The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership And
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The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership, and Cyber Profiles Report to the Office of University Programs, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security July 2017 National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence Led by the University of Maryland 8400 Baltimore Ave., Suite 250 • College Park, MD 20742 • 301.405.6600 www.start.umd.edu National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence About This Report The authors of this report are Gina Ligon, Michael Logan, Margeret Hall, Douglas C. Derrick, Julia Fuller, and Sam Church at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Questions about this report should be directed to Dr. Gina Ligon at [email protected]. This report is part of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) project, “The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership, and Cyber Profiles” led by Principal Investigator Gina Ligon. This research was supported by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of University Programs through Award Number #2012-ST-061-CS0001, Center for the Study of Terrorism and Behavior (CSTAB 1.12) made to START to investigate the role of social, behavioral, cultural, and economic factors on radicalization and violent extremism. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or START. About START The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is supported in part by the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through a Center of Excellence program led by the University of Maryland. START uses state‐of‐the‐art theories, methods and data from the social and behavioral sciences to improve understanding of the origins, dynamics and social and psychological impacts of terrorism. For more information, contact START at [email protected] or visit www.start.umd.edu. Citations To cite this report, please use this format: Ligon, G.S., Logan, M.K., Hall, M., Derrick, D.C., Fuller, J., & Church, S. (2017). “The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership, and Cyber Profiles,” Final report prepared for the Department of Homeland Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of University Programs. College Park, MD: START, 2017. The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership, and Cyber Profiles National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Contributions ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Recommendations for Policy ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Methodology........................................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Sample Definition ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Data Gathering ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Coding and Analysis..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Coder Training ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Analyses ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Research Objective One: Assessment of the Organization and Leadership Profiles ............................................... 7 Da’esh ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Organizational Structure ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Two Organizational Nodes of Vulnerability .................................................................................................................. 8 Leadership .................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Recruitment and Fundraising ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Attack Profile ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Organizational Structure .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Leadership ................................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Recruitment and Fundraising ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Attack Profile ........................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Afghan Taliban ............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Organizational Structure and Leadership .................................................................................................................... 14 Recruitment and Fundraising ........................................................................................................................................... 15 Attack Profile ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Lashkar-e-Taiba .......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 The Jihadi Industry: Assessing the Organizational, Leadership, and Cyber Profiles National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism A Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Organizational Structure and Leadership .................................................................................................................... 16 Recruitment and Fundraising ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Attack Profile ..........................................................................................................................................................................