After the Charlie Hebdo massacre in France, tighter security measures and arrests went into action throughout Europe. The knee-jerk reaction was in response to ineffective counter-terrorist screening and monitoring efforts in dealing with transnational jihadists; particularly, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly, who were able to plan a large scale murder of 17 people.
Police found ISIS flags, detonators, cash and automatic weapons in what was believed to be Amedy Coulibaly’s rented apartment. An arms dealer in Belgium admitted to selling the French jihadists involved with the Charlie Hebdo massacre automatic weapons and a rocket launcher for less than 5,000 euros. He turned himself over to authorities last Tuesday. But how many other jihadists are in Europe? How many other stockpiles of weapons exist there?
This all sparked a rippling counterattack by security forces in multiple countries across Europe. In Belgium, 13 people were arrested and two suspects planning an imminent attack were shot dead.
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