Episode 196 – Why has the terrorist threat been raised in Western European capital cities?
The holiday season (Christmas and New Year’s) is a big deal in the West. Christmas markets, New Year’s Eve parties, etc. are usually attended by tens of thousands of people. These events make for ideal terrorist targets, especially by jihadis. Recently, warnings have been issued for Paris and Brussels and security services have upped their vigilance. What does all this mean? A conversation with a Belgian specialist in this regard.
About my guest
Pieter van Ostaeyen is an independent researcher in Belgium focusing on jihadi terrorism, the ideology of jihadi movements, Islamic history and Arabic and has experience in the Belgian Defence Ministry.
‘Avoiding Brussels at New Year’: Steps taken to guarantee public safety (brusselstimes.com)
Counter terrorism unit raises NL threat level to “substantial” – DutchNews.nl
CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE EH!
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
About Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specialising in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation. He is the author of six books on terrorism, including the most recent The Peaceable Kingdom: A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present.
