NCJ Number
240344
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2012 Pages: 389-396
Date Published
October 2012
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses lone offender terrorism and proposes a categorical approach to analyzing and describing these types of attacks.
Abstract
The challenge of "lone offender" terrorism is a serious one for law enforcement and security services around the world. Though the tactic has been used for hundreds of years, the rising numberin some countriesand diversity of "lone" attacks are increasingly troublesome. Attempts to clearly define the phenomenon, however, have been rather elusive. In this review, the authors suggest that viewing the dimensions of lone offender terrorism along a continuum, rather than forcing categorical distinctions, may provide a useful approach for classifying or analyzing lone offender attacks. The authors introduce three dimensions as a starting point for discussionLoneness, Direction, and Motivationand attempt to illustrate how these dimensions are linked to key investigative questions as a potential attacker proceeds on a pathway from idea to action. (Published Abstract)