COLUMNS

What the Foiled Vienna Pride Parade Plot Suggests About the Islamist Threat to the West

Jun 29, 2023 | 16:31 GMT

The director of Austria's intelligence agency (left) and the president of Vienna's state police hold a press conference on a foiled Vienna pride parade attack on June 18, 2023.
The director of Austria's intelligence agency (left) and the president of Vienna's state police discuss a foiled plot to attack a Vienna pride parade during a press conference on June 18, 2023.

(TOBIAS STEINMAURER/APA/AFP via Getty Images)

Depending on your perspective, the recently disrupted plot against Vienna's Pride Parade on June 17 – in which local Islamic State sympathizers planned to attack the LGBTQ+ celebration – is either a good example of security services doing their job well or a concerning reminder of the persistence of the Islamist terrorist threat to the West. As is often the case, there is truth in both perspectives and the incident thus provides an opportunity to reflect on the current and future state of the jihadist threat to the West. Despite major counterterrorism successes, ongoing technological developments, changing security priorities and rising threats from other extremists threaten to undo hard-won gains....

Subscribe to view this article

Subscribe Now

Subscribe

Already have an account?