The case of a 37-year-old Palestinian man arrested on 6 June on the island of Crete for allegedly planning to attack a cruise ship linked to Israeli interests raises security issues regarding the terror overspill of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Greece and Europe in general. The investigation continues, and already there are important security and legal points to take into account:

1. If the facts of the case get verified by the court investigation, then Greek authorities managed to foil a planned attack that could cost dearly human lives and generally it would undermine the tourism and security of the country. Here, the keyword considered must be “cooperation”. The suspect’s arrest seems to be linked to the detention of four other Palestinian men in Cyprus, also being investigated on terrorism-related charges. He was arrested after 15 days of surveillance by Greek intelligence services in cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies, including Israeli security services. This was an ad hoc prevention of a terror attack, and it proves that sharing, evaluating correctly, and acting on information play a significant role in counter-terrorism. In the past, terror plots in Europe have been successful not because there was no relevant intelligence, but because it was not shared accordingly, not evaluated properly, and no timely action was taken. A clear political shift of the Greek government from the times of the 70s and 80s regarding the country’s relationship with Israel has strengthened its response to Palestinian terrorism. The security collaboration with Israel is also part of this shift, and it is the second time that it has prevented an attack on Greek soil.
2. Despite the current operational success of Greek authorities, there is still a security gap to be discussed, as it could raise the terrorism danger in Greece and Europe in general, given the country’s geographical position as an entry point to the EU. The suspect was living in Greece under an asylum status and had traveled to Malaysia for training on making explosives using commercially available chemical agents. While Palestinian, Arab, Muslim refugees and/or immigrants coming to Greece and Europe should not face suspicion by either the authorities or society, the dynamics of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the active recruitment campaign by Hamas, and the existence of “sleepers” in Europe mean there should be strict monitoring for dangerous individuals posing threat to security. There is one suspect in custody now, yet we do not know how many others could be under the command of Hamas planning future attacks.
3. Terrorism cases do not end; they start with police arrests. The court procedure is very important to make sure that the correct individuals are brought to justice and that those found guilty will face the proper legal consequences. A court procedure is based on evidence, and whenever arrests are the result of different countries’ intelligence services (especially from outside the EU), their sharing of information can cause legal perplexities. Firstly, intelligence authorities may not want to reveal operationally sensitive information in court. During a fair trial though, the defendant (and the defense lawyer) must know every detail about the accusation and try to defend himself. Apart from that, it could be that evidence coming from other countries is collected without the same human rights protection standards (especially those of the European Convention of Human Rights). Accepting evidence that would not be admissible in the first place, if collected by national law enforcement authorities, creates an unacceptable breach in the rule of law. Human rights and legal principles are not a luxury in terrorism cases; they are a necessity. So courts have to investigate also the origin of the evidence and the conditions it was obtained.

The cases of the Palestinian suspects arrested in Greece and Cyprus should be followed with much interest by security experts. They are part of the new internationalisation of Palestinian terrorism, many decades after the 70s and 80s. The terrorist network and terrorist cooperations with their operational plans, the societal context, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as background, and also the abilities and limitations of authorities need to be examined taking into account new realities and challenges.