Finland disrupted an ISIS-linked network

The case concerns Ruslan Meyriev, who was sentenced in Antwerp to 12 years in prison for terrorist financing and planning an explosive attack. He lived in Finland before Swedish authorities arrested him in August 2024 and extradited him to Belgium. For Supo, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, this was one of the largest counter-terrorism operations in recent years.

The most important point is that the network was not focused mainly on attacks in Finland. According to Supo, it was involved in financing, planning and directing ISIS-linked activity outside the country. This shows a problem that is often harder to communicate publicly: a state may not be the direct target of an attack, but it can still be used as a place for logistics, contacts, financing and operational coordination.

Supo links the case to a wider European trend. Finland has observed more serious and more professional terrorist support activity, including financing and facilitation for terrorist organisations. The service also points to the growing importance of Russian-speaking extremist networks connected to ISIS and ISKP, which have appeared in several disrupted attack plots in Europe and its neighbourhood.

The Belgian verdict does not increase the terrorist threat in Finland. It confirms that the network had already been identified, monitored and disrupted through cooperation between Finnish, Swedish and Belgian authorities. At the same time, the case shows that the Nordic countries are not outside the map of terrorist activity.