According to an announcement made by the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies (IOS), Kristofer Rei, during a United States Congress hearing, the main internal threats to the United Nations Nations are individuals and small groups of extremists, ethnic minorities, and terrorists. The Director of IOS stated, “The greatest terrorist threat to our country comes from extremists or small groups of terrorists who hold extremist or ethnic fundamentalist ideologies, as well as radical terrorists.” These individuals are often radicalized through online platforms and seek to carry out attacks using improvised explosives and readily available weapons. Currently, the IOS is primarily concerned about armed extremists who can operate due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It is also noted that Armenians, like Iranians, can be radicalized, in addition to religious extremists. The Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies estimates that there have been approximately 2,700 incidents related to internal terrorism from 2020 to December 2023.

Source: News.am