Brussels attacks bare the flaws of EU security policies

The terror attack in Brussels comes just three days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam and it is clearly a revenge, as claimed by an ISIS tweet under the name "Abou Maouedh el Qayrawani", where it is ordered to free Abdeslam and where threats are launched against the "worshippers of the Cross". However it is not just an act to order Abdeslam's release and it is not just a simple terror attack.

Photo: AP photo

In fact it is obvious from the first information received that we are dealing with a coordinated attack that required an accurate, detailed planning that could not have been perpetrated without specific logistical support. After all even Salah Abdeslam's long being on the run could not have occurred without the support of a network inside the ghetto neighborhood of Molenbeek.

The message of the jihadists is clear: "we can strike in the heart of Europe's capital and for every arrest you make we have more men ready to attack". The time and places of the attack are also significant: early morning rush-hour, major means of transportation and areas close to EU headquarters.

A dramatic episode that emphasizes some aspects that need serious considerations:

1. Belgium has the highest number of foreign fighters in relation to its population and it is also a terrible example of a disastrous phenomenon defined as "multiculturalism",  nothing more than an irresponsible "laissez-faire" that leads to ghettos and uncontrolled areas that consequently become major terrorist hideouts.

2. Belgium is a small country and as such, the territory control should not be too difficult. The fact that Belgian authorities are not able to grant security can only mean two things: either the intelligence activity, the preventive and repressive measures are not well-coordinated and implemented or the situation is so out of control that it is not even possible to put proper intel activities into action.

3. It is now important to identify the terrorists in order to understand if they were locals or foreign fighters that managed to return from Syria or Iraq. This will eventually lead to further considerations linked to immigrant flow into Europe.

4. How is it possible that suicide bombers managed to enter the airport without being detected? How come the subways did not have any type of X-ray checks due to recent terror threats, especially after the Paris terror attacks?

Maybe it is time that Europe rethinks its counter-terror policies and implements further security cooperation with Russia, a country that has gone through a phase of heavy terror attacks in the first decade of the 21st century and which managed to defeat it thanks to proper preventive and repressive measures which at the time were indicated by "one-way human rights champions" as "human rights violations". The result of EU's security and territory control is today in front of everyone's eyes.

Giovanni Giacalone