Interview: Without anti-terror measures Brussels attacks could have been much worse: expert

The Brussels terror attacks could have been much more damaging were it not for anti-terrorism measures taken by Belgian authorities in recent months, said an expert in an interview with Xinhua.

According to Firouzeh Nahavandi, a professor at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) specializing in the sociology of terrorism and jihadism, the events of March 22 "were predictable to the extent that we knew there were hidden terrorists, especially following the arrest of Salah Abdeslam."

Nahavandi said it was wrong to say that Belgium's anti-terror measures had not worked.

"There were arrests, convictions and many attacks were thwarted," she said. "It is true that the Belgian authorities are discreet about their strategy. Without these measures, there could have been much more damage and more terrorist actions."

"The arrest of Abdeslam and the searches proved that there was something brewing. The attacks had probably been prepared over a long time. These operations can not be coordinated in a few days. Probably the arrest of Abdeslam precipitated things," she added

Anti-terrorism measures "can only be global and coordinated" to be effective, Nahavandi added.

"Work needs to be done on poor neighborhoods, issues of identity and detention conditions, as a lot of criminals are radicalized in prison. We need a more coherent international policy and better-chosen allies," she said.

"Coordination of European intelligence and security services is another aspect. Despite that, it is at national level that each country must think about terrorism."

Nahavandi said: "In a globalised world, zero risk does not exist. The motivations and strategies of terrorists are variables and therefore impossible to guess. Total security is no longer possible. We must above all learn to live with danger." Endit