history of terrorism primarily centering on Middle East

1. Psychology of Terrorism
Kill one and intimidate thousands
Leo Tolstoy
Norvell B DeAtkine
Cell: 9109882786
Email: youstahz@aol.com

2. Definition of terrorism
• Terrorism is the deliberate and
systematic murder or menacing
of the innocent to inspire fear
for political purposes
• Intent to do harm
• Violence is unpredictable
• Targets are symbolic
• Publicity is the fuel
• Political goals
• The simplest definition:
terrorism is armed propaganda

3. Complexities of Terrorism
• Freedom fighter or terrorist?
• Guerrilla warfare vs. terrorism
• Organizational vs. State
terrorism
• Criminal Terrorism
• “Terrorism is, and its introduction
into world affairs, has always
been a term of propaganda
designed to legitimize violence
by some while delegitimizing
similar violence by others”
Abu Muqawama blog 03/27/2012

4. History of terrorism
Zealots campaign in Palestine
the Sicari
Assassins campaign of terror
the old man on the mountain
The French Terror
– Purify and rebuild the state
Russian anarchists
– Anarchy is less horrible than state
despotism
The Soviet Terror
– Intimidate an entire population into
submission
The Saddam terror
the Arab version of Stalinist terror

5. The Far Left Terrorists of the 60s
and 70’s
• Often described as Spoiled brats of the
wealthy or upper middle class
• “Adventure Junkies”
• Anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist
Brigitte Mohnhaupt

6. Ulrike Meinhof
• Born to middle class professionals
• Educated in philosophy/sociology
• Originally a journalist
• Heavily influenced by communism
and the new left intellectual movement
• Married briefly/two children
• Founded the Red Army Faction
• Indicted for 9 murders
• Hanged herself before the trial ended

7. Palestinian terrorism
• The PFLP
• The PDFLP
• The Black September
• Abu Nidal
Sabri Al Banna Nayif Hawatmeh
George Habash

8. Political Islamic Terrorism
• Al Qaida
• Al Gama Islamiya
• Islamic Jihad
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad
• Lashkiar-i-Taiba
• Armed Islamic Group
• Abu Sayyaf
• Caucasus Emirate
• Boko Haram
Al-Islambouli

9. Abdullah Azzam
• Intellectual proponent of Jihad
• Born in Palestine
• Of middle class parents
• Graduated from college in agriculture
• Later obtained a degree in Islamic Law
• Sociopathic hatred of Jews and the West/
saw the more secular PLO as a loser
• First preached the jihad movement in
Brooklyn NY
• Blown up in 1989…by rivals/ CIA/
Pakistanis?

10. My experience with terrorism
• Beirut At “Guerilla U” (American
University of Beirut)
PFLP demonstration in Beirut
Leyla Khaled. The two time hijacker

11. Jordan
• The 1970 Clash between the Jordanian
Army and the PLO

12. Later experience
• Assassination of Sadat

13. Ali Mohamed
• The so called “Green Beret” terrorist

14. The World Trade Center Bombing
Conspiracy Trial
• Subpoenaed as a defense witness by
lawyer for Sayyed el Nosair
• Learned from him the mind set of the
terrorist from his two years of almost daily
conversations with Nosair.

15. Terrorists
The Three Broad Categories:
• The true believer
• The adventurer
• Useful fools

16. The True Believer
• Born into middle class Egyptian family
• Introverted, studious
• Studied architecture in Egypt
• Emigrated to Germany to further his
studies. Not happy in Germany
• Gradually became radicalized at the
Hamburg mosque
• Personally appointed by Bin Laden to
lead the 9/11 operation
• Much of his mentality can be deduced
from his MA thesis on architecture in
Aleppo Syria

17. Not all are true believers; some are simply
adventurers.
The case of Ali Mohamed
• Supremely self confident egotist/self
promoter
• Well-read/articulate/talkative
• Energetic/good physical shape
• Liar…what was real what not?
• Racist traits
• Haughty/contemptuous
• Superficial Islamic knowledge

18. –The Useful Fools
Life’s losers made to feel important
Or wannabees
Reid Hedayatt Padilla

19. Attributes Often Leading to
Terrorist Recruitment
• Alienated
• Political system impervious to
peaceful change
• Identify with victims ( real or
imagined ) of perceived injustice
• Are action oriented
• Believe violence is justified
• Friends and family are involved
• Receives sense of belonging from
the terrorist association

20. Terrorists : Some Very General
Characteristics.
• Oblivious to others pain…
a sociopath
• Usually from middle or
upper class
• From functional families
• Often of dual ethnicity
• Ego driven
• Revolve around a
charismatic figure

21. Terrorists are Generally Not;
• Poor
• Disenfranchised
• Loners
• Affected with mental
illness
• Easily recognized
• Intellectually deficient
• Unable to differentiate
between right and wrong

22. The Ego Motivator
• “Glory is largely a theatrical concept.
There is no striving for glory without a
vivid awareness of an audience- the
knowledge that our mighty deeds will
come to the ears of our
contemporaries…”
• “We are ready to sacrifice our true,
transitory self for the imaginary eternal
self we are building up, by our heroic
deeds, in the opinion and imagination
minds of others.”
• “Dying and killing seem easy when they
are part of a ritual, ceremonial, dramatic
performance or game.”
Eric Hofer The True Believer
Vladimir Ramirez Sanchez

23. Terrorism as Social Networking
• Detailed research by Marc
Sageman in his book
“Understanding Terror Networks”
• Viewed much of the more recent
terrorism as a function of close
relationships. Basically normal
young men drawn into a terror
network by virtue of friendships or
family relationships. Often this
function is magnified by being in
an alien environment such as the
“Hamburg 8”

24. Conclusion
• Mostly we know what they
are not
– Poor
– Traumatized
– Crazy
– ignorant
• But what are they?
– To a large extent it depends
on what expert opinion you
subscribe to.