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Terrorism Trends to Watch in 2020

Terrorism Trends to Watch in 2020

Created: Thursday, January 16, 2020 - 10:37
Categories:
Intelligence, Physical Security, Security Preparedness

As noted in an article in Homeland Security Today, 2020 is already off to a rocky start on the terror front, such as with fears of retaliatory action by Iran or its proxies. This threat is the first of six terrorism trends the article identifies for the year, noting that significant events like the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani can be exploited by terror leaders and propagandists to incite would-be operatives and motivate them to conduct revenge attacks. In its discussion of another trend – the potential for an Islamic State resurgence – the article presents an interesting analogy of the group’s vision, one of a knocked over salt shaker on a world map lying flat on a table. On the map, the salt is more concentrated in some places, with particles spread out across the world in the form of cells or individuals. For the hybrid methods, crossover training, and soft targets trend, the article reflects on how surprising it has been to see terrorist targets switch from symbolic and prominent places, such as the World Trade Center and the Pentagon with the 9/11 attacks, to community venues like local government offices, places of worship, and bars. Some of the other trends examined in the article include extremist groups integrating mainstream views into their otherwise radical messages and white supremacist and anti-Semitic attacks. Read the article in Homeland Security Today.