The rise of paramilitary far-right groups to a position of dominance in Western European countries is "not unthinkable", terrorism experts say.
A report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) think tank urges officials to be "concerned" about the risk of Western far-right extremists connecting with paramilitaries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Last year it was revealed German extremist Tobias Rathjen received training in Slovakia before he went on a shooting spree, killing 10 people.
The report, "Looks Can Be Deceiving: Extremism Meets Paramilitarism In Central And Eastern Europe", identifies two potential developments which it says should concern policymakers and security authorities.
The first is the risk of Western far-right extremists connecting with CEE paramilitaries and the second is the potential for them to make a "more concerted use of the sprawling paramilitary infrastructure in Ukraine."
“The possibility of a truly transnational and paramilitary extreme right-wing arch stretching from Moscow via CEE into the heart of Western Europe is not unthinkable”, it says.
“The activities of paramilitary organisations whose members share viewpoints with the broader Western European far right or its most aggressive and militant component, the extreme right-wing, and their access to commercial training should be of concern to officials in CEE.”
The report, written by CEP affiliated researcher Kacper Rekawek, examined case studies from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine, warns of the risk of paramilitary training camps and the lack of monitoring taking place.
It makes four recommendations, including advising Ukraine to collect information on foreigners seeking training and to look at restricting the travel of high-risk violent right-wing extremists to stop them accessing commercial training infrastructure.
"Western radicals who attempt to utilise this infrastructure for their purposes, such as the Hanau shooter, do not involve themselves in the intricacies of the regional extremism-paramilitarism axis", it said.
"They tend to obtain their training privately, potentially under false names, most likely skipping the scant security protocols that these privately-run training facilities employ.
"Therefore, two major security concerns arise for Western security authorities. The first is the potential connection between Western right-wing extremists with likeminded CEE paramilitaries.
"The second concern is the risk that Western right-wing extremists obtain paramilitary training through Ukrainian networks and training facilities. Although these Ukrainian training networks are currently more internally focused, their commercial orientation also allows for the training of foreigners.
"Consequently, the current situation can develop into a major security threat for Western security authorities."
The report also recommends that more analysis of the far right in CEE countries takes place and suggests exploring the Czech Republic’s existing legal arrangements barring paramilitary training for civilians as a potential blueprint for similar legal mechanisms.
Last year a report on extremism in the German security forces uncovered more than 350 suspected far-right cases between 2017 and 2020 that led to recent calls for a crackdown.
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Power: 727hp
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
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When: July 7-29
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Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
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He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
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When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
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Usain Bolt's World Championships record
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2009 Berlin
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200m Gold
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100m Disqualified in final for false start
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4x100m relay Gold
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200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
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Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
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Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
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Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
