Islamist Terrorism in Europe [Paperback]

Europe is still facing an increase in terrorist plotting. This has led to growing security concerns over the fallout of the Syrian conflict, and the sizeable contingents of battle-hardened European foreign fighters, who are seeking to return home.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the rise of jihadist militancy in Europe and offers a detailed background for understanding the current and future threat. Based on a wide range of new primary sources, it traces the phenomenon back to the late 1980s, and the formation of jihadist support networks in Europe in the early 1990s. Combining analytical rigor with empirical richness, Petter Nesser offers a comprehensive account of patterns of terrorist cell formation and plots between 1995 and 2017.

In contrast to existing research which has emphasized social explanations, failed immigration and homegrown radicalism, this book highlights the transnational aspects. It shows how jihadi terrorism in Europe is intrinsically linked to and reflects the ideological agendas of armed organizations in conflict zones, and how entrepreneurial jihad-veterans facilitate such trans-nationalization of militancy.

1. Introduction

Main question
Terminology
Existing research
Aims and scope
Method
Sources
Argument and outline
Chronology of serious terrorist plots since 1995

2. Background

Arab Afghans
Al-Qaida's central organization
The Afghanistan training camps
From Arab alliance to multi-national network
The ideology of global jihad
The emergence of jihadism in Europe
Geography of jihadism in Europe
Mobilization and radicalization
Summary

3. The Algeria factor

Civil war and armed groups
Leadership and radicalization
The France attacks
The Bosnia counterfactual
The GIA heritage in Europe

4. Between local struggle and global jihad

Al-Qaida's plans for Europe
From support network to terrorist cell
The Frankflcá