Page 81 - Cyber Terrorism and Extremism as Threat to Critical Infrastructure Protection

5 Addressing Challenges from
Cyber Terrorism in Kosovo

Kadri Arifi

1 Introduction

The Republic of Kosovo, as well as the countries of the region and beyond, has faced and
is still facing the consequences of violent extremism and terrorism as a result of the spread
of extremist ideologies that have affected some of the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.
In spite of practising traditional and moderate Islam in Kosovo, and the resistance of soci-
ety against these ideologies, vulnerable parts of society, being exposed to them, embraced
the idea of political Islam and gradually turned to extremists and began to radicalize their
attitudes and actions. This began with intolerant inter-religious discourse, problems within
families, incidents at mosques, isolated attacks on moderate imams, hate speech, attempts to
influence and control the Muslim community in Kosovo, and efforts for political empower-
ment and involvement of citizens of the Republic of Kosovo in acts of violence and terrorism
at home and abroad. The efforts of Kosovo institutions in the fight against extremism and ter-
rorism have significantly and consistently increased. The Republic of Kosovo, as part of the
international coalition against ISIS, has successfully implemented all the responsibilities and
obligations arising from membership of this coalition, becoming a very important partner in
the global fight against terrorism.

As a result of the measures undertaken by Kosovo’s institutions, both in terms of prevention
and prosecution, the threats of violent extremism and terrorism have been significantly mini-
mized. “Law enforcement authorities demonstrated adequate capacity to detect and prevent
several terrorist plots in Kosovo and abroad. The Kosovo Police Counterterrorism Directorate
(KPCT), which is responsible for counterterrorism investigations, increased their investiga-
tive capacities by increasing personnel and developing a cyber-counterterrorism unit” (US
Department of State, 2019: p 97). However, the phenomenon of extremism and radicalism
remains an ongoing challenge for Kosovo’s institutions. A number of Kosovo citizens still
remain in the zones of conflict in Syria and Iraq, while others have returned through an opera-
tion organized by the security institutions. Returned foreign fighters and their family members

81