Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles
The Jihadist Movement after London: Diverse Backgrounds, Common Ideology
Few events have provoked such contradictory assessments as this month’s bomb attacks in London. Until recently, the majority of research on terrorism since 9/11 has focused on militants who may have had experience fighting in Afghanistan, thus linking them directly to al-Qaeda. But, the attacks... MORE
An In-Depth Look at the London Bombers
Terrorist attacks on civilians in the heart of London have long been considered inevitable by the UK’s police and intelligence services. For them, the London bombings represent the ultimate security nightmare: young men from Britain’s 1.6 million strong Muslim community willing to kill themselves and... MORE
Understanding the Origins of Wahhabism and Salafism
The phenomenon of Islamic terrorism cannot be adequately explained as the export of Saudi Wahhabism, as many commentators claim. In fact, the ideological heritage of groups such as al-Qaeda is Salafism, a movement that began in Egypt and was imported into Saudi society during the... MORE
Yemen’s Committee for Dialogue: Can Jihadists Return to Society?
Well before 9/11, Yemen was faced with a terrorist threat on a scale matched by few other countries. It was not a case of unraveling the occasional sleeper cell but rather a question of how to handle thousands of militants, many of whom returned to... MORE
Securing the Northern Front: Canada and the War on Terror
This is the first in a two part series on Canada and the war on terror. Since September 11th, al-Qaeda terrorists have been consistently thwarted in their attempts to “take the battle inside America”. Despite some incidents involving mostly non-U.S. citizens, America’s security perimeter has... MORE
Anbar Province and Emerging Trends in the Iraqi Insurgency
The recent upsurge of fighting in Iraq’s restive Anbar province is one of many indicators that some of Iraq’s insurgents are evolving into organized guerilla formations. This comes at a time of daily multiple bombings in Baghdad and other cities, which have elevated the insurgency... MORE
Londonistan
Any visitor to the United Kingdom’s sprawling metropolis is immediately made aware of the bewildering diversity of its inhabitants. In addition to its rich and diverse communities of immigrants (with at least 300 languages spoken on its streets, it leaves New York trailing far behind... MORE
Assessing Spain’s al-Qaeda Network
The Commission investigating the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid recently concluded that since the late 1990s, foreign radical Islamists have been using Spain for jihadist activities in support of al-Qaeda’s terrorist operations, particularly al-Zarqawi’s anti-Coalition attacks in Iraq. [1] On-going counter-terrorism investigations reveal... MORE
From Egyptian Islamic Jihad to Chechnya: A Portrait of Mahmoud Hinnawi
On April 20, the London based al-Hayat newspaper published details of the slaying of Mahmoud Hinnawi, an Egyptian Islamic militant. Although originally from the Middle East, Hinnawi was well traveled in the Caucasus. Indeed, his movements in 1996 had quickly brought him to the attention... MORE
The Rise of Salafi Islam in Azerbaijan
After the demise of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an ideological vacuum, Azeri society began to embrace religion and observe long forgotten Islamic traditions. Thousands of missionaries from Arab countries, Iran and Russia converged on the republic to help “estranged” Muslims better understand... MORE