Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe : The Afghan-Bosnian Network

Why did so many of the September 11th hijackers spend time in Germany? How did terrorist sleeper cells plant themselves in cities such as London, Paris, Rome, and Hamburg? This is the first book to uncover the secret history of how Europe was systematically infiltrated by the ranks of the most dangerous terrorist organization on earth.

Terrorist analyst Evan F. Kohlmann argues that the key to understanding Al-Qaida's European cells lies in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Using the Bosnian war as their cover, Afghan-trained Islamic militants loyal to Usama Bin Laden convened in the Balkans in 1992 to establish a European domestic terrorist infrastructure in order to plot their violent strikes against the United States. As the West and the United Nations looked on with disapproval, the fanatic foreign mujahideen, or holy warriors, wreaked havoc across southern Europe, taking particular aim at UN peacekeepers and even openly fighting with Bosnian Muslims at times. Within a few months of the war's end, home-grown terrorist sleeper cells appeared on the streets of Europe's cities.

Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe unveils a new angle to the deadly international terrorist organization and includes recently declassified American and European intelligence reports, secret Al-Qaida records and internal documents, and interviews with notorious figures such as London-based Bin Laden sympathizer Abu Hamza Al-Masri.

“The definitive account of a battle Al-Qaida lost ... Kohlmann's mastery of this phase in the war on terrorism is complete.” —Richard Clarke, author of Against All Enemies

“The definitive account of a battle Al-Qaida lost ... Kohlmann's mastery of this phase in the war on terrorism is complete.” —Richard Clarke, Former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism, US National Security Council (NSC)

“Pathbreaking ... provides us unprecedented insights into the current threat facing the West. It is a must-read to understand the contemporary wave of terrorism.” —Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside Al Qaeda

“Kohlmann, one of the world's foremost counterterrorism experts, documents and explores [an overlooked] chapter with insight and depth.” —Andrew C. McCarthy, counterterrorism expert and former federal prosecutor in the 1993 WTC bombing