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.
Author(s): Petter Nesser
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: xviii+390
Cover
Half-title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgements
Conventions
Abbreviations
Prologue
Introduction
1. From Afghanistan to Europe
Afghan-Arabs
Al-Qaida
Camps and alliances
Europe in jihadi thought
Jihadis enter Europe
Commandos behind enemy lines
“Londonistan”
Preachers
Recruitment
Covenant of security
2. Scope and modus operandi
Scope of plots
Modus Operandi
3. The Algeria Factor (1994–2000)
GIA
Emirs and radicalization
The France attacks
Building cells
Mixed motives
4. Towards Global Jihad in Europe (2000–3)
Global jihad kicks off
From support network to terrorist cell
Frankfurt cell
The network of Djamel Beghal
Tawhid
Chechen network
5. The Iraq Effect (2003–5)
The new generation
Injustices against Islam
Jihadism behind bars
Al-Qaida’s plans for Iraq
Drumming for jihad in Europe
Recruitment for the Iraqi jihad
M-11
Hofstadgroup
6. The Pakistan Axis (2004–6)
Pakistani jihadis and al-Qaida
The UK–Pakistan trail
Waziristan and Europe plots
Crawley group
7/7
Airliner plot
7. The Northern Front (2005–8)
Cartoons
“Al-Qaida in Northern Europe”
Glasvej
Suitcase bombers
Sauerland cell
Doctors’ cell
8. Decentralization (2008–10)
Continued threat from Af-Pak
Single-actors on the rise
9. A Heterogeneous Threat (2011–15)
Syria and the new generation
Reciprocal radicalization
The Syria effect
Al-Qaida still in the game
Soldier killers
Targeting anti-Islam
Blowback
Full Circle: The Attacks on Charlie Hebdo
Epilogue: Islamic State’s Effect on European Jihadism
What creates the IS-effect?
Why the rise in potential attackers?
The importance of foreign fighters
Tactical moves
The challenges security services face
Do we exaggerate the threat?
How do plots occur?
Who are the terrorists?
Interventions matter
Networks matter more
Entrepreneurs matter most
How can the threat be reduced?
Notes
Index
