by Fiona Hamilton, The Times
A study of 100 of the UK’s worst terrorists warns against widening the definition to encompass attackers who act for the sake of violence
Ideology is the central issue that leads to terrorist violence, according to a landmark study that acts as a riposte to Home Office officials who want to widen the definition.
Robin Simcox, the counter-extremism tsar, warns on Thursday that combating ideology that “validates and directs violence” must be at the centre of the government’s response to extremism, rather than focusing on unpredictable individuals with mental health issues.
Simcox commissioned a review of 100 convicted terrorists that analysed the thousands of pieces of “mindset material” they had downloaded and collected.
He concluded: “Time and again, these explanations are ideological. Yet despite this, the centrality of ideology to explain the actions of terrorists and extremists remains disputed by some. Emphasis is instead placed on more material factors, like economics, or psychological factors and mental health.”
Sir Keir Starmer said terrorism had “changed” after the Southport attacks in which Axel Rudakubana killed three girls. The prime minister briefly considered changing the definition to encompass attackers who acted for the sake of violence.
The Home Office came under scrutiny in January when an internal review recommended the approach to tackling extremism should no longer be focused on Islamist or far-right ideology but on “behaviours and activities of concern”. Those included voices on the far right making allegations of two-tier policing.
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