Conference on terrorism set for Malaga

The Council of Europe (CoE) is co-hosting an international conference on terrorism and organized crime in Malaga, Spain on Sept. 25-26, it was announced Tuesday.

Held in conjunction with the City of Malaga and the University of Malaga, the conference will examine increasing similarities between the methods used by terrorist groups and those used in other forms of organised crime.

The aim is to review the best ways of preventing and fighting both threats.

According to the CoE, terrorist groups and organized crime often use similar methods and share many organisational and operational features. Both groups recruit new members in prisons and socially deprived areas offering them status and a feeling of belonging.

The conference will also discuss the radicalisation and recruitment of individuals through the internet, as the Islamic State (IS) case has recently shown, and how terrorist groups carry out criminal activities, ranging from local to transnational crime, including smuggling, drug trafficking and cybercrime, to finance their operations.

The role of the United Nations (UN) Arms Trade Treaty in combatting terrorism and organised crime will also be discussed.

The event will bring together judges, prosecutors, police forces, experts and policy-makers from the 47 member states of the CoE, as well as representatives from other countries and international organisations, such as EUROPOL, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN, and the European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust).