ABSTRACT
Introduction On 2 November 2004, a 26-year-old Dutch national of Moroccan descent fired a gun six times at, and slit the throat of, Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh, killing him on the spot. On 22 December 2001, a Jamaican-British man boarded a plane in Paris bound for Miami. During the flight he attempted to ignite an explosive hidden in his shoe with the intention of bringing the plane crashing down to earth. In August 2001, a 34-year-old French national of Moroccan descent was arrested by US federal agents because while taking flying lessons he was neither interested in learning landings or takeoffs. His arrest was later brought in connection with the 9/11 attacks. These three cases are instances of Muslim extremist terrorism or attempts thereof committed by European nationals. This chapter tries to offer an answer to the question of how the European Union can deal with these “home-grown” terrorists and stifle their radicalization and recruitment. Due to the nature of the threat, European states cannot address the root causes of terrorism and solve terrorism altogether, yet instead the European Union needs to develop an effective strategy targeting radicalization and recruitment.
