FORTRESS EUROPE: TERRORIST THREAT IN THE CONTEXT OF ISIS
Fortress Europe: Terrorist Threat in the Context of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Summary/Abstract: This article analyses the terrorist threat in Europe in the context of the existence and activities of the Islamic State. The first part of this paper is devoted to the evolution of the terrorist threat in Europe, with particular emphasis on changes in its nature in the context of the Islamic State and the migration crisis. The second part of this article discusses three structural factors determining the level of terrorist threat on the European continent: the Schengen area, no-go zones and the related crime problem. The article then examines how both time and structural factors influence prevention and anti-terrorist strategies that must deal with both external and internal threats not only from organized terrorist cells, whose members have been trained, but also from independent radicalizing lone wolves, who are beyond the control of security services, including converts. Due to its nature, the danger of terrorism affects the whole continent and is present even in countries previously considered to be relatively safe, such as Poland, the case of which is analysed in the final part of this article.

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