Counter-Terrorism: The European Threat

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May 8, 2009: A 36 year old Dutch citizen, of Iraqi ancestry, Wesam al Delaema, was sentenced by a U.S. court to a 25 year term for conspiring to kill American troops in Iraq. Al Delaema was also sentenced to 18 months for attacking, and severely injuring, an American  prison guard while in custody. Al Delaema went to Iraq in late 2003 and worked with Sunni Arab terrorists to make training videos on how to make and use roadside bombs. He continued to assist in this, including making videos of the bombs being used, until his arrest in 2005 by Dutch police. He faces similar charges in Holland. The U.S. extradited al Delaema in 2007, so America could prosecute him first. The extradition agreement stipulated that al Delaema serve his sentence in Holland. This was the first prosecution of an Iraqi for crimes committed against Americans in Iraq.

 

Moslem migrants in Europe tend to be less well integrated in the culture of their new home, at least compared to migrants landing in North America. That, and the closer proximity to the Middle East, results in more of these migrants getting involved in Islamic terrorism.