Author Description

"Al Qaeda in Europe is the first book in English that dissects Islamic terrorism on the Continent. Lorenzo Vidino, a European expert for the Investigative Project - a Washington, DC-based counterterrorism institute and America's largest private data-gathering center on militant Islamic activities - analyzes the causes of this dangerous situation while providing an extensive historical overview of Islamic terrorist activities in Europe. Divided into four parts, Al Qaeda in Europe begins by identifying European terrorists - their location and when they converted to fundamentalism. Vidino notes the difficulties that law enforcement agencies worldwide have had in shutting down terror cells." "Aside from their fanaticism, what binds the al Qaeda networks together? Vidino addresses this question and points to facets of European government that have allowed - and, in some cases, inadvertently encouraged - radical Islam to grow. The book shows how terrorists, most of them native to the Continent, raise money, communicate, and hide in plain sight in the suburbs of London, Paris, or Amsterdam. Vidino includes information taken from a dozen countries' original documentation, plus transcripts of conversations among al Qaeda operatives that have been intercepted by intelligence agencies." "Al Qaeda in Europe will become a valuable resource for scholars and government officials."--Jacket.