Crime-Terror Report Coverage Update

In October 2018, GLOBSEC published the second major output from its From Criminals to Terrorists and Back? project. Who Are the European Jihadis? marks the mid-term stage of a two-year effort to analyse and offer fresh thinking on Europe’s presumed crime-terror nexus. Media coverage of the report has been brisk, both at home and abroad. What follows is an updated snapshot of articles, media appearances and social media mentions highlighting the key findings from this important initiative. We also highlight equally impressive coverage of From Criminals To Terrorists And Back? Quarterly Report: France, vol. 2

Global Impact

European interest in Who Are the European Jihadis? was, understandably, extensive. The report made the front page of HLN Daily, Belgium’s biggest Flemish language newspaper, its affiliate de Morgen and Express Business. It was a similar story in the Netherlands, with articles in market leader de Volksrant and RTL Nieuws. Several aspects of GLOBSEC’s crime-terror nexus project also made their way into the September edition of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies’ Global Security Pulse.

French coverage was equally significant with articles in Le Parisien, RTL, 20 Minutes, Express Business and Valuers Actuelles. Bild, Germany’s largest daily, ensured that up to 1.5 million Germans had access to our report and project, while La Verita summarised key talking points for the Italian public.

However, coverage was by no means limited to Europe. Project lead Kacper Rekawek was quoted in a New York Times article analysing the ‘dramatic dip’ in Islamic State attacks on the West. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed started its feature by highlighting that prison is a convenient recruiting ground for radical groups seeking new recruits. GLOBSEC was also delighted to see the report having an impact in Africa with articles in Egyptian and Nigerian outlets.

First day coverage of the mid-term report concluded with Tomáš A. Nagy talking to Sky News Arabia and summarising significant findings for audiences across the Middle East and North Africa. Further regional coverage of the report and project came from Saudi Arabia’s Makkah newspaper.

Closer to Home

Who Are the European Jihadis? also made it onto front pages in Slovakia and was well-received by our V4 neighbours. Slovak coverage was led by SME, with an article and interview with Kacper Rekawek. Our project lead also discussed the report with Dennik N. And thanks to the Slovak Spectator, Slovakia’s English-speaking communities also had the opportunity to learn more about the project. Kacper was also interviewed by Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, which featured the report across two separate articles. From there, Kacper had interviews with TVN24, Poland’s largest news channel, and Tok FM.

Not to be outdone, GLOBSEC’s Stanislav Matějka contributed to regional media coverage with an interview for Czech national radio. Further Czech coverage came courtesy of Eurozpravy and iRozhlas. Thanks to 444’s considerable social media reach, we were also able to broadcast our findings across Hungary.

An Impressive Start to 2019

There was more good news for this key GLOBSEC project in the days following the publication of From Criminals To Terrorists And Back? Quarterly Report: France, vol. 2. On top of extensive European coverage – in this case, Italy’s Corriere Della Sera and Euronews – this volume heightened the initiative’s profile in the United States thanks to articles by NBC and CNN.

The issue of French jihadist activity was also discussed at great length on BBC Radio 5 and the English version of France 24. Middle Eastern interest in this project also remains high, with further coverage coming from Sky News Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ Alaan.

Over on Social Media

Praise on social media for From Criminals to Terrorists and Back has come from many experts in the field of terrorism and security. Here’s just a few of their comments and support for our project.

‘’We are proud to see the report doing so well out there in the world,’’ says Kacper Rekawek.

‘’Credit to our 11 research teams dotted around Europe and especially, the team of researchers here in Bratislava. There is more to come from us in the next year so watch this space and keep your fingers crossed.’’

GLOBSEC certainly looks forward to keeping you updated and providing further materials from this important initiative in 2019.