This Research Note presents the outcome of a project that looked at the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists. It is part of the larger Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) project.... Show moreThis Research Note presents the outcome of a project that looked at the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists. It is part of the larger Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) project. The project described here aimed to improve understanding of, and responses to, the phenomenon of (potentially) violent lone-actors based on an analysis of 120 cases from across Europe. The Research Note focuses on the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists.[1] First of all, it presents the main findings of the general analysis of the study into personal variables of lone-actor terrorists. Subsequently, the authors outline a set of recommendations based on the key findings. In the beginning, we present the main research questions of the CLAT project and the working definition of lone-actor terrorism. Show less
Ellis, C.; Pantucci, R.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de; Bakker, E.; Smith, M.; Gomis, B.; Palombi, S. 2016
This Research Note presents the outcome of an investigation into the processes of lone-actor terrorism which was part of the Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) Project. The research is based... Show moreThis Research Note presents the outcome of an investigation into the processes of lone-actor terrorism which was part of the Countering Lone-Actor Terrorism (CLAT) Project. The research is based on a database of both plots and attacks across the twenty-eight EU member states, plus Norway and Switzerland, in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2014. The database covers more than 70 variables and includes information relating to 120 individuals. This Research Note outlines some of the key findings of the CLAT project pertaining to 1) attack methodology and logistics; 2) political engagement and online activity and 3) leakage and interactions with authorities. The results relating to the personal characteristics of lone-actor terrorists are presented in a different Research Note in this issue of Perspectives on Terrorism. Show less
Many European countries have been the target of jihadist terrorist attacks between 2015 and 2017. While the chance of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack is low, terrorism scholars have... Show moreMany European countries have been the target of jihadist terrorist attacks between 2015 and 2017. While the chance of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack is low, terrorism scholars have emphasized that terrorism does not revolve around statistics and casualty numbers. Terrorists use attacks to reach an audience and affect groups beyond the direct victims. To this date, little is known about how terrorist attacks might affect the salience of terrorism beyond national borders. This paper investigates possible convergence of issue salience of terrorism among citizens within the European Union for ten jihadist attacks in the period 2015–2017 using Eurobarometer survey data. The results indicate that it is not simply a question of convergence or divergence of salience of terrorism after a terrorist attack. The connection is multidirectional and depending upon a variety of factors. Most importantly, we observed convergence on the EU-level, but divergence on the national level. This raises important questions about the transnationality of the effects of terrorism. As this research does not test nor find a causal mechanism and is solely dependent on existing data, further research is necessary to test some of its findings. Show less
Methodological questions around the determination how many of the foreign fighters going to Syria are likely to engage in terrorism upon their return are discussed. Two approaches are used in this... Show moreMethodological questions around the determination how many of the foreign fighters going to Syria are likely to engage in terrorism upon their return are discussed. Two approaches are used in this Research Note to assess the threat posed by Western foreign fighters in the past. These serve to answer two questions: how many of the former foreign fighters became involved in terrorist activity (approach 1) and how many of jihadist-inspired terrorists were former foreign fighters (approach 2)? The research is based on three studies (Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia) and the data are presented in an Appendix. A typology of foreign fighters is presented in the text itself. Show less
Waar vanaf 2012 de aandacht voornamelijk uitging naar westerlingen – waarvan ruim driehonderd uit Nederland – die zich en masse aansloten bij jihadistische groeperingen in Syrië en Irak, was er... Show moreWaar vanaf 2012 de aandacht voornamelijk uitging naar westerlingen – waarvan ruim driehonderd uit Nederland – die zich en masse aansloten bij jihadistische groeperingen in Syrië en Irak, was er veel minder aandacht voor de aantrekkingskracht van een ander conflict in de ring rond Europa: de Russisch-Oekraïense oorlog, die volgde op onder meer de annexatie van de Krim in 2014. In dit artikel bekijken de auteurs wat we weten over de Nederlandse strijders die naar Oekraïne gereisd zijn en wat dit voor gevolgen heeft. Show less
In Irak zijn deze week zes Franse ISIS-leden veroordeeld tot de dood door ophanging. De Europese landen laten Irak en vooral de Syrische Koerden zitten met westerse ISIS-strijders, én met de... Show moreIn Irak zijn deze week zes Franse ISIS-leden veroordeeld tot de dood door ophanging. De Europese landen laten Irak en vooral de Syrische Koerden zitten met westerse ISIS-strijders, én met de vrouwen en kinderen. Dat kan op den duur gevaarlijk zijn, zeggen deskundigen. Show less
Ellis, C.; Pantucci, R.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de; Bakker, E.; Gomis, B.; Palombi, S.; Smith, M. 2016
The aim of this paper is to draw out practical implications for mental health practitioners and social workers in dealing with Lone-Actor Terrorism. It is not intended to provide a profile of lone... Show moreThe aim of this paper is to draw out practical implications for mental health practitioners and social workers in dealing with Lone-Actor Terrorism. It is not intended to provide a profile of lone-actor terrorists, but rather to offer guidance that may be of use to practitioners in Europe (and beyond), supporting the development of strategies to detect and deal with potential lone-actor terrorists and to understand the possible risk posed by persons of interest. This paper presents three sets of recommendations offering guidance for mental health practitioners and social workers to prevent lone actor terrorism by sharing information, fostering engagement, awareness and a multi-agency approach. Show less
Wittendorp, S.; Bont, R. de; Bakker, E.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de 2017
From the time when the problem of people travelling to areas of conflict in Syria and Iraq became a topical issue at the end of 2012, many European countries as well as the United States have taken... Show moreFrom the time when the problem of people travelling to areas of conflict in Syria and Iraq became a topical issue at the end of 2012, many European countries as well as the United States have taken measures to prevent actual or would-be travellers and to prosecute and/or monitor returnees. This report provides an overview of measures taken, and the instances in which they are being taken, focusing on "person-specific measures". The report shows that the reviewed countries generally take similar initiatives. Nonetheless, there are significant differences in terms of political organisation, powers and legal culture. In a broader sense, this report attempts to shed light on the changing toolbox states have at their disposal as they try to face up to potentially violent, internationally operating non-state actors. Show less
Reed, A.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de; Bakker, E. 2015
The phenomenon of foreign fighters is high on international agendas as one of the most pressing transnational security issues of our time. European governments have tried to respond to this... Show moreThe phenomenon of foreign fighters is high on international agendas as one of the most pressing transnational security issues of our time. European governments have tried to respond to this development by designing various policies, focusing not only on stopping potential foreign fighters but also on limiting the possible threat posed by returning fighters. In this Policy Brief, ICCT Fellows Dr. Alastair Reed, Ms. Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn and Prof. Dr. Edwin Bakker look at the (un)intended consequences of these policies on the pathways foreign fighters could take once they have arrived in Syria or Iraq. In the first part, the authors identify different possible pathways. In the second part, they provide an overview of the main trends in policies pursued by European governments to deal with these foreign fighters. They specifically focus on four policies: reintegration programmes, prosecution of returning foreign fighters, revoking nationality of foreign fighters and finally, military interventions against foreign fighters. In the final part, the authors use the earlier identified pathways as a conceptual tool to look at the (un)intended consequences of these four policies. Show less
Wittendorp, S.; Bont, R. de; Bakker, E.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de 2017
Sinds eind 2012 staat de uitreis naar en terugkeer uit Syrië en Irak hoog op de agenda in veel Westerse landen en zijn er maatregelen genomen om te proberen grip te krijgen op de problematiek. In... Show moreSinds eind 2012 staat de uitreis naar en terugkeer uit Syrië en Irak hoog op de agenda in veel Westerse landen en zijn er maatregelen genomen om te proberen grip te krijgen op de problematiek. In dit rapport is er op basis van publiekelijk beschikbare informatie gekeken naar zogenoemde persoonsgerichte maatregelen waar onder strafrechtelijke vervolgingen, beperkende maatregelen zoals het afnemen van reisdocumenten en sociale interventies. Maatregelen die betrekking hebben op bijvoorbeeld het vergroten van de maatschappelijke weerstand of organisatieverboden zijn niet meegenomen.Dit rapport kijkt naar het palet aan maatregelen dat in verschillende fases wordt ingezet. Show less
As terrorism scholars, we are intrigued by those who engage in violence. We study their motivations, tactics, ideology, organisational structures, and pathways to (de-)mobilisation, hoping to... Show moreAs terrorism scholars, we are intrigued by those who engage in violence. We study their motivations, tactics, ideology, organisational structures, and pathways to (de-)mobilisation, hoping to better understand terrorism and how we can counter it. Far less attention is paid to what happens after an attack has taken place. Terrorist attacks are means to an end; the responses to terrorism determine the impact attacks might have on societies. One way to better understand the impact of terrorism is by studying how societies deal with memories of terrorist attacks. This Perspective looks into the case of Norway following the attacks by Anders Behring Breivik on July 22, 2011. What can we learn about the societal responses to terrorism from how Norway commemorates the attacks and deals with the locations where these attacks have taken place? This perspective discusses the memorialisation process in Norway and then zooms in on a visit of the author to the island of Utøya in June 2019 in order to provide a more close-up look of how the members of the Workers’ Youth League (AUF) have found their own ways to deal with the attacks.Show less
Bakker, E.; Sciarone, J.; Roy van Zuijdewijn, J. de 2019
In dit vierde rapport in de reeks worden ontwikkelingen besproken ten aanzien van het beleid met betrekking tot personen die terugkeren uit jihadistische strijdgebieden, zogeheten ‘terugkeerders’,... Show moreIn dit vierde rapport in de reeks worden ontwikkelingen besproken ten aanzien van het beleid met betrekking tot personen die terugkeren uit jihadistische strijdgebieden, zogeheten ‘terugkeerders’, voor de periode januari 2017 tot medio december 2018. Bijzondere aandacht wordt geschonken aan de rol van overheden van de zeven landen bij de repatriëring van uitreizigers en de manier waarop zij omgaan met de uitreizigers op het moment van terugkeer. Hierbij wordt specifiek gekeken naar het beleid ten aanzien van vrouwen en kinderen. Show less
