Abstract
In the aftermath of the double terrorist attack in Norway on 22 July 2011, it became apparent that the alleged perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, had meticulously planned the attacks. Breivik’s copious writings suggest that he planned his operations at least months in advance, gradually gathering the tools and the expertise he needed to carry out the attacks. Breivik [1] describes a long preparation phase during which he writes, reads, attends shooting classes, buys weapons, chemicals and other supplies, studies online bomb-making manuals, and spends the last 80 days manufacturing the explosive devices. Breivik [1, p. 1470] writes that it would have taken him only 30 days had he had experience:
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Notes
- 1.
Armed hijackings often involve the use of a firearm, knife or explosive device.
- 2.
The anthrax letters sent in the United States in 2001 are a case in point. One main lesson to be learned from the anthrax exposure incidents is that terrorists do not have to kill many people to create panic and foment fear and insecurity. Indeed, as Hoffman [34] notes, “five persons dying in mysterious circumstances is quite effective at unnerving an entire nation”.
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Spaaij, R. (2012). Modus Operandi. In: Understanding Lone Wolf Terrorism. SpringerBriefs in Criminology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2981-0_7
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