Terrorist Attacks Research Articles

Is SNOT-22 a Reliable Tool During Periods of High Stress? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

To assess the impact of a major crisis, such as the October 7, 2023, terror attack, on SNOT-22 scores, especially the extra-rhinologic subdomains. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Rhinology Clinic in a Tertiary University Hospital. Patients who visit our Rhinology Clinic routinely complete the SNOT-22, a widely employed questionnaire designed for evaluating health-related quality of life in individuals with rhinologic conditions. Patients were divided into two groups: 5 weeks before the October 7 terror attack and 5 weeks after. Primary outcomes for analyses included the Sedaghat Subdomain model of the SNOT-22. Descriptive analysis and Welch's t-test were used to compare SNOT-22 subdomain scores between groups. A total of 159 patients completed the SNOT-22 questionnaire, with 60 before and 99 after October 7, 2023. A general decrease in average scores was observed across all subdomains, with a significant decrease in the Nasal subdomain (p = 0.0388). Subgroup analysis showed an increase in the Ear/Facial subdomain in Arabic and the Sleep and Function subdomains in English, though not statistically significant. In sex-based sub-analysis, female patients showed a significant decrease in the Emotions subdomain. Our study was unable to establish a direct link between the terror attack and specific SNOT-22 subdomains. However, the observed trends suggest that SNOT-22 may display variability or unreliability when used during periods of high stress. III Laryngoscope, 2024.

The Impact of Home Environment Insecurity on Tourists’ Self-Protective Behavior in the Event of a Terrorist Attack

Terrorist attacks have a profound and lasting impact on tourism destinations and tourists’ safety. By applying protection motivation theory as the theoretical lens and adopting the threat of a terrorist attack in London as the study context, this study examines the impact of home environment insecurity on tourists’ risk evaluation (i.e., threat and coping appraisals) and self-protective behavioral intentions amid a terrorism incident while traveling. Data were collected from 793 U.S.-based respondents in Amazon-Mturk. The results show that tourists’ home environment insecurity has a positive (vs. negative) impact on their threat (vs. coping) appraisal of the terrorism related risk. Notably, the lack of security in one’s home environment indirectly affects tourists’ tendency to adopt self-protective measures, through tourists’ coping appraisal in relation to their self-efficacy and response-efficacy. This study offers valuable theoretical and practical insights that may enhance tourist safety during a terrorism incident.

The 2023 Terror Attack on Southern Israel: Well-Being and Burnout Among Health Care Personnel Treating Traumatized Evacuees

The 2023 Terror Attack on Southern Israel: Well-Being and Burnout Among Health Care Personnel Treating Traumatized Evacuees

Hear no evil, see no evil: Why the United States gets net assessment wrong

ABSTRACT Whether it’s the attack on Pearl Harbor, the outbreak of the Korean War, the start of the Gulf War, or the 9–11 terrorist attacks, the United States has suffered no shortage of strategic intelligence failures in its history. More recently, however, the United States has suffered from a different brand of mishap – a failure of net assessment, where the United States under- or overestimated how our allies would fare in a conflict against known adversaries. This article lays out two competing theories for why these net assessment failures happen – the missing variable hypothesis versus self-delusion. It then tests these theories against three cases of net assessment failures – Iraq in 2014, Afghanistan in 2021 and Ukraine in 2022. This article argues that contrary to popular belief, American net assessment failures are not primarily due a failure to collect the right information or an inability to assess the ‘will to fight’. Rather, American net assessment failures often stem from self-delusion. Because these assessments are often done at the upper rungs of government and include more qualitative judgements about friendly and enemy willpower and proficiency, senior government officials often shape their assessments to best fit their policy preferences. In other words, they fall victim to the confirmation trap. Consequently, if the United States aims to produce better net assessments in the future, then it needs to guard against this bias by professionalizing net assessment.

The Impact of Terrorism on Tourism Development in the Republic of Kosovo

In the last twenty years, tourism has faced many terrorist attacks or similar crises, so we can ask the question of what is the connection between terrorism and tourism, how does all this affect global tourism. The targets of terrorist attacks in a certain tourist destination can vary, starting from small objects to complex tourist infrastructure, and the basis of the attacks can be political, economic, religious, or other reasons. This research has special theoretical and practical importance for the development of tourism in Kosovo, but from the aspect of the impact of terrorism on tourism, with special reference to the Republic of Kosovo as a tourist destination. Research related to the impact of terrorism on tourism in the Republic of Kosovo will help us to understand, in essence, the negative effects that terrorism can have on the development of tourism in this country. From this research, we are expected to get to know the most important aspects of terrorism and tourism in modern conditions, but also with the legislation in this field and how it can help prevent terrorist acts in tourist facilities in Kosovo.

Motivation across terrorism: ideological, strategic and tactical objectives of terrorist attacks. Journal of Law and Politics

Motivation across terrorism: ideological, strategic and tactical objectives of terrorist attacks. Journal of Law and Politics

Application of quality indicators and critical lessons learned assessment as a research approach for the evaluation of rescue missions during terrorist attacks

In Wuerzburg, Germany, a terrorist attack and a killing rampage occurred five years apart (2016 and 2021). Following a structured evaluation of the rescue mission in 2016, a bundle of quality indicators and ten “lessons learned” were defined. Aim of the presented study was to compare the two rescue missions and to critically review the lessons learned from 2016 for their implementation and feasibility. An interdisciplinary and inter-professional group of experts analyzed the data using predefined quality indicators. All lessons defined in 2016 were critically reviewed and qualified as either lessons learned or lessons identified. While seven out of ten lessons were successfully implemented after 2016 (lessons learned), three lessons didn´t work and were recategorized as lessons identified (communication, zoning and the mutual exchange of different tactical approaches). Our results demonstrate that the conclusions drawn in 2016 have helped to improve the performance of the rescue forces in 2021. In addition, the identified lessons are now the basis for further improving emergency and disaster preparedness. It is important to understand, that the process of preparedness improvement is not completed with the definition of lessons identified. These must first be integrated into response plans and then trained intensively. A lesson identified only becomes a lesson learned once it has been successfully applied.

Remembering the Disremembered

Abstract This article reads Abubakar Ibrahim’s short story “The Book of Remembered Things” as an anti-jihadist narrative that meditates on the traumatic effects of violent jihadism on the postcolonial Muslim domestic space and a counternarrative to the dominant body of Western fictional responses to the 9/11 terror attacks. Situated at the intersection of Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?” and postcolonial trauma theory, the article argues that Ibrahim mourns and remembers the traumas of the disremembered postcolonial subaltern African Muslim woman elided in the dominant discourses on the WoT and also subtly critiques fundamentalists ideologies like Boko Haram. Ibrahim shows that Jihadists’ quest for an Islamic theocracy or caliphate is doomed to fail because it revolves around a sacrificial structure wherein the Muslin woman is sacrificed on the altar of ideological incoherence. By focusing on the nexus between WoT and gendered trauma, the article explores how Ibrahim reclaims the subaltern woman’s voice in the wake of violent jihadism.

Parenting in the Face of Trauma: Music Therapy to Support Parent-Child Dyads Affected by War and Displacement.

The literature highlights the profound psychological impact of war on children, families, and communities, emphasizing the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and other symptoms among affected individuals. Interventions, such as Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and music therapy, show promise in mitigating trauma effects, underscoring the need for holistic approaches that address familial and community dynamics alongside individual well-being. Aiming to explore the influences of dyadic music therapy sessions on parents' capacity to support their children, this study involved four families displaced from their home-kibbutz as result of a terrorist attack. All dyads participated in music therapy sessions with a focus on parent-child interactions and trauma processing (CPP informed). Embedded in a qualitative, phenomenological approach, the research utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and micro-analytic methods to explore meaningful moments in the music therapy sessions. Findings identified four central categories: (1) Discovering the child's grounding song: identifying resources; (2) Musical improvisation sets the grounds for parent-child mutual recognition of the child's traumatic experience; (3) Musical performance empowers child and parent; (4) A sense of agency is gained through controlling the musical environment. The significance of restoring the children's freedom of play, the parents' sense of competency, and of enhancing families' capacity to connect to their traumatic experiences through the musical environment is discussed.

Reconfiguring rickshaw mobilities: formalization and exception in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone

This paper examines the relationship between formalization and (im)mobilities by focusing on the reconfiguration of cycle-rickshaw journeys in the ‘diplomatic zone’ of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following two terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016, this high-income neighborhood witnessed a strong trend toward the securitization, regularization, and sanitization of urban space. Consequently, the local transport system underwent significant changes, including a number of interventions aimed explicitly at regularizing cycle-rickshaw mobilities. These changes involved the introduction of a formal license system, a fixed fare chart, and the designation of a limited number of registered rickshaws to clearly demarcated areas. This paper critiques the insular and exclusionary logic that underpins this area-based rickshaw system and argues that formalization – in this particular instance – has led to the deepening of existing inequalities. In analyzing these inequalities, I present formalization as an inherently unfinished process that gains shape through simultaneous and often contradictory processes of fixing, enclosure, and exception. I offer that this conceptual triad provides a useful starting point for making sense of the relationship between formalization and (im)mobilities in a way that does not reify or assume intuitive and simplistic conflations between the formal/static and informal/mobile.

Prognostic Value of ISS and TRISS Scores in Tunisian Terrorism Victims.

Injuries caused by terrorism attacks are one of the urgent problems of the society and the health system. In this work, we aimed to assess the injury severity score (ISS) and trauma injury severity score (TRISS) in Tunisian military combatants injured during terrorism attacks. A total of 153 victims of terrorism admitted to the Military Hospital of Tunis between January 2012 and January 2017 were included. Among them, 107 survived and 46 died (43 victims died at the terrorist attack scene and 3 died in the hospital). All dead patients were autopsied. Injury severity scores and TRISSs were then calculated by 2 professors in the anesthesia-resuscitation department, and the agreement level was assessed using the Bland and Altman curve. We obtained a strong agreement between the 2 experts when assessing the TRISS and ISS. Using the Bland and Altman curve, an agreement between the 2 experts was obtained between 0 to 40 and 60 to 75 for the ISS and between 0 to 25 and 75 to 100 for the TRISS. Moreover, we detected a high level of ISS and TRISS, especially in deceased victims compared to survivors (P <.001). To predict mortality, we revealed by the receiver operating characteristic curve high sensitivity and specificity (more than 90%) before day 28 of hospital stay as well as for ISS and TRISS. Regarding the mechanism of injury, patients injured by gunshot have higher ISSs and TRISSs than those injured by explosion (P < .001). Injury severity scores and TRISSs showed a high reliability to predict the mortality rate in Tunisian victims of terrorism.

The National Counterterrorism Agency's Efforts to Improve Intelligence Institution Collaboration in Countering Terrorism in Indonesia

Lack of intelligence collaboration is considered to be one of the fundamental problems in tackling terrorism in Indonesia. However, amidst the negative attention, there are efforts by BNPT (National Counterterrorism Agency) to improve collaboration between intelligence agencies. By using Weiss's theory to analyze various statements from public officials and state institutions regarding the issue of intelligence agency cooperation in Indonesia, this paper finds two important conclusions. First, efforts to encourage the formation of intelligence collaboration have actually been carried out by BNPT by equalizing perceptions among various intelligence agencies in viewing the problems and issues of terrorism. This is evidenced by a series of training conducted by BNPT in the period 2020-2023 which aims to encourage synergy between intelligence agencies related to terrorism issues. Second, still in line with what Weiss revealed, BNPT's steps with this series of training are inseparable from the external pressure sourced from public opinion in encouraging the formation of cooperation. In this case, the strong public demand for the importance of intelligence collaboration in dealing with the problem of terrorism is inseparable from the intensity of terrorism attacks that occurred from 2016 to 2021. The bomb attacks that occurred during this period led to polemics over the function of intelligence, which in turn shows the importance of intelligence collaboration as an important component of counterterrorism.

Conspiratorial Narratives and Ideological Constructs in the Russia–Ukraine Conflict: From the New World Order to the Golden Billion Theories

This article explores the pervasive influence of conspiracy theories, specifically the New World Order (NWO) and Golden Billion theories, within the context of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. These theories form key narrative frameworks in Russian state media and global conspiracy communities, shaping perceptions of geopolitical events. This study dissects four pivotal episodes within the Russia–Ukraine conflict to illustrate how conspiracy theories shape public perception and policy direction, further entrenching ideological divides. In the first episode of the 2022 full-scale invasion, narratives of the Golden Billion were utilised to justify the attack, presenting Russia as a bastion against the Western elite’s plans to dominate the global economy and resources. The second episode examines the attack on Mariupol in 2022, framed by Russian propaganda as a necessary act to thwart the supposed expansion of NATO and the EU, underpinned by the NWO agenda aiming to dilute Russian influence in Eastern Europe. The third episode analyses the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in 2022, interpreted by some conspiracy theorists as an act by the NWO to destabilise Europe’s energy security, thus consolidating control over energy routes and resources. The fourth episode delves into the 2024 Moscow terrorist attacks, which were seen by some as either a false flag operation conducted by Western powers or as a legitimate repercussion of Western encroachment orchestrated to weaken Russia’s resolve and international standing. Each episode is contextualised within a broader conspiratorial framework, highlighting the dualistic nature of the NWO and Golden Billion theories that paint the conflict not merely as territorial disputes but as a clash between fundamentally opposing worldviews and global orders. This narrative analysis not only underscores the role of conspiracy theories in shaping geopolitical discourse but also demonstrates their utility in mobilising domestic support, framing international criticism, and justifying military actions. Our findings suggest that these conspiratorial narratives provide a resilient, albeit misleading, lens through which supporters of the Kremlin’s policies can rationalise the war, attributing complex sociopolitical dynamics to the malevolent machinations of a global elite. This study contributes to understanding how modern conflicts are interpreted through ancient conspiratorial lenses, impacting national and international policy and public opinion.

The Impact of Islamic Extremist Terrorist Attacks on the British Muslim Community

This study investigates the impact of Islamophobic hate crimes on the British Muslim community in the aftermath of the 2017 terrorist attacks in the UK (United Kingdom), which were largely linked to Islamic extremism. Using qualitative research methods, the project explores the psychological and social consequences experienced by Muslim communities, focusing on hate crimes and discrimination. Through participant questionnaires, the study identifies key themes such as heightened anxiety, fear of public safety, and altered online behaviours. Respondents reported feelings of paranoia, identity questioning, and social withdrawal, reflecting the emotional and mental toll of Islamophobia. Additionally, the rise in Islamophobic abuse, both in person and online, demonstrates the widespread prejudice faced by Muslims post-terrorist incidents. The research highlights gaps in current counter-terrorism strategies, particularly in addressing the secondary harm inflicted on Muslim communities. Victims often felt neglected by law enforcement, leading to calls for more robust protective measures, such as increased police presence in vulnerable areas and better communication between authorities and Muslim communities. Participants also recommended educational reforms to raise public awareness of Islamophobia and more responsible media coverage to prevent further stigmatization of Muslims. The study emphasizes the importance of policy changes to reduce hate crimes and foster social cohesion.

Instantaneous detection and location of contaminant sources in intelligent buildings: A distributed Kalman filter scheme

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), as a common concern of Intelligent Buildings (IBs), is easily compromised by contaminants which may result from accidents, pathogens or terrorist attacks. Once some contaminant occurs in one zone, it will be quickly diffused to other zones through windows, doors or Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, which makes detecting and locating the contaminant source a significant challenge. In this paper, a distributed Kalman filter (DKF) based scheme for detecting and locating the multiple contaminant sources is developed. Firstly, a distributed state-space model of contaminant diffusion is established with the help of the multizone simulation program-CONTAM and the Multi-Chamber theory. Then, a multi-agent based distributed monitoring framework is constructed, where each agent equipped for each zone runs a Kalman filter using both the information of the local zone and the residuals of the interconnected zones. The decoupling strategy is employed to determine the filter gains to guarantee the optimal contaminant concentration estimations. Compared with existing methods, the proposed scheme can detect and locate multiple contaminant sources instantaneously. Meanwhile, it has the advantages of low computation and communication consumptions. A model of a realistic 11-zone experimental center created on CONTAM is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme.

Emergency evacuation risk assessment for toxic gas attacks in airport terminals: Model, algorithm, and application

Transportation infrastructure has often been the target of terrorist attacks, and mitigation of the risk of toxic gas attacks is a challenging task in the design of indoor emergency evacuation systems. Considering multiple emergency response modes, we propose an agent-based risk assessment model and its algorithm to integrate gas diffusion and pedestrian movement data for emergency response, quickly assessing average individual exposure risk. We assessed the exposure status of individuals with respect to their emergency response actions following a toxic gas attack in an airport terminal. The results indicate that in the event of a general gas attack on an airport terminal, ventilation must be immediately ceased along with early evacuation. In areas with a shelter-in-place environment, the ventilation mode and shelter-in-place time should be determined based on the concentration of indoor and outdoor gases. In areas with nerve gas exposure and high population density, a new exit must be established at evacuation bottlenecks, and pedestrians must be guided to evacuate while promptly closing ventilation. These results offer suggestions and strategies for emergency response and decision-making in airport terminals during such incidents.

Ataki terrorystyczne, poważne incydenty i infrastruktura krytyczna. Spostrzeżenia z Berlina

Dramatic security incidents, such as terrorist attacks, generate widespread public interest. They arouse strong emotions, on the wave of which there are appeals to the authorities to counter threats more effectively, passionate demands for changes and declarations of their introduction. This usually lasts for a few months and then the topic goes quiet. In the interview, Paul Fröhlich from the Operations Division of the Berlin Police, an expert in the EU Protective Security Advisors programme, refers to a figurative term for this phenomenon - disaster dementia. He suggests ways to counter it, mentioning, among other things, the lessons learned and lessons identified by the Berlin police after the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market. He emphasises the importance of being prepared for crises not only at national but also at individual level and the role of institutional and non-institutional cooperation.

Terrorist attacks, major incidents and critical infrastructure. Observations from Berlin

Terrorist attacks, major incidents and critical infrastructure. Observations from Berlin

A systematic review of individual, social, and societal resilience factors in response to societal challenges and crises

Societal challenges put public mental health at risk and result in a growing interest in resilience as trajectories of good mental health during stressor exposure. Resilience factors represent multilevel psychosocial resources that increase the likelihood of resilient responses. This preregistered systematic review aims at summarizing evidence on the predictive value of individual, social and societal resilience factors for resilient responses to societal challenges and crises. Eligible studies examined the predictive value of resilience factors in stressor-exposed populations in high-income countries by means of multinomial regression models based on growth mixture modeling. Five databases were searched until August 2, 2023. Data synthesis employed a rating scheme to assess the incremental predictive value of resilience factors beyond sociodemographic variables and other resilience factors. An adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for risk of bias assessment. Fifty studies (sample sizes: 360–65,818 participants) with moderate study quality reported on various stressors (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters, terrorist attacks). Higher income, socioeconomic status and perceived social support, better emotion regulation and psychological flexibility were related to more resilient responses. The association between resilience factors and resilient responses was stronger in samples with younger mean age and a larger proportion of women. Most studies used non-representative convenience samples and effects were smaller when accounting for sociodemographic variables and other resilience factors. For many factors, findings were mixed, supporting the importance of the fit between resilience factors and situational demands. Research into social and societal resilience factors and multilevel resilience interventions is needed. Preregistration-ID: 10.17605/OSF.IO/GWJVA. Funding source: Robert Koch Institute (ID: LIR_2023_01).

Terrorist Attacks and Trust in Institutions: Micro Evidence From Europe

Terrorist Attacks and Trust in Institutions: Micro Evidence From Europe