EU: 50 terror attacks averted
Security services foiled fifty big terrorist attacks of Muslim extremists since September 11, 2001. Countries targeted included the Netherlands, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, terrorism experts Glenn Schoen of Ernst & Young and professor of Strategic Studies at Leiden University Rob de Wijk told AD. The two based their calculations on reports by security services, government documents, their own research and sources.
In the Netherlands the attacks include the Hofstad Group and a suicide attack by a Pakistani student who was part of a cell from Barcelona which planned attacks in Europe.
The targets of Muslim extremists included military bases, airports and shopping malls. In most cases the terrorists wanted to cause as many victims as possible, says Schoen.
According to Europol, 110 suspects of Muslim terrorism were arrested last year. They did not make the data about the criminal cases public.
Source: AD (Dutch)
