European police and intelligence services have documented fundamentalists preaching hate in many European mosques, with youth associations often acting as front organizations for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mounting anti-Semitism in some areas has made teaching the history of the Holocaust in schools attended by young Muslims impossible, and Muslims students are openly questioning the theory of the origin of life. Europe's prisons on the other hand, have seen the increase of its Muslim population, which is frequently in the majority.
All of that is happening every day in Europe and here in Britain.
The article goes on to echo something I've read many times recently and that is the growing Muslim threat from Europe.
What we are now expecting, warns Moniquet, "is the emergence of a new generation of terrorists: kids who were 12 to 15 years old on September 11 2001...." The threat against the interests of the United States from European terrorists is also very real, he warns, with U.S. interests, embassies, consulates, military personnel, hotels and companies being natural targets.
But there is more: most of the second-generation people and almost all of the third-generation now hold European passports, allowing them to travel freely to the United States or anywhere else they want to.
The article also points out the changing role of al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaida did have a "historical role" to play: "to build an international terrorist coalition uniting dozens of organizations." Now, however, individual Moroccan, Algerian, Chechen, Pakistani, Saudi, Iraqi and other organizations, often collaborate in very sophisticated projects.
Now, the counter-terrorism expert believes al-Qaida's role is to set "the general framework." This includes designating targets and giving "lawful authorization" -- or fatwas -- to act.
Recent successes by European intelligence services indicate the security services are getting better. Still, all Islamist groups and cells must be considered able to carry out terrorist attacks.
And their weapons of choice are set to be WMDs.
"What is more worrying" is some of the failed attacks in Europe (in France and Britain) were to use weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical products, he said.
Intelligence further indicates suspected terrorists have shown great interest in recent years in nuclear facilities, suggesting they are hoping to develop and use a "dirty bomb."
The clock is ticking.
UPDATE
Voice of America has more including Real Player downloads of testimony to Congress.
Lorenzo Vidino, Deputy Director of The Investigative Project, notes that a significant part of planning by al-Qaida for the September 11, 2001 attacks took place in Europe.
He points to a troubling escalation of Islamist terrorist and extremist activities attributable to these factors developing over the past 10 years. "Lax immigration policies that have allowed known Islamic radicals to settle in Europe. The radicalization of significant segments of the continent's growing Muslim population. And the European law enforcement agencies inability to effectively dismantle terrorist networks, due to poor attention to the problem and or the lack of proper legal tools."
Mr. Vidino says Europe-based Islamist groups play an essential role in money laundering, supplying weapons and false documents, and recruitment, adding it would not be an exaggeration to describe Europe as a new headquarters of operations for terrorists, as Afghanistan was before the ouster of the Taliban.
Pretty strong words, no?
In the view of Claude Moniquet this concern is fully justified and offers this chilling prediction. "It is hard to be optimistic. The threats both against Europe, and from Europe to the United States will remain at a very high level (for) the foreseeable future," he said. "And I am afraid that a tragedy will be necessary for the European authorities to face the realities and to really address the problem posed by Islamists. The question in my view is no more and no longer if the tragedy will happen but when it will happen."
In his testimony to the committee, terrorism expert Peter Bergen told lawmakers he expects that future attacks are more likely to mirror those that took place in Madrid last year.
Two weeks ago, AMIR TAHERI, writing in the New York Post had this to say:
And the terror underworld has recently been abuzz with rumors of a coming spectacular attack in Britain, to achieve another change of government in a major Western democracy.
At that time I predicted that day would be April 29th - tomorrow. That day is just six days before the election and just over one year since the Madrid bombings. And like the Madrid bombings, the roads and trains will be clogged with commuters trying to get away for the long holiday weekend.
Let's hope I'm wrong.
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