In fact, because the majority of terrorist behaviors are already proscribed in law, there is an argument to be made that specialized CT legislation is unnecessary. To appreciate the extent of overlap in terms of terrorist and criminal methodology, it is useful to begin by breaking down the different types of crime that terrorists engage in, in order to achieve different objectives:Īcts of terrorism inherently involve a variety of different criminal offences relating to the use of violence, often including (but not limited to) murder, assault, threatening behavior, property damage, kidnap and weapons / explosives offences. The bottom line is that while the single biggest risk-factor for involvement in either terrorism or crime is being a young male, there is no unique demographic profile of either population and there is a great deal of overlap between the two. Nevertheless, this overlooks the tremendous diversity among both terrorists and criminals.

By contrast, the ideological/political motives of terrorists appear to override these factors. On the one hand, higher socioeconomic status may reduce the motivation to engage in criminal activity for financial gain, while being married can counter negative social influence. It is often thought that factors which seem to protect against involvement in crime (namely, being married, better educated and of higher occupational status), fail to reduce the likelihood of involvement in terrorism. We can then better understand the parallels between these two worlds as well as the potential for cooperation. Similarities and Differencesīy systematically breaking down the similarities and differences between terrorists and criminals we can gain a better appreciation of who they are, what they do, how they operate and why they do what they do. The chapter then concludes with a brief discussion of implications for counter-terrorism (CT) and law enforcement (LE). This is followed by a discussion of the crime-terror nexus and the concept of “convergence,” i.e. In other words, the who, what, how and why of terrorism and OC.

This article attempts to clarify the situation, beginning with an examination of the similarities and differences between terrorists and criminals, including profiles, methods, systems of organization, and motives. Confusion over the nature of the threat in turn acts as a barrier to developing more effective countermeasures. However, there is still ongoing disagreement about the extent of overlap between the worlds of terrorism and organized crime (OC). There is little question that criminal activity has been and continues to be a lucrative source of funding for all kinds of terrorists. The article concludes with a discussion of the concept of convergence between terrorism and organized crime, and implications for counter-terrorism and law-enforcement. Next, the crime-terror nexus is discussed and four types of relationships between terrorists and criminals are identified: 1) Interaction, 2) Appropriation, 3) Assimilation, and 4) Transformation. Notably, the article identifies seven categories of crimes committed by terrorists: 1) Inherent/violent, 2) Preparation/facilitation, 3) Funding, 4) Specialized terrorism offenses, 5) Vigilantism/public relations, 6) Miscellaneous/Spontaneous/Unrelated Offences, and 7) Previous criminal records.

This article begins with an assessment of the similarities and differences between terrorists and criminals, including profiles, methods, systems of organization and motives. Source: Connections: The Quarterly Journal, Volume 15, Issue 3, p.65-82 (2016) Keywords: convergence, Counter-terrorism, crime-terror nexus, law-enforcement, Organized crime, Terrorism Abstract:

Dc organizer terrorist ties