ABSTRACT

Since the Madrid and London bombings, European countries have become increasingly worried that they may also become the victims of a terrorist attack. Countries such as Denmark, with its pro-NATO line and recent controversy over the Muhammad cartoons, Italy, which has been involved in Iraq, and the United Kingdom where radical Islamism is still very present, are all “potential terrorism targets”. Conversely, whilst the threat is ever-present, France has, since 1996, successfully avoided any attack on its soil by operational jihadist cells, although there have been terrorist acts carried out against French interests or citizens around the world. Yet France is currently facing the challenge of its (sometimes) discontented communities. This discontent is fuelled partly by a quest for identity among third-generation immigrants, but also by radical elements that are operating in the streets, the mosques, the halal business. As such, France could be regarded as the “avant-garde” of Europe and sooner or later other European countries could be faced with similar challenges. In this difficult environment, the publication of the Ministry of Interior’s White Paper on Terrorism in March 2006 was arguably a political means by which to mobilise citizens. Lately, the reform of the internal security apparatus may be perceived as a real challenge. The creation of a new intelligence agency – the Direction Centrale du Renseignement Interieur (DCRI) – is the most recent initiative in order to enhance and adapt the French anti-terrorism strategy to changing threats. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of French jihadist networks, other old or emerging threats and to demonstrate how France’s situation could foreshadow a similar evolution in countries like Spain, Italy, Germany or the UK.