Placing “Lone-actor Terrorism” in Context. Who Are We Dealing with and What Threat Do They Pose? Preliminary Results of the FP7 PRIME Project

Abstract

The author presents the de-classified preliminary findings of the European Commission funded FP7 research project PRIME, dealing with extremism, radicalization and lone-actor terrorism (also known as “lone wolf terrorism”). The article provides partial results of the research consisting of a context analysis of the lone actor threat, that is a description of a range of identified contextual elements which may affect the relevance, adoption, implementation or exploitation of the PRIME Project’s final deliverables (counter- and communication measures requirements portfolios), including differences in culture and legislation across Europe, as well as operational (law-enforcement-related and stakeholder-identified) constraints. The article presents a host of definitional issues related to “lone wolf terrorism”, provides results of the surveys/questionnaires performed in Poland and India and ends with a summary of the problems, constraints and obstacles to the successful and efficient use of operational procedures available for the law-enforcement and security agencies and institutions, based on data gathered through engagement activities with security practitioners.