Fears that terrorists will exploit pandemic worry security experts
Isolation at home and spread of conspiracy theories make individuals susceptible to radicalisation
The coronavirus pandemic risks fuelling extremism and terrorist activity as internet users from across the political spectrum are drawn into online radicalisation and the proliferation of conspiracy theories, security experts have warned.
While sustained lockdowns and travel restrictions this year have limited the potential to carry out terror attacks, intelligence agencies have raised concerns of a resurgence in violence as curbs are lifted.
“Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram . . . are operating and taking advantage of governments being distracted by Covid measures,” Ed Butler, a former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, told reporters last month. Gilles de Kerchove, EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator, has warned that without significant reconstruction efforts following the pandemic, the public health emergency could evolve into a security crisis.
Isolation, depression and financial insecurity resulting from lockdown and job losses make individuals more susceptible to adopting new ideas and potentially being radicalised, experts believe.
One of the biggest threats is a rise in remote working and home schooling that have made both teenagers and adults easier prey for extremists groups active on social media forums such as Telegram, Gab, Discord and the video game sharing site Steam.
Colin Clarke, a terrorism researcher at the Soufan Centre, a US think-tank, said the crisis had given terrorist recruiters a “buffet” of potential arguments to advance their cause. “Every extremist group or fringe has been able to use Covid-19 to explain why their ideology makes the most sense . . . groups across the ideological spectrum from jihadis to far-right extremists to even the far-left,” he said.
While Isis militants characterise the virus as divine revenge for Muslim suffering, neo-Nazis blame the spread of the disease on immigrants and Jews and use the pandemic as evidence of the threat from globalisation and multiculturalism. An Institute for Strategic Dialogue study found that far-right groups had published “hundreds of thousands” of social media posts relating to the pandemic from January to April.
Most experts agree that far rightwing extremists have gained the most ground, having experienced what Mr Clarke called a “youth infusion” by recruiting home-schooling teenagers often left alone for hours a day with computers and phones.
Video gaming is one mechanism used to introduce young people to anti-establishment ideologies: one new online game in Germany awarded players points for shooting George Soros, the philanthropist who has long been an extreme-right hate figure, and chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr de Kerchove, the EU counter-terrorism co-ordinator, said he was increasingly worried about growing evidence of a link between those who succumb to conspiracy theories and those who go on to embrace extremist politics.
Far-right groups such as New British Union and the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer website have been particularly active in promoting virus-related conspiracy theories, such as Covid-19 being a hoax by governments or that the vaccine will implant microchips.
A narrative is also emerging that is suspicious of new technology. People who believed the virus was being spread by 5G signals embarked on a spate of arson attacks this year on telecoms masts from the Netherlands and Ireland to Cyprus, proving that ideas circulated online are spilling into real world aggression. “Violent rightwing and leftwing extremists often latch on to these narratives and reinforce them,” Mr de Kerchove said. “This explosive mix could inspire further lone-actor violence”.
Whether the rise in extreme beliefs will inspire acts of terror remains unclear but several UK counter-terrorism officials contacted by the Financial Times said they had been referring more people than usual to anti-radicalisation programmes.
Meanwhile, just as lockdowns have reduced the large gatherings that terrorists typically target, spies have found it harder to conduct covert surveillance on empty streets.
Recent deadly jihadi attacks in Vienna and Nice happened on the eve of new lockdowns, spurring fears that extremists will look to strike at crowds again when restrictions are eased.
There is also a risk the virus may have inspired terrorists to adopt deadlier methods. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of the UK’s chemical and biological weapons regiment, said that while terrorists had always been interested in creating biological weapons, they had previously thought they needed to access a virulent pathogen like anthrax or botulinum to kill a lot of people very quickly. Isis militants are now thought to have shown an interest in weaponising less dangerous viruses similar to Covid-19.
“A non-virulent pathogen has brought the world to its feet — medically and financially,” said Mr de Bretton-Gordon. “This is exactly what a terrorist would like to replicate.”