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The new ‘mix and match’ terror threat
Who is a terrorist is no longer so easy to pin down. Recent attacks have been stoked by a hodgepodge of ideas, from eco-fascism to anti-vax conspiracy theories.
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Somali security personnel driving by Hotel Hayat following an attack by the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab, in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Aug 20, 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Shashi Jayakumar
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It used to be recently that when you mention “terrorist”, Al-Qaeda, JI (Jemaah Islamiah), ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) and self-radicalised individuals who carry out attacks leading to loss of life come to mind. But it is not so clear-cut any more.
There is an emerging consensus among researchers and security practitioners studying terrorism and radicalisation that we are in the middle of an era-defining paradigm shift when it comes to the actual playing out of extremist thought and activity.
