On 19 December State Security Service (VDD) held a meeting of Counterterrorism Centre Expert advisory council, where current developments in the field of counterterrorism were discussed.
Such meetings VDD usually organizes twice a year. At the December 19 meeting, VDD experts and representatives of the institutions involved in the implementation of counterterrorism measures discussed the current trends of terrorism threats in Europe. Special attention was paid to the increase in cases of youth radicalization in Europe, as well as the spread of terrorist propaganda materials on the Internet.
VDD experts informed the participants of the meeting about the counterterrorism measures taken in 2024. The service has carried out systematic work both to prevent the risks of terrorism and to check and strengthen the readiness of the responsible services to react in the event of a terrorist threat.
For example, on 10 October VDD held the largest counterterrorism exercise with full force deployment yet "Wolmar 2024". During the exercise, VDD tested the readiness of the competent services to implement the measures prescribed in the Action Plan in Case of Threats to Land Objects (counterterrorism plan "Object") to prevent the terrorist threat and remedy the consequences of attacks.
Similarly, VDD continued intensive work in strengthening the security of terrorism risk objects, evaluating the physical security measures of both critical infrastructure and places of mass gathering and providing recommendations for their improvement. In addition, VDD was involved in the planning and implementation of security measures for high-risk mass events.
At the meeting, VDD counterterrorism experts also presented the performance in the second half of 2023 of the inter-institutional working groups established by the council – the radicalization prevention group "Prevent" and the Terrorism Financing Investigation Coordination Group. Working group "Prevent" organized several presentations on the signs of radicalization for various groups of professionals who, in the line of their work can detect possible radicalization of individuals. Among these groups of professionals were representatives of the orphan's courts, social service workers and Adolescent Resource Center personnel. At the same time, the Terrorist Financing Investigation Coordination Group discussed the use of crypto-currencies for financing terrorism, as well as the financing cases of the terrorist organization "Hamas" found in Europe.
At the meeting, the priorities in the field of counterterrorism for the next year were outlined.
The terrorism threat level in Latvia currently is low, and the information at the disposal of VDD does not indicate that the situation could change in the near future.
VDD Counterterrorism Centre Expert Advisory Board is the coordinating and consulting institution whose aim is to improve the cooperation among VDD, state and municipal institutions, as well as the private sector within the counterterrorism field in order to ensure the preparedness to effectively prevent terrorism threats and to remedy their consequences. The representatives of the following institutions take part in the Advisory Board: Constitution Protection Bureau, Defence Intelligence and Security Service, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prosecutor General’s Office, Financial Intelligence Unit, National Armed Forces, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Latvia.
Information prepared by VDD
Illustrative photo by Freepik
