Charlie Hebdo. Paris. Brussels. Since January of 2015, a wave of attacks by terrorists linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS has overwhelmed Europe, killing nearly 200 people and injuring hundreds more. Could those attacks have been prevented?FRONTLINE and ProPublica's Terror in Europe tells the inside story of the missteps and systemic breakdowns that allowed known terrorists to strike in the heart of Europe, the problems that persist today, and the unprecedented threat the continent now faces. In unusually candid interviews with reporter Sebastian Rotella, counterterror veterans describe how the attackers escaped detection, and how European countries have failed to put in place effective intelligence sharing and border enforcement - such as procedures for tracking air travelers that became standard in the United States after the 9/11 attacks.
Amid a crisis that is threatening the future of the European Union, Terror in Europe explores the fundamental challenges facing the continent as it debates the need for new security measures versus the basic tenet of free movement among countries. The film is a revealing look at Europe's attempts to combat the terrorism threat as ISIS loses ground in the Middle East, but vows to strike out elsewhere.