What Kind of Person Becomes a Violent Jihadi?
The search for a 'terrorist type' has been going on for decades, but are we any closer to understanding why some people are willing to kill for their beliefs?
For decades researchers, academics and psychologists have wanted to know what kind of person becomes a terrorist. If there are pre-existing traits which make someone more likely to kill for their beliefs – well, that would be worth knowing. In this edition of The Inquiry – part of the 91Èȱ¬ World Service Identity Season – we tell the story of that search for a ‘terrorist type’. It’s a story which begins decades ago. But, with the threat from killers acting for so-called Islamic State, finding an answer has never felt more pressing.
(Photo: Somali soldiers stand at the scene of car bomb at a restaurant in Mogadishu, 2016. Militant Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. Credit: Getty Images)
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Militants and mental health
Duration: 01:13
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"Intelligence analysts know everything, but understand nothing"
Duration: 01:09
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- Tue 19 Apr 2016 01:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Tue 19 Apr 2016 02:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service UK DAB/Freeview & Online only
- Tue 19 Apr 2016 03:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service News Internet
- Tue 19 Apr 2016 04:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia
- Tue 19 Apr 2016 08:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service US Public Radio
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- Tue 19 Apr 2016 14:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Core, 91Èȱ¬ World Service & 91Èȱ¬ World Service US Public Radio
- Tue 19 Apr 2016 21:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Core, 91Èȱ¬ World Service ANR, 91Èȱ¬ World Service except East and Southern Africa & 91Èȱ¬ World Service US Public Radio
- Sun 24 Apr 2016 02:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia & South Asia only
- Sun 24 Apr 2016 04:06GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except Australasia, News Internet & South Asia
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The Inquiry
Getting beyond the headlines to explore the forces and ideas shaping the world