The Criminology of the “Criminal Involvement” and “Criminal Event” of Jihadi Lone Terrorists

• In Event: Lone-Actor Terrorist Attacks: Empirical Findings and Policy Implications

Abstract

The phenomenon of the lone terrorist fundamentalist actor has increased dramatically in volume and has had severe consequences over the last decade. Security agencies are experiencing difficulties in coping effectively with this phenomenon. These difficulties are the result of the fact that this form of terrorism is more unexpected and less traceable when compared to organizational terrorism. This study traces the two different processes involved in becoming a criminal/terrorist in cases where the perpetrator adheres to the Salafi-jihadi ideology or in cases where he is a Muslim adhering to an Islamic denomination which is other than Salafiyya-Jihadiyya. Based on the analysis of lone wolf terrorist cases in Israel, the findings reveal significant differences between these two groups. These findings have ramifications regarding the way in which operational counterterrorism could apply Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) theories.

Authors

• Simon Perry, Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University

• Badi Hasisi, The Hebrew University

• Eli Alshech, Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University