NCJ Number
212479
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: 2005 Pages: 193-222
Date Published
2005
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This article presents a qualitative analysis of the impact of New Technology (NT) on the activities of the Red Brigades (RB), an Italian terrorist group that has been active since 1970.
Abstract
The high degree of anonymity offered by technological instruments has resulted in an increase in technology use among terrorist organizations. The current analysis of the relationship between NT and the RB in Italy focuses on three main aspects: the organizational, operational, and logistic aspects of how NT are exploited by RB to further its goals. The analysis is based on a collection of doctrine; privileged witness interviews, participant observation of Web sites, and journal articles on crime prevention measures taken against the RB. The analysis suggests that the RB has utilized non-conventional instruments, namely Web sites, e-mails, and chat-groups, to carry out activities within two conventional terrorist categories: (1) the diffusion of written propaganda and (2) the planning of public activities, such as demonstrations, strikes, and face-to-face meetings. The author discusses the creation of “ghost organizations” by terrorist groups on the Internet to complicate law enforcement efforts and also addresses the increasingly international character of crime as NT allows largely anonymous communications across countries. The analysis also focuses on the technological equipment confiscated from the RB and discusses the reasons that the RB limits its use of technology. A dual-track plan of crime prevention is presented that incorporates the development of an international code of behavior on the Internet with the creation of an international intelligence taskforce specializing in terrorism and cyberterrorism. Footnotes, references