Profiling terror

It is increasingly accepted that it is only a matter of time before a major terrorist event occurs in the United Kingdom, and many feel this could well take the form of a suicide attack. Suicide attacks are certainly the most potent tactics in the modern terrorist’s arsenal. Yet with so many different groups involved, with their different conflicts, cultures, religions, ethnic backgrounds and agendas, the idea that there can be a single profile which fits the bombers of all groups quickly falls apart. In the West, security agencies have tried to take comfort from the fact that the main threat faced in the cities of Europe and North America comes from one group: al-Qaeda. If we can develop an accurate profile of this group’s suicide bombers, then we will be able to prevent the main threat. But again, the solution is not that simple.