Lone-actor terrorism: a systematic literature review/
Jonathan Kenyon, Christopher Baker-Beall and Jens Binder
- 2023
A systematic review of the empirical literature on lone-actor terrorism, the first of its kind, is presented. Across 109 sources, ten main themes that characterize this domain are identified and described: definitions of lone-actor terrorism and typologies; heterogeneity of lone-actor terrorists; presence of mental health issues and/or personality disorders; similarities with other lone-offender criminal types; motivation to act driven by personal and ideological influences; increasing prominence of internet use; ties with other extremists, groups or wider movements; processes of attack planning and preparation; role of opportunity/triggers; and a tendency toward leakage/attack signaling.