📰 An Arizona teenager has been charged with terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism in connection with a plot to use drones to bomb a Phoenix Pride parade. NCITE Head of Counterterrorism Research Initiatives Austin Doctor offers thoughts on the case. He says it illustrates several key elements of the current terrorist threat environment, including concerns about youth radicalization. More on the case here. ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gwUnEFdw Read more on youth radicalization, published by The Lawfare Institute, from NCITE Senior Faculty Researcher Seamus Hughes. ⤵ https://lnkd.in/eicZaWPv
Head of Counterterrorism Research Initiatives at NCITE Center. Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Teen arrested for plotting ISIS-inspired terror attack using an explosive-laden drone on Phoenix Pride parade. BLUF: This case embodies several key elements of the current terrorist threat environment. Some initial reflections -- with ties to active National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) research streams. The caveat: The situation is continuing to develop, lots we still don't know. Element 1️⃣ : The youth mobilization to violent extremism element. The FBI has warned that we are seeing a notable uptick in terrorism-related cases involving teens as young as 15. Not just a U.S. issue; the director of MI5 recently stated that 1 in 8 cases involve a juvenile in the United Kingdom. As my colleague Seamus Hughes has written for The Lawfare Institute: we simply don’t have the right tools to deal with this yet. Link: https://lnkd.in/gmNqcQ2i Element 2️⃣ : The terrorist use of drones element. This is a canary in the coal mine. There will be more incidents like this to come. To be sure, the drone threat itself isn’t new. Liz Sherwood Randall appealed in a 2022 op-ed, “The trend is clear: the domestic threat posed by drones is real. We can’t afford to wait to act.” I'm concerned that this threat vector is only poised to increase in scale and scope. And I would argue, we need to prepared for malign use of unmanned systems in multiple domains. Link: https://lnkd.in/gMz9eywp Element 3️⃣ : The improvised explosive device element. Our research shows that explosives continue to be a preferred tool of violent extremists. Lot of bang for the buck. The Arizona teen is charged with ordering the precursor chemicals needed to make TATP via Amazon. TATP is a favorite tool of ISIS and other jihadist groups (e.g., the 2015 Paris bombings, the 2016 bombings of the Brussels metro, etc.). As a homemade explosive, TATP precursors all easy to acquire over the counter. But the devil is in the details. Using TATP in an improvised device is tricky because the ingredients are so highly unstable. If improperly handled, the bombmaker can be killed or serious injured. Sam Hunter and I recently wrote for Combating Terrorism Center Sentinel about the evolving IED threat landscape. Link: https://lnkd.in/g87K-78D Element 4️⃣ : The Islamic State in America element. The threat from the Islamic State is persistent and real. The group is actively looking for ways to inspire or facilitate attacks in the U.S.. This case, the thwarted Election Day plot in OKC, and others reveal the group's intent to harm U.S. communities. Link: https://lnkd.in/ghD6xUEg https://lnkd.in/gxqKjA6P