| Al-Qaeda terrorist cells appear to be infiltrating Eastern Europe following the European Union’s eastward expansion, according to a German expert on terrorism in remarks published Friday. Islamic radicals are believed to be setting up bases in Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, said Rolf Tophoven, director of the Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy in Berlin. "The combination of Islamic terrorist cells and powerful organized crime structures in these countries could create an explosive mixture," he was quoted as saying in Der Tagesspiegel newspaper. He based his findings on reports by British MI5 intelligence agents. One MI5 agent quoted an Islamic militant as saying, "In Poland and Bulgaria everything is so easy because there’s so much corruption. You can buy anything with US dollars, law enforcement is lax and you can get away with almost anything." |