Page 82 - Cyber Terrorism and Extremism as Threat to Critical Infrastructure Protection

SECTION I: EXTREMISM, RADICALIZATION AND CYBER THREATS AS AN IMPORTANT
SECURITY FACTORS FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM PROCESSES

have been subject to investigative procedures and prosecuted. In addition to sentencing, at
the same time efforts have been made by Kosovo institutions to deradicalize them, includ-
ing those serving sentences in Kosovo prisons, through various programmes. A complex and
long-term project for the rehabilitation and reintegration of people indoctrinated by extreme
ideology is in process. The results remain to be seen.

What the author observes is that, even in Kosovo, cyberspace is considered to be a suitable en-
vironment for extremists and perpetrators to commit various criminal offences using sophis-
ticated computer tools and software. The main purpose or motive of the perpetrators remains
material gain, but there are also other reasons, such as revenge, sabotage, espionage, extremist
intentions, and so on. The trend of spread of extreme ideology and Islamic radicalism through
the internet is challenging. “Terrorists employ the internet in a variety of ways—both visibly
and covertly. While much of the communication, training, planning, and execution of their
designs are conducted behind the cloak of invisibility, terrorists also employ the internet as a
tool for propagandizing their ideology” (Britz, 2014: p 154). No case of cyber terrorism on a
large scale that would endanger the country’s critical infrastructure has so far been reported
in Kosovo, but whatever the case, the threats from cyber terrorism should never be neglected.
“Over time, hackers have proven to cyber security experts that they can be persistent, more
creative, and increasingly sophisticated with their attacks. They have learned how to adapt to
changes in the IT landscape so that they can always be effective when they launch attacks”
(Diogenes and Ozkaya, 2018: p 91). Extremists and radical Islamic groups continue to in-
crease the use of cyberspace to propagate and spread the ideology, promote their activities,
recruit new members, facilitate terrorist financing, and take other action in support of terror-
ism. This is an increasing risk to national security. Protecting critical infrastructure, national
assets and cyberspace remains vital, therefore, and should be a priority for Kosovo’s security
institutions. Addressing the challenges and developing a comprehensive response in combat-
ing cyber terrorism is essential.

2 Terrorism as a Continuing Challenge for Kosovo

The start of conflicts in the Middle East, particularly that in Syria and Iraq, activated extremist
individuals and groups from Kosovo and the region, who began to recruit and facilitate the de-
ployment of Kosovo fighters to the conflict zones to take part in the fighting, according to their
perception of the “holy war” and the “creation of an Islamic state”. Initially, the propaganda of
terrorist groups was focused through various meetings and religious tribunes with the partici-
pation of some radical imams not only from Kosovo, but also from countries in the region, as
well as in mosques outside of the Kosovo Islamic Community administration where the role
of the religious leaders was performed by self-declared imams with radical convictions. As a
result, a large number of young people from Kosovo joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.
Consequently, Kosovo continues to face threats and challenges in combating and preventing
violent extremism and terrorism.

Completing the legal infrastructure and creating state mechanisms to combat extremism and
terrorism, while strengthening security institutions and raising public awareness of the conse-
quences of violent extremism and radicalism has resulted in a reduction in extreme activities.
“The response of the institutions of Kosovo brought obvious results in combating the violent
extremism and radicalism, especially in advancing the legal infrastructure, creation and func-

82