How jihadist networks operate

Abstract

This criminological dissertation seeks to understand how jihadist networks function and develop over time and aims to answer the following research question: How did jihadist networks in the Netherlands operate between 2000 and 2013 and what changes can be observed? A jihadist network is defined in this thesis as an assembly of individuals that interact with each other during a particular episode, while conducting activities together that facilitate or establish a particular objective in which the Jihadi-Salafist ideology plays an essential role. For analytical reasons, the broad phenomenon of jihadist networks is differentiated into three parts that will function as central themes in this thesis. These themes are underlying organizational structures of jihadist networks, activities conducted by the jihadist networks, and jihadist involvement mechanisms. This thesis is published at Leiden University - Faculty of Law. CONTENT: 1. General introduction 2. Studying police files with grounded theory methods to understand jihadist networks 3. Changing organizational structures of jihadist networks: a social network analysis 4. Shifting modus operandi of jihadist foreign fighters: a crime script analysis 5. Jihadist networks and the involvement of vulnerable immigrants: reconsidering the ideological and pragmatic value 6. Involvement mechanisms of jihadist networks 7. General discussion

The rise of ISIS and the recent terrorist attacks in Europe have raised a collective alertness for a potential terrorist attack. The presence of jihadist networks in the Netherlands, and the significant outflow of young people to conflict areas in the Middle East to join the jihad, have greatly enhanced this anxiety. But how are these networks organized and how do they prepare their jihad? How do people get involved in jihadist networks and how important is ideology in that regard? Answering such questions will help to understand how jihadist networks operate, which can be useful knowledge for policy makers and practitioners who aim to counter terrorist threats. Using unique data from police files, interviews, and trial observations, while utilizing different analytical methods, this study provides an in-depth insight into the modus operandi of jihadist networks in the Netherlands. The findings show how jihadist networks have changed over the years and how this development has affected the way jihadists operate.