NCJ Number
84381
Date Published
1981
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Three roles -- leader, activist-operator, and the idealist -- in many terrorist groups attract differing personality types that complement each other, and the activist-operator is the personality type most likely to cooperate with the police to reduce sentence severity.
Abstract
The leader of a terrorist group is a person of total dedication and a trained theoretician with a strong personality. The activist-operator, who can be classified as an opportunist, usually conducts the overt criminal activities of intimidation and violence; this person generally has a history of deviancy. The idealist is a minor functionary kept in the dark about the planning and execution of terrorist activities but wants to be a part of the group to have a sense of meaning for his/her life. The Symbionese Liberation Army and other domestic and some foreign groups that operate in democratic societies fit this terrorist organizational profile. Whether or not this model fits other terrorist groups is the subject of current research. Law enforcement is not likely to gain much information from the idealist because of his/her commitment to the group and because the idealist knows little of the group's subversive activities. The leader will also supply little information because of his/her ideological commitment. The activist-operator, however, is most likely to be a fountain of information when offered a conducive plea-bargaining alternative. A total of 64 notes are listed.