Neutral Switzerland is being drawn into the terror net of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State although it has studiously stayed out of America’s wars on terrorists while fully supporting them through diplomacy and humanitarian work.
In another sign of European jitters after the Nov 13 massacre by terrorists in Paris, Geneva city was placed on a terrorist alert for a few days earlier this week on a threat level of three out of five, the highest in years.
The hunt is still on for some of a group of four men that the CIA thinks could be terrorists and entered Geneva apparently in a vehicle registered in Belgium.
The CIA warning got urgent attention because Geneva is currently hosting United Nations mediation with various rebel factions fighting different sides of the wars in Syria.
IS and Al Qaeda are not represented in the very slow moving mediation but people entering the UN buildings had the unusual experience of seeing security forces armed with automatic weapons patrolling the grounds last week.
Geneva views itself as the world capital for humanitarian efforts because it hosts numerous UN offices, the International Red Cross and several non-government organizations. It has never suffered a terrorist outrage but Swiss intelligence and police are thoroughly tied into Europe-wide security cooperation and work closely with the CIA and FBI.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said today it has opened criminal proceedings against two individuals following the terror alert in the Geneva area.
The criminal proceedings opened on December 12, 2015 against “two individuals from a Syrian provenance on suspicion of manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives and toxic gases as well as on suspicion of violation of the Federal Law of the prohibition of groups like Al Qaida, Islamic State and similar organizations,” the statement said. “The top priority and common goal is the prevention of terror activities.”
Switzerland has always valued its political neutrality and used it as a shield against being viewed by Islamic terrorists as an enemy on par with the US, France, Britain or Russia.
The Attorney General’s reference to toxic gases has jangled nerves throughout Europe because it represents a new twist in the lethal weapons used by terrorists so far.
Geneva and Switzerland could be forced to reassess the fundamental and cherished foreign policy doctrines of neutrality that have kept the country out of European wars for several centuries.
Even a small toxic gas attack anywhere inside Switzerland by terrorist who might have slipped through surveillance so far would cause major lurches to the right despite Swiss pride in keeping a cool head when its neighbors are losing theirs.
Recent elections that led to the formation of a new national government last week saw the rise of a xenophobic formation that captured nearly 30% of the vote and looks like the most powerful political faction.
The right wing Swiss People’s Party (the German language initials are UDC) won 65 of Switzerland’s 200 parliamentary seats in the October elections. It now has two full cabinet ministers in the seven-member body that comprises the Federal executive.
It won on an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee platform. It strongly opposes allowing Muslims to build mosques or demand religious exceptions such as separate swimming pool times and headscarves for women.
Switzerland could have a hard time recovering if the goal of a future terrorist attack were to bring political chaos to Europe’s most stable liberal democracy and economy .