Organizational Versus Individual Attribution: A Case Study of Jemaah Islamiyah and the Anthrax Plot

Alexandra Pocek Joosse, H. Brinton Milward

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent studies have taken an important first step in examining which terrorist groups, based on their organizational characteristics and the characteristics of the environment in which they operate, are more likely to pursue chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons. This approach, however, assumes that individuals who perpetrate events act on behalf of the organization to which they primarily belong. Using the case of Jemaah Islamiyah's alleged attempt to develop the pathogenic bacterium Bacillus anthracis, or anthrax, the authors demonstrate the importance of including individual-level variables to the analysis. In particular, the attendance by several key Jemaah Islamiyah members at an Al Qaeda-affiliated training camp is argued to set a chain of events into motion that ended in their involvement in the anthrax cultivation program. © 2014

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)237-257
Number of pages21
JournalStudies in Conflict and Terrorism
Volume37
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2014

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Safety Research
  • Political Science and International Relations

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