areas - especially if such weapons would be available for activities related to terrorism or violent extremism.

"Similarly, the potential misuse of migration flows for terrorist purposes remains a subject of continuous monitoring and risk assessment. However, it is important to emphasize that so far, no cases have been recorded in Montenegro that would indicate a connection between these phenomena and terrorist activities."

Responding to questions about what, according to NOT's assessments, are the key factors that can contribute to the radicalization of youth in Montenegro, especially among vulnerable and marginalized communities, he said that it is rarely the result of one isolated factor.

"It most often arises as a consequence of the interaction of various social, economic, political, family and individual circumstances, which in certain individuals can lead to feelings of frustration, exclusion, injustice or loss of identity and belonging. When it comes to young people, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups, a significant risk is exposure to radical content in the digital environment. Social networks, communication applications and other online platforms enable and facilitate the rapid spread of extremist narratives, disinformation and propaganda content, with young people often being particularly susceptible to influences that promote polarization, intolerance and violent solutions to social problems," states the national coordinator of NOT.

He explained that, in addition to the online environment, factors such as social exclusion, lack of perspective, feelings of marginalization, discrimination, poor community connections, family problems, as well as exposure to hate speech and extremist narratives, can further increase individuals' vulnerability to radicalization processes.

"Given the complexity of this phenomenon, an effective response requires a comprehensive approach that includes cooperation between institutions, the education system, local communities, civil society and families, with a special focus on preventive activities, strengthening media and digital literacy, critical thinking and resilience of young people to manipulative and extremist content," Koprivica pointed out.

The NOT Coordinator said that cooperation with international partners and organizations is of key importance for monitoring the activities of radical and extremist groups, as well as for preventing the spread of violent extremism and radical ideologies in Montenegro.

"This cooperation enables the exchange of relevant security information, the harmonization of preventive policies, and the strengthening of institutional capacities in the area of ​​early recognition and response to potential risks. It also contributes to a better understanding of regional and global trends that may have implications for the security environment at the national level."

Threats are low intensity

Asked how NOT assesses the presence and influence of Salafist groups in Montenegro and whether there are indications that such groups are actively recruiting new members, Koprivica pointed out that, starting from the fact that in Montenegro, as in the region, there are no organized terrorist cells, but rather individuals and informal groups whose members have adopted a very conservative and rigid interpretation and practice of Salafism, the threat from them is currently of low intensity.

"This is also demonstrated by the religious doctrine of local Salafist groups, whose religious beliefs are mainly reduced to identification with some of the trends advocated by the aforementioned terrorist organizations, and are manifested in the way that they mostly deny local religious traditions and practices in their home country, oppose local (secular) laws, gender equality, and even compulsory education, without resorting to violent methods in achieving their goals. The exception is the 'foreign (terrorist) fighters', who traveled to Syria and took part in the jihad there, and a number of them, according to the data available so far, have died. All Salafist groups (regardless of the ideology they support and the degree of radicalization achieved) strive to gain new members for their radical ideologies, among whom there are converts to Islam, more precisely Salafism," the answers explained.

Key prevention and strengthening resilience

NOT's work continuously monitors and assesses risks associated with various social groups that may be more susceptible to radicalization processes, including youth, fan groups, and members of vulnerable and marginalized communities.

This was stated by Koprivica, stating that such an approach is based on risk assessment and early warning indicators, with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the principle of non-discrimination.

"Particular attention is paid to identifying vulnerability factors that may contribute to radicalization, such as social exclusion, marginalization, exposure to extremist narratives, hate speech and online propaganda. In this context, the situation in certain social groups in situations of increased social vulnerability is monitored, in order to timely recognize potential risks and develop appropriate preventive measures," he said.

He explained that NOT's activities are primarily focused on prevention, strengthening community resilience, and improving inter-institutional cooperation:

"With the aim of preventing radicalization that can lead to violent extremism and terrorism."

Various informal groups

As in the region, Montenegro has been registering the activities of certain extremist actors who, to varying degrees, invoke the Salafi interpretation of Islam, and, depending on the level of radicalization and other specificities, various informal groups can be identified.

Koprivica said this, stating that there are no essential theological differences between these groups, although there are occasional disagreements regarding the way religious-ideological positions are interpreted and applied in the context of a secular social order.

"In extreme cases, the actions of individuals may include supporting or justifying the idea of ​​establishing a social order based on rigid religious interpretations, including the concept of Sharia law, with methods of action ranging from propaganda and missionary work to, in rare cases, support for or participation in violent activities within foreign armed conflicts. In this context, some cases are associated with the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters who have participated in armed conflicts in Syria and other crisis areas, most often within extremist organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. In terms of their characteristics, certain activities of the so-called moderate Salafists are very similar to the strategy of certain related organizations from abroad, such as the 'Muslim Brotherhood', whose goal is to build a parallel socioeconomic system oriented towards believers, thereby pointing to the dysfunctionality of secular state apparatuses," he said.