Knife attack

Expert: New type of terrorist, part of a wave

Villach mourns the day after the knife attack - people bring candles and flowers to commemorate the 14-year-old victim.(Bild: APA/GERD EGGENBERGER)

Terrorism expert Peter R. Neumann from King's College in London classifies the Villach attack as part of a jihadist wave "that has been on the horizon for months". The perpetrators represent a "new type". 

He wrote on the platform "X" (formerly Twitter) that the internet is at the heart of this radicalization. The expert sees "zero evidence" of a direct connection with the German parliamentary elections.

"Radicalization on the internet even clearer"
There is also no evidence of "external coordination or even manipulation by Russia". His analysis of the suspected Munich attacker - there were numerous casualties in the attack with a car on Thursday, a small child and its mother later died in hospital - "obviously also applies to the attacker from #Villach." In this case, the jihadist "motivation and radicalization on the internet seems even clearer", explained the German political scientist, publicist and journalist.

Online radicalization has increased massively, "Islamist 'influencers' on TikTok have hundreds of thousands of followers, reported the terror expert. Belonging to certain groups has become less important: "Anyone can build their own ideology from set pieces on TikTok or Instagram."

Terror as a fantasy of violence
This type of online radicalization "often goes hand in hand with brutalization. Terror as a fantasy of violence. And what's more, it happens faster than in the past," warned Neumann. Triggered by a personal crisis, "an entire cycle can play out within a few weeks".

Call for "virtual agents" in chat rooms
This is a massive challenge for the security authorities. Neumann's conclusions: "We need to be stricter with large platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, where Islamist influencers can be found. We need more 'virtual agents' to infiltrate closed chat rooms. Police and intelligence services need to be just as active there as they are on the street. Last but not least: We need to become much faster. To do this, security authorities need people who feel at home in the virtual environment. And they need technical and digital skills that are light years better than today."

Peter R. Neumann also explores this "new type" of terrorist and online radicalization in a recent book. "The Return of Terror: How Jihadism Challenges Us" was published last fall.