Alfonse D'Amato

The tragedy in Brussels came as no surprise

Posted

On March 22, the world was shaken by another senseless terrorist attack, this one in Brussels. It wasn’t a surprise, but the sheer magnitude of it brought the city to its knees.

This tragedy killed at least 35 people, including four Americans, and injured 250 and counting. It was perpetrated by radical Muslims associated with ISIS, this time because Belgium was “a country participating in a coalition against the Islamic State.”

Belgium has become a main focus of counterterrorism investigations since the Paris attacks last November. The blasts came just days after Belgian officials arrested the main surviving suspect in those horrifying attacks. Officials had been concentrating on certain neighborhoods that they believe are strongholds for ISIS’s recruitment network.

One thing is clear. Our friends and allies in Europe have porous borders, and they must get them under control. This is nothing short of a crisis, as Syrian refugees have been entering European countries at alarming rates.

Donald Trump’s ideas about building walls and ramping up border security may sound extreme to some, but the lax policies in Europe are a disservice to its people. In the case of Brussels, the Syrian refugees who have legally entered include many who travel to and from Iraq and other Muslim communities that recruit and protect jihadists.

Turkey issued warnings that there was a potential terror attack looming, and offered names of potential jihadists. Belgium’s interior and justice ministers have admitted that they failed to heed Turkey’s warnings about the Brussels bombers, and have resigned. What a shame.

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