ABSTRACT
In addition, among the various 'new threats' that have become fashionable since the end of the Cold War, millenialism can become quite perplexing to law enforcement officers, since it may seem to be even more 'irrational' than other forms of violence. In order to make an appropriate analysis of the potential for terrorism from marginal religious movements, it seems wiser to research violence in such groups in general, taking into consideration as well cases not related to terrorism properly. People should remember that the roots of violence are not always the same, and it would be misleading to think that identical causes can be discovered in all past and future cases. The case of Aum Shinrikyo shows vividly how this can evolve as far as terrorism with weapons of mass destruction: first, violence against members of the group; second, violence against precisely targeted outsiders; third, indiscriminate violence against outsiders.
