Do-It-Yourself Terrorism. How Do Terrorist Organizations Inspire, Support and Teach Their European Supporters via Internet? (original) (raw)
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The Modus Operandi of Jihadi Terrorists in Europe
Perspectives on Terrorism, 2014
This article provides the most thorough overview yet of how jihadis have plotted terrorist attacks in Europe. Drawing on a database of 122 incidents, we review trends in weapon types, attack types and target types in the period 1994-2013. The overall finding is that jihadi terrorism in Europe is becoming more discriminate in its targeting while attack types and weapons are becoming progressively more diverse. The most likely scenarios in the coming three to five years are bomb attacks and armed assaults against sub-national entities, communities and individuals. A majority of the terrorist attacks will be limited in scope, but mass-casualty terrorism cannot be excluded. Foreign fighters from Syria are likely to influence the threat level in Europe, but we do not expect them to alter patterns in modus operandi dramatically.
MODUS OPERANDI JIHADI ORGANIZATIONS
This article provides the most thorough overview yet of how jihadis have plotted terrorist attacks in Europe. Drawing on a database of 122 incidents, we review trends in weapon types, attack types and target types in the period 1994-2013. The overall finding is that jihadi terrorism in Europe is becoming more discriminate in its targeting while attack types and weapons are becoming progressively more diverse. The most likely scenarios in the coming three to five years are bomb attacks and armed assaults against sub-national entities, communities and individuals. A majority of the terrorist attacks will be limited in scope, but mass-casualty terrorism cannot be excluded. Foreign fighters from Syria are likely to influence the threat level in Europe, but we do not expect them to alter patterns in modus operandi dramatically.
The modus operandi of jihadi terrorism in Europe by Nesser& Stenersen
This article provides the most thorough overview yet of how jihadis have plotted terrorist attacks in Europe. Drawing on a database of 122 incidents, we review trends in weapon types, attack types and target types in the period 1994-2013. The overall finding is that jihadi terrorism in Europe is becoming more discriminate in its targeting while attack types and weapons are becoming progressively more diverse. The most likely scenarios in the coming three to five years are bomb attacks and armed assaults against sub-national entities, communities and individuals. A majority of the terrorist attacks will be limited in scope, but mass-casualty terrorism cannot be excluded. Foreign fighters from Syria are likely to influence the threat level in Europe, but we do not expect them to alter patterns in modus operandi dramatically.
Revista Científica General José María Córdova, 2019
The presence of Islamist terrorism on the Internet has changed quantitatively and qualitatively in recent years. Never, has it been easier to access all kinds of extremist propaganda through the net, in regular and social networks; in particular, thanks to Web 2.0. The stated objective of organizations such as the Islamic State is to spread an extremist ideology and subculture that justifies violence. This group directs its attention, above all, to young Muslims in the Western Diaspora. In this context, this paper analyzes the evolution of the presence of Islamist terrorism on the Internet for which it focuses on the measures recently approved in Europe to confront this ubiquitous, diffuse, and, at the same time, extremely dangerous threat.
Terrorism and Political Violence, 2011
The article explores ideological fault lines among Sunni Muslim militants (jihadists) in Europe since the mid-1990s. It argues there have been disputes among the militants about whether to prioritize local struggles or Al Qaeda's global war, and about the legitimacy of launching terrorist attacks in European states offering political asylum to Muslims. It concludes that Europe's militants have become more ideologically unified in conjunction with the invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Mohammed drawings, seeing European countries as legitimate and prioritized targets, and identifying with Al Qaeda.
2017
A radical Salafist ideology is attractive to people, especially young people, looking for simple solutions to solve the serious socioeconomic problems with which they cannot cope. Salafism is characterized by a Manichean division of the world on what is good, because it comes from God and what is bad. This in turn implies providing simple answers to complex questions. Actually, the simplest answer to the questions: why the people on Earth live badly? It is the statement "because mankind rejects the law of God revealed in the Qur'an and Sunnah." Therefore, the restoration of these foundations is the only one and the simplest way to solve all problems of mankind. The road to this seems to be simple: total war against "infidels and apostates". The Salafi mullahs as the custodians of “true Faith” have only right to decide who is “infidel of apostate”... Young people undergo indoctrination via the Internet, or in different "Islamic Centres" using freedom of religion (which is something fundamental for the West), are deprived of the ability to take a critical look at the content transmitted. Other are radicalized in prisons. Such circumstances stimulate reflection on the current life of their own, but also may lead to religious radicalism. The question arises: how much we still have to deal with religion as such or if it is a totalitarian political ideology? Of course, Salafism is the offshoot of Islam, but goes far than relations between men and Absolut. From the above reasons can be deduced its totalitarian character. Comparing the proposed by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Carl Friedrich definition of totalitarianism, we can substantiate such thesis. Guiding ideology is here Salafi interpretation of the Quran and Sunnah. Mass party is Salafi movement, which can take the form of a movement or the classic political parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamic State tries to have a monopoly on weapons as much as possible, militarizing male part of the population. The Islamic State monopolizes the mass media, reaching new media as a means of attracting new adepts, and where the Salafists tend to power, contests existing media as "godless" encouraging the use of the Internet and underground publications. An example is the so-called Islamic State (the Daesh). It uses legitimate violence against any actual or alleged opponents of the ruling group, such as not only Christians, or Jews, but also people arbitrarily considered as non-Muslims. For this purpose, they create formations that can be called religious-moral police, and used traditional security institutions as well. Salafi vision of the World resembles a totalitarian concepts which Hannah Arendt writes about, as this interpretation of Islam vividly explains both past, present and forecast the future, and also presents a seemingly logical model of the state of God, which wants to put into practice. If we consider Salafi ideology as totalitarian, then we will need to apply the same methods to combat the Salafi preachers as those used to fight the followers of totalitarian regimes after World War II. Declarations of similar firmness in the fight against "Jihadism" appear at various levels of government of countries such as Germany for many years. However, there is lack of sufficient firmness and consistency in their effectiveness.
SSRN, 2017
This paper seeks to coherently articulate discourses concerning the complexity of web 2.0 alongside the ‘constructed threat’ posed by the usage of Web 2.0 and such technologies by radical or extremist groups such as Islamic state. A voluminous literature on the subject, discusses the facilitative role of the internet in promotion of radicalist ideology and recruitment, although fails to address the transformative role of Web 2.0 in traditional recruitment and training methods by extremist organisations, in addition to the utilisation of the internet and Web 2.0 for recruitment, communication, and fund-raising functions, among other purposes. It is through such a premise that the internet, web 2.0 and new media have gained increasing recognition by politicians, counter-terrorism strategists and policymakers, with visible concomitants of this popular conceptual shift proposed or already executed in counter-radicalisation strategies such as internet censorship or filtering, the closing down of certain social media platforms or accounts, or ultra-syndication of counter-narratives on the internet. In response to increasing debate regarding the purpose, role and function of online radicalisation and the use of new media by extremist organisations and counter-radicalisation strategies, this paper offers a critical review and analysis of current issues such discourses. Therefore, current counter-radicalisation strategy will be reviewed, and the scope for translational implications, such as the use of counter-narratives, will be explored.