FLASH NEWS
How Islamic terrorism cells were installed during the first Berisha government and the plan to attack the US embassy
2026-05-31 13:11:41 / POLITIKË
While the alarm of Islamic terrorism has returned in the US, Europe and allied countries, this time in the context of the clash with Iran and its "proxy" organizations that aim to target everything American and Western, the Albanian state, too, has its own history with Islamic radicalism. And this directly points to pluralism and the establishment of democracy. The entry and shelter of Islamic terrorist cells in Albania during the 1990s was initially the result of a historical "perfect storm": A bankrupt state that had just emerged from communism, weak and corrupt institutions, and a desperate need for economic aid.
Terrorist networks, primarily Al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad, exploited this vacuum through a well-thought-out infiltration strategy.
Camouflage through NGOs and Charities
The main route of entry for Islamic terrorism cells and exponents in Albania was the humanitarian aspect. After 1992, about 20 foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Persian Gulf countries (such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc.) landed in Albania.
The official mission that was used as camouflage by them was the distribution of food aid, the opening of orphanages, hospitals, and the reconstruction of the religious infrastructure destroyed by the atheist regime (the construction of mosques and the opening of madrasas).
But this was only a cover. Their secret mission was something else entirely. These associations served as a perfect cover for money laundering, document forgery, arms trafficking and recruitment. Their finances were not controlled by the weak Albanian state, but on the contrary, they were treated with a privileged status by state institutions.
The "Open Door" Policy
In the early 1990s, the government of the time, under the leadership of President Sali Berisha, took significant steps that facilitated and favored the presence of Islamic terrorist cells in our country.
Initially, it was membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Albania joined hastily and without consulting its Western allies, especially the US, hoping for large capital investments from the Arab world.
An important factor in the onslaught of Islamic radicals towards the "Albanian paradise" was the lifting of visas and the granting of citizenships. Visas were lifted for many Middle Eastern countries and Albanian passports were easily issued to "investors" and "humanitarian workers" without any verification of their past. This gave terrorists complete freedom of movement throughout Europe.
Roles of Senior Terrorist Leaders in Tirana
Some of the most wanted figures of international terrorism lived and operated peacefully in Tirana during the period when Sali Berisha was president.
Mohammed al-Zawahiri, the brother of Ayman al-Zawahiri, (who later became the leader of Al-Qaeda after the killing of Bin Laden), came to Albania with false documents as an employee of a charitable organization and led the Egyptian Islamic Jihad cell from our country.
The most important was the Tirana Cell, which dealt with logistics, sheltering jihadists fleeing Arab countries, and planning attacks abroad. It was even discovered that the cell had monitored and photographed the premises of the American Embassy in Tirana for a possible attack on it.
Chaos of the Year 1997
After the collapse of the state in 1997 and the opening of weapons depots, it created an even more favorable terrain for these terrorist cells. Extremist elements took advantage of the anarchy to secure weapons and strengthen their positions, also taking advantage of the total lack of border control.
The End of the Cells: Operation "Returnees from Albania"
The change of power in 1997 and the increasing pressure from Western Intelligence Services (the CIA landed in Albania in alarm), marked the beginning of the end for these cells.
The first major blow came in 1998 in a joint operation by the CIA and the Albanian SHISH. The main cell was destroyed. Many members were arrested and handed over to Egyptian authorities (a process known in history as the "Returnees from Albania" trial).
After the shocking terrorist events of September 11, 2001 in the US, Albania definitively closed all suspicious NGOs, froze their bank assets and expelled people associated with them, now aligning itself as a close ally of the US in the fight against terrorism.
It is worth noting that despite the efforts of these cells to sow radicalism among the Albanian people (at best, they were allowed by the Albanian state), they failed to create a solid popular base in Albania. The traditional religious tolerance of the Albanians and their strong cultural orientation towards the West served as a natural shield against extremist ideologies, despite the fact that the first Berisha government created all possible conditions and facilities for them. /Alfapress.al
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