Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

The Changing Profile of Homegrown Terrorists

The shift in the radicalization landscape in 2015, especially the ever-changing profile of the “homegrown terrorist,” has become one of the greatest concerns of those who protect our homeland.    Notwithstanding the horrific attacks in other parts of the world during the past year, the devastating events in San Bernardino, California and other planned and attempted terrorist activities here in the United States have clearly illustrated that there is no longer a standard “profile” of a homegrown terrorist.   In fact, the categorization of a person as “homegrown” belies the fact that the impetus, if not the catalyst, of their radicalization came from beyond this country’s physical borders.  

During the past year, terrorists and terrorist “wanna-bes” have ranged from the “lone-wolf” types whose lack of positive personal relationships and self-esteem spur their anti-social and criminal activity, to the small groups of ISIS sympathizers whose twisted beliefs and lack of empathy for others lead them to such actions as killing co-workers and shoot-outs with police.   Because these recruits are increasingly different from one another in their attitudes, personalities, and even in their motivation for aligning with radicals, attempting to identify possible offenders solely from the common profile of the young, male, Middle Eastern, radical Muslim makes attempts to thwart attacks considerably harder. 

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Chinese Industrial Espionage: What Happens in the Netherlands Doesn’t Stay in the Netherlands

OPINION — China is conducting intelligence operations in the Netherlands that are targeting key industrial sectors including semiconductors, [...] More
Threat Conference

Threat Conference

Cipher Brief sessions are expertly crafted and focused on ways the public and private sectors can most efficiently work together to address key [...] More

Report for Thursday, June 12, 2025

7:55 America/New_York Thursday, June 12 [...] More
Ground Truth on Ukraine’s Tech War

Ground Truth on Ukraine’s Tech War

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainians have used every resource available to fight back. From aid packages and [...] More

U.S. Support for Ukraine Would be Cheap at Twice the Price

OPINION – On a recent visit to Kyiv, we stood near midnight in an operations center surrounded by young Ukrainian drone pilots remotely flying [...] More

Report for Wednesday, June 11, 2025

9:30 America/New_York Wednesday, June 11 [...] More

An Engaging Look at U.S. – China Relations

BOOK REVIEW: Breaking the Engagement: How China Won and Lost AmericaBy David Shambaugh / Oxford University PressReviewed by: Paul HeerThe Reviewer — [...] More

Report for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

8:34 America/New_York Tuesday, June 10 [...] More

Dead Drop: June 6

THE TANGLED WEB: For an excellent deep dive into the meaning and mechanics of Ukraine’s stunning deep strike into Russia that destroyed or damaged [...] More