The Zerkani Network and the 2015 Paris and 2016 Brussels Attacks: An Illustration of Counter-Terrorism Dysfunction in Europe

Christine Andreeva

Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 2025, vol. 48, issue 11, 1313-1341

Abstract: This article recounts the events surrounding the November 2015 Paris and March 2016 Brussels attacks, as it follows the Zerkani network that perpetrated them and scrutinizes the governance responses therein. It demonstrates that the events surrounding the attacks involved law enforcement and intelligence from several EU Member States, who failed to cooperate adequately, implying that better preparedness and cooperation may have yielded different results in tackling the Zerkani network and demonstrating the functional necessity of European cooperation on counter-terrorism. This article argues that, as a result of the failures and missed opportunities preceding and surrounding the Paris and Brussels attacks, a European counter-terrorism and intelligence culture has developed due to the realization of national CT practitioners that cooperation among them was necessary to tackle the threat.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/1057610X.2023.2178078

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