ILLICIT ARMS TRAFFICKING AND ITS CONNECTION WITH TERRORISM

Abstract

Jihadism is still one of the major latent threats for Europe. Even though terrorists' trends and conducts have been analysed to avoid future terrorist attacks, little work has been done regarding the process of terrorists' arms provision and acquisition. The risk that terrorism and illicit arms provision entails, was evidenced in the 13 November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, where around 130 individuals were killed due to the use of firearms from the Western Balkans.

By establishing three variables (state arms decontrol in times of war, legal weaknesses and terrorists' criminal records) and focusing in these attacks, the following TFG aims to investigate the way in which arms reached jihadists' hands to commit the major terrorist attacks on French soil, as well as it opens the floor for a further analysis to ameliorate firearms' control.