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AS ISLAMIC STATE loses ground in the Middle East, it has mounted attacks in Europe to convince the world of its strength, experts say.
But Islamic State activity in Europe hasn’t all been recent; the terrorist group (also known as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh) has long had its sights set on Europe as a recruiting ground and target of attacks.
A map from the Institute for the Study of War tracks where the so-called Islamic State has hit, where its plots have been thwarted, where its supporters have been arrested, and where the group has targeted recruits.
The ISW notes that the group is “executing a campaign to terrorise and polarise Europe” and that the group has “inspired, resourced, and directed attempted and successful attacks in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Turkey since January 2014.”
“ISIS aims to punish countries acting against it in Iraq and Syria,” ISW notes. “It also seeks to polarise the West by inspiring state and social backlash against European Muslim communities. ISIS believes increased cultural strife will destabilise Europe and encourage Muslims to join it in Iraq and Syria.”
Islamic State has an extensive network of recruiters and supporters throughout Europe. These recruiters operate on social media and through in-person meetings to persuade Westerners to migrate to IS territory in Iraq and Syria. It also releases propaganda aimed at Western audiences to encourage supporters to attack Europe and the US even without any communication with core ISIS leaders.
These calls to action have resulted in several successful attacks.
Here’s a look at the map, which notes Islamic State-coordinated attacks, IS-inspired attacks, IS targets, IS-linked arrests, heightened threat levels, and sources of foreign fighters who move to IS territory:
The map shows the terrorist group has been particularly active with attacks in France and Turkey. France, Russia, Germany, and the UK serve as major sources of foreign fighters.
“ISIS will likely expand its efforts to direct and resource sophisticated terror attacks in Europe,” the ISW notes.
“ISIS used its high-ranking Belgian-Moroccan military commander Abdelhamid [Abaaoud] to coordinate multiple attack attempts in Belgium and France. ISIS may send similarly skilled individuals back to plan terror attacks there, or in other historic European jihadist systems, including Spain and Morocco, Italy and the Balkans, or the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.
Interconnected human networks in each of these systems may capitalise on inadequate intelligence sharing across European borders in order to plan and conduct attacks.”
Authorities have thwarted several alleged attack plots in the UK, France, Germany, and Turkey. France in particular has been on high alert lately after IS-affiliated attackers killed 130 people and injured hundreds more as they took hostages, detonated suicide vests, and shot dozens across Paris in November.
- Pamela Engel.
My band Cruachan made it to the last ten this year, so close to making the final six for the televised final. A totally different song than normal – celtic folk mixed with metal, thin lizzy meets horslips. Anyway, we’ll release our submission ‘The Blacksmith’ as a standalone single on the same day as Irelands semi final so plz check that out and see what you think
@Keith Fay: if ye make it it’ll be the first good act since Lordi.
@Kieran Fitzgerald: Cheers Kieran, we’ll most likely try again for next year. Ireland needs to stop sending pop!
@Keith Fay: it’d be fine if it was good pop but the best we can do some some lad who can do the Louis Walsh dance move. A.K.A Standing up off a stool on a key change.
And who selects the songs presented on the late late show? Or is it who you know?……
@Rebecca Owens: this is what I was told – “We had a judging panel of over 30 Radio, TV and Entertainment professionals as well as Eurovision fans shortlisting the songs”
@Keith Fay: lol.. Rubbish.. Johnny Rotten!! (English Man). All candidates are politically / agenda picked.
I watch the Eurovision but often it feels like the judges don’t. It feels like they are still locked in the past with no idea of what actually succeeds in the Eurovision nowadays. I mean the audience of Eurovision are hardly diehard fans of the Late Late show way of selecting singers. Johnny Rotten will probably go in purely for the novelty factor.
Yes but I can’t watch Turbity or Marty Whelan, so that rules out Eurosong tonight or Eurovision on RTE.
I watch all kinds of everything
nul points – nein danke
50% polled have no interest, yet the viewing figures every year are huge.
Funny that.
@Eamonn Duggan: Viewing figures are rigged.
@Roger Bond: or more simply, the Journal commenters are not representative of the general population.
@Eamonn Duggan: A quick Google search tells me that, at 314,000 viewers, it wasn’t even in the top 50….
Listened to the songs, i cannot see any going through never mind winning. The competition should be more open to the public. Like it was when it started. A knock out competition
I do watch it, it’s actually quite good.
The bloc vote argument and the naff song argument come from people who haven’t watched the contest in years.
The quality has improved songwise, the winners are not all eastern bloc, recent winners: Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Sweden (twice), Austria, Denmark.
I do think RTÉ needs to make more of an effort when you see what the rest of Europe brings each year. We won’t be holding that record for much longer and when that happens, which it will, we won’t be able to tug at the Johnny Logan nostalgia strings any longer. Change if approach is needed now.
Look at United Kingdom, coming second last year, would have won only for Ukraine, however end up hosting in Liverpool this year, so they may as well have won the thing last year.
Every mention of John Lydon and P. I. L. has been removed!!! Why??
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Cause the system don’t like it.
@Keth Warsaw: It’s a great rock ‘n roll swindle if you ask me.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: And tonight….never mind the bolox.
@Keth Warsaw: bollix
Yes, taking a shot everytime Marty makes a patronising remark about one of the other countries.
The Eurovision became a complete joke show when those Eastern European countries came onboard.
@Roger Bond: So you’d kick out all the countries east of Berlin?
junket for some who look forward to the trip yearly and the taxpayers being fleeced to pay for such trips , RTE. And their Mafia and political connections wast of taxoayers money as some sections of society go hungry and have to live in the cold homes if they have one to live in .
Has become too big. Bring back four singers and frocks, and a real connection. Don’t need to watch pornstars throwing out noise.
…Never gonna happen.
Not since My Lovely Horse.
Let JR represent Ireland. We have been too anodyne fit too long.
Eurovision peaked in 2006.
@Kieran Fitzgerald: 1970 s
I did and it was cringeworthy
Amateur hour
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