Undercover or Provocateur: Analysis of Human Intelligence cases in the American Terrorism Study

• In Event: Human Assets in Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Abstract

The use of Human Intelligence in Federal Terrorism trials has received relatively little attention in the literature, and when it has been addressed, analyses have typically included only post-9/11 cases. This mixed-methods study makes use of data from the American Terrorism Study (1980 to 2016) and the accompanying court records and examines the changing roles of human intelligence in federal terrorism investigations and prosecutions over the last four decades. Of particular interest is our analysis of where these resources have been directed since 9/11. Analyzing cases from nearly four decades of investigations is helpful in explaining the change in use of human intelligence in federal terrorism cases since 9/11, of whether the allocation of human intelligence resources has been dramatically altered since 9/11, and what impact those decisions have had on case outcomes.

Authors

• Christopher A. Shields, University of Arkansas - Terrorism Research Center in Fulbright College

• Summer M. Jackson, California State University - East Bay