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handle is hein.crs/govcexw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 01;0i E.$~ & p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LIANJILiN, Updated January 11, 2018 Terrorism in Europe European governments and the European Union (EU) have grappled with domestic and foreign terrorist groups for decades, but a spate of recent attacks has renewed concerns about terrorism and violent extremism in Europe. Despite variances in how terrorist events are defined and tracked, studies indicate a considerable number of incidents over the last few years, as demonstrated by data from Europol (the EU's agency for police cooperation) in Table 1. Table I. Terrorism-Related Attacks in the EU (includes failed, foiled, and completed attacks) Attac ks Year (# of countries) Deaths Injuries Arrests 2013 152(5) 7 9 535 2014 201 (7) 4 6 774 2015 211 (6) 151 350+ 1077 2016 142 (8) 142 379 1002 Source: Data taken from Europol's Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) publications, 2014-2017. Of primary concern to Europe is violent Islamist or jihadist terrorism. Since 2014, there has been an increase in attacks classified by Europol as religious or jihadist in motivation (see Table 2). Terrorism experts assess that the Islamic State organization (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) currently poses the most severe terrorist threat. Worries also persist about Al Qaeda and its affiliates and anti-Israel groups, such as Hezbollah. Table 2. Terrorist Attacks and Fatalities by Type 2014 2015 2016 Type of Attack Attacks Attacks Attacks (Fatalities) (Fatalities) (Fatalities) Religious/Jihadist 2 (4) 17 (150) 13 (135) Nationalist/Separatist 67 (0) 65 (0) 99 (6) Left-Wing/Anarchist 13 (0) 13 (I) 27 (0) Right-Wing Extremist 0 (0) 9 (0) I (I) Single-Issue I (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) Not Specified 1 16 (0) 107 (0) 2 (0) Source: Europol's TE-SAT publications, 2015-2017. Attacks by violent Islamist extremists have been much more lethal than other types of terrorism, accounting for nearly all of the recent fatalities and casualties. The four people killed in 2014 were shot at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, Belgium, by a suspect who reportedly spent a year fighting in Syria. In 2015, jihadist terrorism claimed the lives of 17 in the January attacks in Paris, France (including on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a kosher market); 2 in the February attacks in Denmark at a Copenhagen cafe and synagogue; and 130 in attacks in Paris in November. In 2016, fatalities from jihadist terrorism included 32 in the March bombings in Brussels; 86 in the July truck attack in Nice, France; and 12 in a December truck attack in Berlin, Germany. Authorities also report a steady uptick in arrests related to religious/jihadist terrorism (see Figure 1). Figure I. Terrorism-Related Arrests in the EU Nu b e r m a rrests UeN .. .........Rght .......................... ..........: :A ~ *~i i 750 Q 201 2012 2013 2014 2015 201r6 Source: Europol's TE-SAT publications, 2012-2017. Other types of terrorists remain active in Europe, as well. Most nationalist/separatist attacks in 2016 were attributed to dissident republican groups in Northern Ireland, while left-wing/anarchist attacks occurred in Italy, Greece, and Spain. Security services warn about right-wing extremism amid what some view as a rise in anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiments in Europe; actions by right-wing extremists, however, often are classified as hate crimes rather than terrorism. Authorities in several European countries, including Germany, report an uptick in violent acts by members of far-right groups. In the United Kingdom (UK), a far-right, anti-immigrant extremist murdered a Member of Parliament in June 2016, and a man with alleged anti-Muslim views was charged with terrorism in a van attack outside a London mosque in June 2017. he .nc ,n .t-, n tEz-t.....* European policymakers are alarmed by the Islamic State's connections to and influence in Europe. Many assailants including most of those responsible for the large-scale attacks in Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016 were European citizens who had trained and/or fought with the Islamic State in Syria and/or Iraq. Experts believe that these two attacks may have been steered by the Islamic State from Syria. Roughly 5,000 EU citizens have traveled to Syria or Iraq to become foreign fighters for the Islamic State or other groups since 2011. Studies estimate that roughly 30% of these fighters have returned to Europe. Over the past year, concerns have grown that the Islamic State also may be seeking to direct attacks from Libya given the group's presence and activities there.

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