'Jews around world under growing terror threat'

Former Counterterrorism Bureau chief tells 'Post' that jihadist organizations seeking to attack Israeli, Jewish targets overseas.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Hezbollah supporters in Beirut 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hezbollah supporters in Beirut 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israelis and Jews around the world are under increasing threat from Islamic terrorists and need to demand that local authorities provide better security, former Counterterrorism Bureau chief Brig.- Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel said Monday, hours after a gunman killed four people outside a Jewish school in France.
Nuriel told The Jerusalem Post that a “Jihadist coalition” of organizations has made a decision to attack Israeli and Jewish targets wherever they may be and without distinction. “They attack whoever they can and wherever security is lax,” he said.
Iran and terror groups are trying to deter Israel from taking action against them by carrying out these attacks overseas, according to Nuriel, who stepped down from his post several months ago.
He said it was possible that the attack against the school in France was not terror-related, but he did draw a direct line between the recent spate of bombings plots in India, Georgia, Thailand and Azerbaijan.
Nuriel urged Israelis who travel overseas to take extra precautions and to be more vigilant in the face of the terror threat.
“It makes no difference for the terrorist if the target is a representative of the Jewish Agency, an Israeli tourist or a local Jew,” he stated.
When choosing accommodations abroad, Nuriel said that Israelis should not make the decision based solely on the quality of the hotel or hostel, but rather they should also take into consideration whether there is security at the building.
Secondly, he said Israelis should not post pictures of their trips on Facebook and other social media websites, since photographs could then be used by terrorists to track them, as well as to identify targets frequented by large numbers of Israelis.