TERRORISMTen Years Later: The Legacy of the Paris Attacks on Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks in the West
A decade ago, the terrorist attacks in Paris illustrated the risks and challenges posed by complex coordinated terrorist attacks in a Western capital. These marauding attacks, striking multiple scenes in quick succession, were different from the bombing of public transport in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Western law enforcement response has evolved in order better to deal with such attacks, but the constantly evolving modus operandi used by terrorists requires a strong and constant anticipation effort by law enforcement.
Abstract: A decade ago, the terrorist attacks in Paris illustrated the risks and challenges posed by complex coordinated terrorist attacks (CCTA) in a Western capital. These marauding attacks, striking multiple scenes in quick succession, were different from the bombing of public transport in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. This article explains the evolution of the Western law enforcement response while facing such attacks, and how the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2015 Paris attacks led to operational and tactical evolutions in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The 2024 Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow demonstrates the continuing threat posed by CCTA outside of the West. The constantly evolving modus operandi used by terrorists requires a strong anticipation effort by law enforcement agencies in order to prepare for a potential return of CCTA in the West.
Ten years ago, on November 13, 2015, nine terrorists led a series of attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis organized by the Islamic State. Over the course of three hours, they killed 130 people, using assault rifles and suicide-vests, until the operators of the Brigade de Recherche et d’Intervention neutralized the last two terrorists in the Bataclan concert hall. The attacks and the use of this modus operandi—combining multiple teams carrying small arms and explosives in a dense urban area—were unprecedented in the West at the time. It illustrated the growing risk of complex coordinated terrorist attacks (CCTA) in Europe and the United States and led to strong counterterrorism efforts in France and abroad. A decade later, following the decline of the Islamic State and an evolution in terrorists’ profiles, complex coordinated terrorist attacksa in the West are becoming rare. Lone actors, using bladed weapons or perpetrating vehicular attacks, are more frequent. Yet, the 2024 Crocus City Hall Attack in Moscow, which claimed more than 140 lives, illustrates the continued necessity of planning and preparing for such future terrorist events.
First, it is important to present the succession of events that took place in Paris and its surrounding suburbs 10 years ago in order to better understand the operational and tactical challenges and impact of the 2015 Paris Attack.
