Category Archives: Terrorism

10Nov/20

Terror in Vienna: a risk assessment perspective – by Jörg Peschak

On the night before the second lockdown on November 2nd, 2020 at 8 pm, Austria’s capital was hit by a terrorist attack. On the macrolevel, it is the latest of a series of events that began in France with the republication of the caricatures of Charly Hebdo followed by the beheading of a teacher for showing the caricatures and an attack on people at the cathedral in Nice. Now the scene moved to Vienna. But why Austria? Could it have been prevented? Continue reading

25Ott/20

Terrorismo islamista: Francia sotto pressione – by G. Giacalone, M. Lombardi, M. Maiolino

La linea del tempo

La barbara uccisione del docente di educazione civica, Samuel Paty, mostra una serie di fattori dei quali non si può non tener conto se si vuole andare oltre cronache e sensazionalismi per capire in che direzione si sta evolvendo il terrorismo di stampo islamista in Europa e in particolare in Francia. Continue reading

28Lug/20

Threat Assessment for Sensitive Buildings against Terrorism in urban environments – by Tiziano Li Piani

The built heritage of European cities is exposed to various hazards of different nature – natural events such as floods or earthquakes but also man-made threats. The escalation of terrorist attacks conducted in urban environments against soft targets necessitates the development of guidelines for the antiterrorism design of buildings and public spaces. Continue reading

30Giu/20

Three generations of jihadist preachers in Italy compared – by Alessandro Boncio

Introduction. The period of jihadi terrorism that Western countries are experiencing currently, could be labelled as a moment of reshaping and transformation. Following the collapse of its Syrian-Iraqi creature, ISIS is repositioning itself physically and ideologically; at the same time, al-Qa’ida linked groups are constantly strengthening its files and ranks, still strong of its cultural appeal[2]. Continue reading

28Apr/20

Cyberwar: atomizzazione della rete e minacce ibride – by Francesco Balucani

La nascita di Internet, originariamente inteso come strumento di empowerment per la comunità scientifica, e lo sviluppo progressivo di una dimensione cibernetica sempre più estesa e ramificata, hanno imposto degli sforzi originali da parte degli Stati nazione per assicurare la sicurezza nazionale nella cosiddetta quinta dimensione della conflittualità. Continue reading

19Mar/20

The Jihadi Ever-Evolving Online Financing Ecosystem – by Daniele M. Barone

At the end of February, a summit of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[i], pressed countries to align themselves with global cryptocurrency standards from the intergovernmental organization, FATF (Financial Action Task Force), on standards on virtual assets and related providers[ii]. Continue reading

15Mar/20

The institutional symmetry of an asymmetric conflict. A State – State rivalry throughout Daesh’s widespread storytelling – by Daniele M. Barone

To date, Daesh has been dismantled, deprived of credibility, and with no remaining strong leadership but still up and unpredictable. The latest release, a few days ago, of its first piece since January 2019 from foreign language media al-Hayat named “The People of Zeal and Bravery”[i], the inclusivity shown by the organization in the Sahel[ii], and the shift of the group’s online followers to decentralized chat rooms after the Referral Action Days operation by EUROPOL on Telegram[iii] it’s a warning on the uselessness of kinetic actions taken against the group. Continue reading

05Feb/20

La “nuova fase” di Stato Islamico contro Israele – by Daniele Plebani

Il 27 gennaio il portavoce di Stato Islamico (IS), Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, ha annunciato l’avvio di una nuova fase per il gruppo terroristico. Questo rinnovato slancio avrebbe come bersaglio Israele con particolare attenzione per Gerusalemme, città che secondo al-Qurashi “è sempre stata negli occhi dei combattenti”. Il focus su Israele suggerisce diversi elementi di analisi. Continue reading

02Dic/19

L’operazione “Referral Action Days” di Europol – by Federico Borgonovo e Nicolò Spagna

Il 21 novembre 2019 un’operazione coordinata da Europol in concerto con Telegram denominata Referral Action Days,  ha disabilitato aggressivamente l’ecosistema mediatico dello Stato Islamico (IS). L’operazione si è contraddistinta dalle precedenti per la sua efficacia, andando a colpire non solo i canali e gruppi ma gli account delle diverse piattaforme, in particolare Telegram. Continue reading