Larry Williams: The terrorists are succeeding

Opinion

Listen to Larry Williams on Newstalk ZB, 4pm to 7pm. Today he looks at the Brussels terrorist attacks.

Is anyone really surprised that ISIS attacked Brussels?

Consider this, Salah Abdeslam - Eurpoe's most wanted fugitive for the Paris attacks, who was captured last week in Brussels - roamed free for months.

Abdelsman, managed to live for several months undetected in a Brussels neighbourhood before he was arrested. It's incomprehensible that Abdelsman was able to evade authorities for so long.

Brussels is infiltrated with jihadists. It's a hotbed of jihadism. Belgian police have recently said at least 90 returned fighters from the Islamic State are living at liberty in Brussels, many of them in the infamous Molenbeek neighbourhood.

These Islamist terrorists have been living under the noses of the authorities plotting away their next murderous, gutless attacks. They pick "soft" targets, innocent people, and blow them away and then gloat.

And today's attacks come after the jihadists had warned Belgium several times that they would be attacked, saying Belgium is "a country participating in the international coalition against Islamist State". Today's attack didn't come out of the blue, it was expected.

Blame a lot of this on the open borders and refugee policies within the EU. It's been a disaster. EU leaders wreaked with "liberal guilt" have opened their borders and the jihadists have embedded themselves with genuine Syrian refugees. One estimate is that 6000 ISIS fighters have got into Europe as refugee migrants. This is the consequence of the failed immigration policies of Europe.

The Belgian authorities have been useless.

Over in the US, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have responded to the terror attacks.

Clinton pledged support for the US allies in Europe, saying acts of terror, "will not succeed". Trump says, "The terrorists are totally winning. The terrorists are making us look like fools."

Trump says, "We have to be very vigilant and careful about who we allow into our country. As president ... I would be very, very tough on the borders, and I would not be allowing certain people to come into this country without absolute perfect documentation."

Clinton then, is talking your usual political correctness rhetoric, Trump is going for the jugular.

Fact - terrorist attacks are succeeding.

Fact - Trump's narrative will resonate.

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