ABSTRACT
Terrorism is a strategy that uses public violence in order to effect social or political change. Lone-actor terrorism is not typically a spontaneous phenomenon but is the culmination in varying degrees of planning and preparation – it can be days, months or even years, as was the case with Anders Breivik who prepared for his attack for a total of nine years. It is important to emphasise that lone-actor terrorists with mental health disorders can very often engage in rational and sophisticated pre-attack planning. A lone-actor terrorist may use social media platforms (e.g., seek out social or political fellowship with like-minded individuals in online chat forums). If these forums, or someone on the other end, are being monitored, detection may occur. However, if the individual intentionally downplays their extremist views and uses encryption tools in order to hide their personal identity, they may go undetected as posing a potentially serious risk.
