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This book provides the first empirical analysis of lone-actor terrorist behaviour.
Based upon a unique dataset of 111 lone actors that catalogues the life span of the individual's development, the book contains important insights into what an analysis of their behaviours might imply for practical interventions aimed at disrupting or even preventing attacks. It adopts insights and methodologies from criminology and forensic psychology to provide a holistic analysis of the behavioural underpinnings of lone-actor terrorism.
By focusing upon the behavioural aspects of each offender and by analysing a variety of case studies, including Anders Breivik, Ted Kaczynski, Timothy McVeigh and David Copeland, this work marks a pointed departure from previous research in the field. It seeks to answer the following key questions:
Is there a lone-actor terrorist profile and how do they differ?
What behaviours did the lone-actor terrorist engage in prior to his/her attack and is there a common behavioural trajectory into lone-actor terrorism?
How 'lone' do lone-actor terrorists tend to be?
What role, if any, does the internet play?
What role, if any, does mental illness play?
This book will be of much interest to students of terrorism/counter-terrorism studies, political violence, criminology, forensic psychology and security studies in general.
List of contents
1. Introduction 2. Who are the Lone-Actor Terrorists? 3. The Behavioural Underpinnings of Lone-Actor Terrorism 4. Why Go It Alone? 5. The Role of the Internet 6. Mental Illness and Lone-Actor Terrorism 7. Comparing Lone-Actor Terrorists 8. A Situational Crime Prevention Approach 9. Lone Actor Terrorist Dilemmas
About the author
Paul Gill has worked as an Anglican Minister in Australia and England. He has spent most of his ministry working in places where the majority of the population live in challenging economic and social circumstances. This included ten years working as a prison chaplain in maximum security prisons. These years of prison ministry were the most satisfying of his working life. 'I always felt I was engaging with people about things that really mattered.' He and his wife, Anne, currently live In Hereford, UK
Summary
This book provides the first empirical analysis of lone-actor terrorist behaviour.
