Psychological make-up ousts terrorists
As suggested by the New Scientist’s Kathleen Puckett, politically driven mass murderers that strike alone should be easy to spot, and stop, as they possess distinct characteristics. Unlike the majority of Islamic terrorists of recent years, home-grown killers such as Breivik, Timothy McVeigh and Theodore “Unabomber” Kaczynski have proven to display startlingly similar traits tied […]
As suggested by the New Scientist’s Kathleen Puckett, politically driven mass murderers that strike alone should be easy to spot, and stop, as they possess distinct characteristics. Unlike the majority of Islamic terrorists of recent years, home-grown killers such as Breivik, Timothy McVeigh and Theodore “Unabomber” Kaczynski have proven to display startlingly similar traits tied to their personal psychology.
In 2001, during her tenure as an FBI special agent, Puckett and her colleagues investigated similarities between Kaczynski, McVeigh and Rudolph and found that they were highly intelligent and well educated, with no previous history of criminal violence.
Another factor that united them was that they failed badly to forge meaningful relationships. “Breivik, who was socially isolated and shunned by the extremist groups he courted, is a prime example of this dynamic. There are bound to be others like him, and it should not be beyond intelligence services to sniff them out. They could start by looking for people who have made unsuccessful attempts to connect with other radicals. As we now know, their failure to find a voice can prove lethal,” said Puckett.
