The arrest in Serbia of the Moroccan terrorist fugitive, Abdelmajid Bouchar wanted in connection with the Madrid train bombings should be viewed with caution. Many have sought to link Islamic terrorists and groups, such as al-Qaeda , to the Balkan region for over a decade, but a note of caution should be made when trying to verify these connections. The arrest of Bouchar is not proof that al-Qaeda connections exist in the region. He was apprehended when a security official became suspicious of his lack of papers and did not believe he was a poor refugee heading to Western Europe. It is unclear if he was transiting the country, if he was using it as a base of operations, and if his detention means anything for the rise of Islamic extremism in the Balkans.

On the surface, the Balkans would seem for both recent history and current situations to be the ideal place for extremists to gain a foothold. With the dissolution of Yugoslavia over a decade ago and the ensuing violent conflicts, outside Muslim fighters came into the area to support their brethren. Many of these men stayed on after the war and married local women. In addition, Islamic charities and other NGOs were in the region. Some of them may have had more stringent religious views than the native population, and they were likely trying to proselytize their viewpoints. It remains unclear whether and to what extent these organizations may have had any interaction with extremist and terrorists. There were also unofficial organizations on site, and there has long been speculation that al-Qaeda had achieved, or at least tried to achieve, a footprint in the Balkans. The relationship of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) (see logo) and external criminal and terrorist organizations has been subject to speculation and interest.