Islamist Terrorism in Europe: A History - Hardcover

'A forensic look at 20 years of terrorist attacks. ... This is not a book to read if you want to sleep easy.' * The Sunday Times * 'Petter Nesser's unflashy book analyses jihadi activity in Europe from the 1994 attempt by Algerian hijackers to crash an Air France jet into Paris to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo's offices and the kosher deli hostage crisis one year ago.' -- The Times; 'Nesser's detailed analysis of the threat we face could hardly be more timely. Its main focus is on the individuals involved, their backgrounds, motivations and modus operandi.' * The Independent * 'Petter Nesser's unflashy book analyses jihadi activity in Europe from the 1994 attempt by Algerian hijackers to crash an Air France jet into Paris to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo's offices and the kosher deli hostage crisis one year ago.' * The Times *

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 rigour 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 emphasised 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 organisations in conflict zones, and how entrepreneurial jihad-veterans facilitate such trans-nationalisation of militancy. .