Arson attacks: The work of organised extremists or local 'lone wolves'?

Support for the lone-wolf theory can be found in other European countries. Irish arsonists are in fact repeating what has been going on in the rest of the EU since 2015, according to Claudia Wallner, a terrorism expert and research fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). "In terms of the arson cases, we have seen many, many attacks like this in Germany, Austria, Sweden and in places in southern Europe, where a lot of the refugees initially arrived," she said.