Author: Jytte Klausen
Abstract:
The rapid rise in domestic violent extremism has created an
urgent need for metrics that can help law enforcement assess the danger
represented by Americans who have become radicalized by ISIL and other foreign
terrorist groups.
The purpose of this study was to outline model for assessing
the radicalization trajectory of violent jihadist homegrown extremists. Instead
of trying to profile and identify at-risk populations, the research sought to
determine how people become terrorists in the service of ISIL.
The model focused on tracking progressive radicalization
through the use of behavioral indicators known to be associated with Al
Qaeda-inspired groups advocating violent extremism.
American homegrown offenders in the study displayed regular
patterns of overt behaviors that signified their newfound religiously-inspired
extremist political beliefs and that pointed to progressive radicalization.
These behavioral signifiers were generally but not always apparent to
bystanders, family, or friends.
Many of the behavioral indicators were ideology-specific,
but social background and demographics (e.g., age and gender) and lifestyle
changes also shaped the behaviors of terrorist offenders. Other behavioral
indicators included domestic physical training and societal disengagement.
The importance of real-life peer groups in driving further
radicalization was highlighted by the finding that peer immersion nearly always
preceded public expressions of a desire for action.
Indicators of non-violent support for terrorism included
fundraising for terrorism, efforts to recruit others, and the communication of
threats. The diversity of the subjects analyzed indicated, however, no uniform
profile of jihadist terrorists.
The researchers acknowledge that while social media played a
role in radicalization cases, both as a tool for communicating with recruiters
and as the source of information about “what to do,” it was direct peer
involvement that primarily drove rapid progression to illegal action.
The research supports a number of recommendations for law
enforcement, families, and communities to better identify and track individuals
who may be in the process of becoming radicalized and for how to better educate
the public about the radicalization process.
These include a dynamic risk assessment protocol that is
updated through iterative testing against case files; a focus on countering
violent extremism programs for mobilizing families in the fight against violent
extremism; outreach programs for Muslim community organizations and mosques;
and a focus in schools on preventing the development of cliques among students
endorsing violent extremist belief systems.
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