1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. For what reasons does CIA Director John Brennan believe it will be very difficult for intelligence in European countries to prevent more terrorist plots from succeeding? Be specific.

3. What other large-scale recent attack is ISIS believed to be responsible for?

4. a) What threat did ISIS make against the U.S. this week?
b) How seriously do you think President Obama and Homeland Security should take this threat? What response should they have? (Continue with the bombing of ISIS targets in Syria, continue implementing defensive measures in the U.S., go on a full scale offense coordinated with France, Russia, Great Britain, et al…?) Explain your answer.

5. Why wasn’t the U.S. intelligence community surprised by the Islamic State attacks in Paris that killed 129 people?

6. a) How many European Muslims have gone to fight in Syria since 2011?
b) How many of the 1,400 French nationals have returned to France?

7. One reader commenting on the problem of security services being overrun by the large numbers of Islamists returning from fighting in Syria wrote:
“They’re having a hard time keeping track of all of these returning jihadists? Any Muslim who goes to Syria to fight should lose his citizenship/residency and be banned permanently from ever returning to his country (France, Belgium, etc.). Any Muslim who goes to the Middle East to fight alongside the Islamic State or any terrorist group should have his or her citizenship taken away and never be allowed to return to Europe and/or America.”
What do you think of this suggestion? Explain your answer.