The alleged perpetrators were recruited on a one-time basis.
In Europe, there has been a recent increase in attacks on civilian targets, including synagogues and banks in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Responsibility for this has been claimed by the Iran-linked shadow group "Ashab al-Yamin," which emerged less than a month ago. As reported by the Financial Times, amid the conflict in the Middle East, these attacks have raised concerns that Iran may be behind a burgeoning campaign of hybrid warfare-style attacks across Europe.
The group stated that it is beginning "military operations against the interests of the United States and Israel worldwide." Two days later, the group claimed responsibility for the arson of a synagogue in Liège. Additionally, it took responsibility for an attack on an ambulance in London.
In the Netherlands, there was an attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam, followed by an attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam. Subsequently, an attempted attack on a synagogue in Hampstead was thwarted.
Paris police intercepted an attempt by two minors to detonate an explosive device near Bank of America offices, and prosecutors stated that this incident also appears to be linked to this group.
"The emergence of a group out of nowhere is an unusual phenomenon," said Julian Lange of the International Center for Counter-Terrorism.
"The sudden appearance of the group raises significant doubts about whether this is a real, serious terrorist group with offline or internal structures. I think this is a project of Iranian intelligence," he added.
The attacks appear to have been directed against Jewish communities and American banks. According to police, 10 people have been arrested in the Netherlands, four in France, and three in the UK – their ages range from 14 to 23.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, noted that in the past, Iran has paid criminal groups to pursue and harm dissidents.
"This could be a more extensive version of the same model," Vakil said.
At the same time, in some of the recent attacks, there are indications that the alleged perpetrators were recruited on a one-time basis, FT reports.
Lange stated that the attacks employed methods developed by Russia for hybrid warfare. According to him, this included hiring "special agents" to carry out the attacks.
"The alleged attackers are recruited for relatively modest sums of money online through platforms like Snapchat, Telegram, and TikTok," he said.
At the same time, the attacks so far appear to have been aimed at causing property damage rather than harm to people. "The main goal of hybrid warfare in Europe is to create confusion and destabilize societies," Lange says.
