i'm michelle henery. glad you could join us. germany's election campaign is heating up after chancellor angela merkel's rival accused her of an attack on democracy. the leader of the social democrats, martin schulz, said that merkel's cautious demeanor and refusal to engage in forceful discourse caused voters to disengage. ♪ a major theme of the german elections is of course how to tackle terror. and it's not only integral here

-- across europe issues surrounding domestic security are hotly debated. from brussels and paris, to berlin and manchester -- the frequency of attacks is on the rise. france is strongly committed to western secular liberalism and has a high number of young, disadvantaged muslims living in it's city's suburbs -- making the country a prime target for the islamic state. authorities are doing what they can to prevent further attacks and to arrest those with connections to jihadists. but even in custody, they are still dangerous. in southern montpellier, we meet karim, one of many young men who was at risk of being radicalized in prison. reporter: today, karim mokhtari is free to enjoy a stroll on the beach near montpellier in southern france. but he spent a long time in prison for armed robbery that resulted in a death. and that wasn't all -- in prison, he fell under the sway of a radical preacher who wanted to recruit him for terrorist attacks for the so-called

islamic state. karim: i had no spiritual fodation. i didn know who was, where i came from, what religion i had. the preacher exploited this weakness to pu me into his orbit. reporter: mokhtari's parents abused him. he landed in a detention home and began a typical criminal career. prison was like criminal graduate school. an islamic state recruiter began influencing m and tellg him what he ought to do. karim: he had a very dark look in his eyes and he said, karim, now you are a muslim and you must defend islam. you must kill the unbelievers wherever you find them. reporter: the french state finds it difficult to counter islamist radicalization in its prisons. last year, it was decided to

isolate the radicals from the other prisoners, but the decision wasn't implemented, in part because there just isn't room in the overfilled jails. attorneys for victims of terrorism say the authorities are not fulfilling their responsibility. guillaume: something must be done, now. otherwise, people who are a risk, who persuade others of their radical theories, and who are extremely violent themselves will continue to be sent to normal prison wards. there they are in contact with other inmates, and so radical islamism will continue to spread. reporter: mokhtari says separating radicals is not enough. the young men in prison should be prepared for life when they are released. karim: we need to find out what makes these young men willing to die for one moment of intense existence. we have to show them how they

can become useful, recognized members of society. reporter: in some prisons, like here in osni near paris, prisoners judged to be terrorism risks are under surveillance around the clock. the guards are supposed to find out who is really dangerous and should be isolated. a correctional officer who wants to remain anonymous says that's easier said than done. >> the most dangerous ones aren't those who pray the most or who practice their religion most devoutly. the most dangerous ones work in secret. they seem completely normal, even in prison. we look for little signs -- what they read or watch on tv, and how they behave when exercising in the yard. reporter: the french authorities long tried to ban islam as such from the prisons. only in recent years have they begun hiring imams to teach inmates a peaceful form of islam. mokhtari says it was a catholic

prison chaplain who turned him around. karim: i felt that not even god could forgive me for what i had done. the priest's words changed my life -- if god tests you, it's because he loves you. you have the strength within you to master this test. i always wanted my mother to love me, and then someone says there is a power that loves me more than people can love me. reporter: mokhtari didn't convert to catholicism. he wanted to find his own roots, so he learned about islam and became a muslim. today, he works with prisoners. first he tries to get them to accept that their prison sentence is justified. then he helps them look for an apartment and a job when their sentence is over. many regard mokhtari as a wonderful exception, but still an exception. guillaume: looking at the

psychological profiles of the i.s. recruits, you see how radical and brutal some of them are. you can't bring them back. reporter: mokhtari is convinced he can't relapse into crime. but he says radicals in prison still have far too easy a time finding recruits for terrorism. michelle: the head of europe's law enforcement agency europol called the number of jihadist terrorist attacks across the continent unprecedented, also in germany. a worrying trend that police and border controls increasingly find is the buying and selling of real german passports. while some are bought by illegal immigrants who seek economic or political asylum, others are used by terrorists who with the right papers could easily pass through borders and strike. our reporters reveal serious security gaps.

reporter: an arabic-language facebook page. here, it's easy to find tips for entering europe illegally, on a real passport and by plane -- for a price. we pretend to be in the market for a real passport to see just how easy it is to come by. our front -- 24-year-old amr from syria is offering his german refugee passport, claiming he's returning home. a prospective buyer isn't long in coming. recording with a hidden camera, we meet a syrian man, about 30 years old. he wants to bring his brother to germany from turkey, and he needs a passport. he shows us a photo. >> as soon as my brother's in greece, i'll send him your passport. as soon as he's in germany, i'll call you and give it back. nobody will notice. >> but if your brother messes up, it'll come back to me. >> once you've sold something and received the money, you are

no longer responsible. i need the passport for my brother. as soon as he's here, you'll get it back. really. >> how will he get from greece to munich? >> he'll fly to france, and from there to munich. the checks on direct flights from greece to germany are getting tougher, but flights coming from france or italy aren't checked as often. reporter: what does law enforcement know about this? we enquire with europol, but they won't give an interview on is known to europol. original documents are in high demand with illegal migrants europol mentioned a growing business trend but doesn't cite any exact figures. we head off to the netherlands. on a facebook forum, we've

contacted a syrian who made it into europe by plane on a real passport. he's a syrian chemist in his early thirties. it took him over a year to reach western europe. his brother was granted refugee status, but he was denied entry for lack of a visa. so he turned to a smuggler. the route took him from syria through turkey to greece and then to athens airport. >> the smuggler looked at me and picked out some photos on his laptop that resembled me. he had lots of refugee passports as well as regular passports of all nationalities. this man looked quite normal -- not like a criminal, but more like a salesman. he wasn't the violent type or a slave trader. it was just his business to smuggle people. reporter: the syrian passed 3500 euros to a middle man, and two days later, he was on a plane out of athens.

he says there were two more refugees on that flight -- one headed to belgium, the other to germany -- put there by the same smuggler. in answer to our enquiry, the german government conceded that prevented from boarding in greek airports. this is an increase of more than 6% over the previous year's figure. in addition, about 6000 unauthorized entries were detected at german airports. anyone who makes it to germany on false papers can theoretically use them to rent an apartment and claim benefits, or even go underground. more prospective buyers show up

for the german refugee passport we pretend to offer. within days, we see it advertized in a public arabic-language chat room along with several other passports. it serves as a marketplace for i.d. papers. >> brother, i also need photos of your other papers -- insurance cards, bank cards, bank statements, and so on. reporter: it would be just as easy for terrorists to enter the country, disappear, and plan attacks. the attacks in paris, brussels, and berlin prove that this concern is well-founded. as long as they can be bought and sold so easily, the papers are failing to serve their intended purpose. michelle: lina alvarez needed in vitro fertilization to have a baby, who is now seven months old. lina says that she cries with joy since having the chance to be a mother again. but her use of both a donor egg and sperm has its critics.

because lina is 63 years old. her pregnancy has ignited a heated debate in her native country, spain, over calls to cap the age limit for fertility treatment. but lina says her little girl has made her younger and stronger. reporter: lina alvarez has become a mother once again -- at the age of 62. she named her daughter lina, after herself. baby lina started out as an embryo conceived from donated egg and sperm cells in a test tube and was implanted in the womb after her mother-to-be underwent hormone therapy. lina: i still can't believe it. it's like magic, and she's already seven months old. the whole family is overjoyed. reporter: she had her first child at the age of 34. but her son exiquio was born mentally disabled. her marriage broke up, and for years afterwards she had no

opportunity to have any more children. lina: time passed, and with my disabled son, i had a hard time finding another partner. then i started menopause too early. by the time i realized it, i was 42 and couldn't have any more children. reporter: to lina alvarez, it was a blessing that spain allowed her to use donor eggs. she's had two babies using this method -- her son samuel, who's now in school, and baby lina. the family is well-known in their hometown lugo in galicia, and a hot topic for debates on late motherhood throughout spain. many see it as selfish to have children at such an advanced age. >> by the time the children are 20, they probably won't have any parents anymore. it's tough on the kids to have such old parents. reporter: but lina alvarez

doesn't feel like a grandmother. she feels that it's a sign of progress to be able to have babies this way. lina: for heaven's sake, i don't know what's selfish about it. i'm just as much there for my children, and my experience is a great advantage. that speaks in favor of having children at my age. reporter: more and more women in spain are having babies later in life. private fertility clinics like this one in madrid charge around 8000 euros for the procedure. it involves implanting fertilized eggs from anonymous donors. but unlike other countries, spain sets no legal age limit. even so, doctors often refuse to perform the procedure on women over 50. they have even signed a voluntary agreement. antonio: of course we now have the ability to initiate pregnancies in women over 60. but we also want healthy

children, and the probability of giving birth to a healthy child drops in women over age 50. reporter: legal expert carlos romeo casabona sees the voluntary agreement as useless. he's a member of the spanish commission for reproductive medicine. he's disappointed that the commission couldn't push through an age limit when the legislation about assisted reproduction was passed in 2006. carlos: i personally detailed the problems associated with late pregnancies for the health minister. but they didn't want to set an age limit because of a woman's right to self-determination. reporter: lina alvarez is proud of spain's liberal laws. and the children are proud of their mother.

samuel: she's my mother, after all. it doesn't matter how old she is. she'll always be my mother. reporter: lina alvarez sees herself as a pioneer. and she's offended by the debate over motherhood late in life, as she feels it's a very private matter. lina: nobody cares if a man becomes a father at 70. but they do if a mother does. of course, the mother's responsibility is greater. she plays a more important role -- at least, i think so, even if she shouldn't. reporter: at 85 years, spanish women have one of the world's highest life expectancies. so lina alvarez may well be able to see her daughter far into adulthood. michelle: peace in northern ireland remains precarious almost two decades after the good friday agreement to bring armed conflict to an end. and now, britain's impending

withdrawal from the eu threatens to reignite tensions between the catholic and protestant communities of belfast. as british prime minister theresa may looks to make a deal with northern ireland's main unionist party, critics say she risks stirring up trouble with die hard republicans and loyalists who still live divided by a wall. here, we meet two men, living on opposite sides of the wall, holding opposite views of what's to come. reporter: for robert mcclenaghan, noises like this revive memories of the 16 years he spent in prison. he was an ira man -- a bomber, who blew up shops for the cause, hoping to force the british government to end its rule in northern ireland. he calls himself a soldier, but others called him a terrorist. today, the cell that once held him is a museum. robert: they were raidin' our homes. they were killin' my relatives.

so what do you do? do you bury your head in the sand and pretend that all this doesn't happen? or, like me and my generation, do you stand up and do you fight back? reporter: then, i meet noel -- just a stone's throw away, but on the other side of a vast gulf. noel was a hitman. he did 20 years in prison. he calls himself a soldier for the crown, fighting to keep northern ireland british. the residents of the shankill area here make a show of their loyalty -- in fresh paint, and fabric. noel: i'll shoot a catholic nationalist. that way, the message is being sent to that community -- if you want to support ira armed struggle, this is the price that you will pay. reporter: seen from above, belfast looks much like any

other city. but beneath the surface, the wounds run deep, and the pain is still felt. nearly 20 years after the good friday agreement, the city is still divided by peace walls. one separates the loyalist shankill from the republican falls road. and there's little desire to tear it down. now, it's something of a tourist attraction. even robert mcclenaghan likes to bring visitors here -- to see his cousin, an ira fighter immortalized in the mural. robert feels emotionally torn between his enthusiasm for the armed struggle and his remorse for the victims. now, the feelings are resurfacing, with some of his neighbors against the peace process. if brexit results in a closed border to the republic of ireland, it could trigger a new conflict. robert: it only takes one person to push their finger on the bomb. and that's all it takes for the

peace process to be put in absolute peril. >> and the bombs are still there? robert: yes, they have weapons. yes, they have explosives. reporter: many residents would rather it stay up. things have been quiet for some time now, but that may well be due to the wall. the wiggins live right next to it in a comfortable shankill-area house with a tidy garden and a porch swing. if the wall came down, they'd leave immediately. albert: we feel very secure living here. isabel: we're safe here. we feel secure because of the wall. albert: if the wall wasn't there, there'd be murder along here. isabel: i wouldn't be living here. reporter: people in belfast keep the stories of their heroic fighters alive. the city is burdened with its

if you want reconciliation, it's a different ball game, because they were never like that in the first place. so, to do that now would be a tremendous upheaval of people. it's probably going to take future generations to begin this process of intermingling. reporter: it appears that it wouldn't take much to upset the fragile balance of peace in northern ireland. and now, the british conservatives are depending on the main protestant party, the democratic unionists, to govern. and that greatly worries irish nationalist robert mcclenaghan. all at once, the fear of losing ground and being pushed aside is back again. robert: the british government just tore up the peace process. the british government just tore up the political process -- for very selfish, narrow political interests -- to keep the conservatives in power, and i think that's absolutely disgusting and outrageous. reporter: on the loyalist

shankill road, noel large also brings tourists to see his part of local history. he insists his cause was just -- even if he regrets having killed for it. whatever happens in the political arena now, he doesn't want to move backwards. at their own checkpoint charlie, robert hands over his tourist guests to noel with a handshake. it's no reconciliation, but an impressive step forward, and away from the troubles. michelle: another country that is still trying to heal wounds from the past is poland. before the second world war, one third of the city of lodz was jewish. after the holocaust, jews living there were all but wiped out. now a growing community some 300 strong is trying to overcoming anti-semitism in the heart of staunchly catholic and conservative poland, to establish a new life.

reporter: an image of hope. miriam szychowska, the wife of the rabbi of lodz, cycles cheerfully with her little son. before world war ii, a third of the city's population was jewish. the nazis murdered them all. now miriam heads a jewish daycare center. five children come every day. they learn hebrew, the religion's rituals, and jewish songs. the daycare center was founded a year and a half ago. it takes a long time to reestablish a culture. asked whether there are still prejudice against jews here, miriam says it can be dealt with. miriam: what is anti-semitism? i think poland and lodz are a

bit afraid. it's that simple. and fear is not evil. only if it turns into aggression does it become dangerous. but we just say, we jews are okay. we're not going to take away your houses, we're not going to eat your children, we're not going to circumcise your sons. we sit here at pomorska street 18, we have our little ghetto. reporter: the jewish community here is a microcosm. recently, this shop began selling kosher food. miriam picks up some meat pate and some onion jam. food is always being prepared at the jewish community center, and there's always something new. miriam: to be perfectly clear, this is margarine, not butter. it's not kosher to mix butter and meat. reporter: the community center

prepares a kosher lunch every day. and the jews of lodz are coming -- there are 300 of them now. before the fall of communism, there were only 60. a line of children follow miriam. she is an energetic woman, and clearly proud of the young generation of jews here in lodz. she gives the children lemon juice instead of chocolate. they represent the future. this man and the children are a statement -- even the holocaust couldn't destroy us completely. michelle: that's it for today. thank you for watching. in the meantime, it's goodbye from me and the whole team. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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