European Lone Actor Terrorists Versus "Common" Homicide Offenders: An Empirical Analysis. Issue 1 (February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liem, Marieke; van Buuren, Jelle; de Roy van Zuijdewijn, Jeanine; Schönberger, Hanneke; Bakker, Edwin
• Other Names: LaFree Gary guest-editor.; Gruenewald Jeff guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Homicide studies. Volume 22:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 45
• Page End: 69
• Publication Date: 2018-02
• Subjects: Lone Actors -- homicide -- Europe -- terrorism -- ideology; Homicide -- Periodicals; 364.152
• DOI: 10.1177/1088767917736797
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1088-7679

Abstract

The term "Lone Actor" has been applied to a variety of violent individuals who are thought to act out of ideological motivations using terrorist tactics. So far, much of the research is U.S.-based. There is an empirical vacuum of Lone Actor violence in Europe and a conceptual gap in how these acts may be understood as a variation of homicidal behavior. We examine and compare characteristics of European Lone Actors to European "common" homicide offenders. Lone Actor terrorists constitute a heterogeneous group that is similar to homicide offenders but differs in terms of substance use, weapon use, and target. These findings may be understood in the context of instrumental versus expressive aims.