Violent extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam have hit many countries around the world, before and after the attacks on America of September 11, 2001. But the attacks in Madrid – and in London in July 2005 – showed that Europe is one of their prime targets, prompting European governments to respond by bolstering their defenses, including at the level of the European Union.
宣称以伊斯兰的名义行动的暴力极端份子在2001年9月11日对美国的恐怖攻击之前和之后袭击了全世界的许多国家。但是对马德里的袭击以及2005年7月对伦敦的袭击表明，欧洲是他们的主要目标之一，从而促使欧洲国家政府通过包括在欧盟的层面上加强防备予以应对。