Four Corners: April 18

Monday’s Four Corners, looks at how Islamic State operates its European terror network.

This episode is produced by BBC’s Panorama program.

As Europe reels from the deadly terror attacks in Brussels and Paris, this week’s Four Corners takes you inside the secret Islamic State network responsible.

This report, from the BBC’s Panorama program, traces the network through its key players: the mastermind, the recruiter and the terror operatives.

“Each spy gets 50,000 Euros…to mount an attack in Europe.” – Captured terrorist

The origins of the network go back to Syria in 2014, when Belgian jihadis fighting for Islamic State made plans to send a terror cell into Europe.

“A new external command force has been set up within IS to transport terror onto the streets of Europe using special forces style tactics.” – Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol

This seemingly innocuous message signaled the arrival of the first handpicked IS operatives arriving in Europe with instructions to carry out an attack:

“The children have arrived. Thanks be to god. Two, they are home.” – Terror mastermind, Abaaoud

With access to intelligence documents and interrogation transcripts, the program pieces together how the network supplies weapons and how they plan and execute their attacks.

“He said, ‘imagine a rock concert in a European country, if we arm you would you be ready to shoot in a crowd?” – Captured terrorist

And details how the network has been able to outwit the intelligence agencies hunting them.

“My name and picture were all over the news yet I was able to stay in their homeland, plan operations against them and leave safely.” – Terror mastermind, Abaaoud

This is a chilling, forensic account of IS’s operations in Europe.

“It’s likely and probable that things like that will happen again and I fear that in the West, and Belgium included, we will have to live for the coming years with the threat of that kind of terrorism.” – Alain Winants, Former Head of the Belgian State Security Service

Monday 18th April at 8.30pm