The Balkans have long been an international magnet for jihadists, as I detailed in Onward Muslim Soldiers. It is increasingly clear that the area is a launching ground for the jihad in Europe.
From AP, :
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) — The arrest in Serbia of a top terrorist fugitive has raised fresh concerns of an al-Qaida presence in the volatile Balkans, where thousands of U.S. and other international troops are stationed as peacekeepers.
Abdelmajid Bouchar, a 22-year-old Moroccan, sought for involvement in last year’s train bombings in the Spanish capital Madrid, that killed nearly 200 people, was caught at the Belgrade railway station in June.
The arrest, revealed earlier this month, revived concerns that the Balkans – with its porous borders, unsophisticated security systems, rampant corruption and organized crime – could serve as a haven for al-Qaida-linked terrorist groups.
Local officials and experts have long warned that the Balkans at least is a major transit route for the terrorists, as well as for organized crime, including human and drug trafficking. They said the two often go hand in hand.