Dr. Paul Gill, Senior Lecturer in Security and Crime Science at VOX-Pol partner institution University College London, gave a fascinating presentation of his award-winning research into ‘Lone Actor’ terrorism on Wednesday 15 July at VOX-Pol partner ICSR at King’s College London.
Dr. Gill focused on the empirical realities of ‘Lone Actor’ terrorism, how a single profile of a ‘Lone Actor’ does not exist and illustrated some of the novel trends and patterns that are discernible from detailed empirical studies of this phenomenon.
While acknowledging the difficulty law enforcement agencies face in dealing with the ‘Lone Actor’ threat, Dr. Gill stressed the importance of using precise terminology and definitions when discussing these kinds of threats, as these greatly affect the efficacy of risk assessments.
Dr. Gill concluded by noting the importance of investigating the nuances in the motivations for attacks, especially when ideology appears to play a superficially explicit role. His presentation can be found here.
Listen to Dr Gill’s lecture on Soundcloud:
Dr Gill also contributed a post to the VOX-Pol blog on the same subject: ‘Lone Actor Terrorism and the Internet: What Role, If Any?‘