Apparently they know they don’t face a whole lot of law enforcement pushback there. The Republic of Ireland “does not have wide powers to detain ISIS extremist suspects who return to Ireland from abroad.”
What could possibly go wrong?
“Isis views Ireland as ‘somewhere to fundraise rather than attack,'” The Journal, October 2, 2019:
THE ISLAMIC STATE terrorist group views Ireland as somewhere to fundraise rather than target for a terrorist attack, according to a new report.
Researchers spoke to Irish security sources for the report, which explores jihadist extremism in 10 European countries.
There are an estimated five people serving prison sentences in Ireland for convictions related to Islamist extremism offences. Security sources said these convictions relate to funding terrorism, rather than active engagement in terrorist plots.
“This reinforces other evidence which suggests that ISIS (Islamic State) and its affiliates regard the Republic of Ireland as a target for criminal exploitation for fundraising, as opposed to a target for a terrorist attack,” the report notes.
Ian Acheson, a security expert based in the UK, wrote the chapter about Ireland. He states there is “little evidence yet to indicate any direct cooperation between Irish-born or -based Islamist extremists and dissident extremists or OCGs (organised crime gangs)”.
However, he said “transnational terrorism” operating within the Republic of Ireland still “poses a real risk”.
“Given the convergence of interests and tactical opportunities and the strong historical cooperation of such groups in a domestic context, the possibility of that extending to jihadist groups cannot be discounted,” Acheson states.
He notes that, according to interviews with senior Irish security sources, the Republic of Ireland “does not have wide powers to detain ISIS extremist suspects who return to Ireland from abroad”….