Expert warns terrorism now more diverse than ever

An academic expert is warning that the threat of terrorism today is more diverse than anything in the recent past. A myriad of terrorist groups have made law enforcement's job harder, said Colin Clarke, the executive director of The Soufan Center. The New York-based nonprofit researches global security concerns. While old threats still linger, Clarke told WORLD that new terrorist groups continue to pop up.

Clarke’s remarks come as U.S. and Saudi forces targeted Iran-aligned terrorists in eastern Iraq last week.

How did Clarke define terrorism? While terrorism was hard to fully define academically, he said terrorism’s intent is typically to alter policy with violence. Politics are at the center of terrorism, not profit, he said.

What groups pose the greatest threat today? Out of the U.S. State Department’s list of more than 100 foreign terrorist organizations, Clarke called out a few groups as most concerning:

• Al-Qa’ida has essentially become a brand, Clarke warned. The group’s branch of Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and Yemen have worrisome attack capabilities. He called them big game hunters.

• Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimi, another Al-Qa’ida branch, has overrun Mali in West Africa.

• He also listed the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province, which planned a thwarted attack against a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria. The group was made up of young, tech-savvy individuals, Clarke noted.

• Additionally, Clarke said that the Hezbollah group has repeatedly carried out an Iranian agenda to undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty.

What effect is artificial intelligence having on terrorism? Clarke noted that terrorists have used AI technology to create more targeted propaganda. The tech tool can quickly craft messages that recruit specific demographics. This can free up more time for terrorists to focus on their violent plots, Clarke said.