What & Who discovers terrorist plots?

**davidbfpo** · 02-06-2020

Id'd via Twitter a very short report by their Security Service (PST) and in Norwegian - thankfully someone has done an English summary! The report has the graphics which can be matched to the English text below.

Thomas Hegghammer, a Norwegian SME commented on Twitter:

Short but valuable new report by Norwegian Security Service @PSTnorge on how terrorist plots are discovered. It’s the first such study I’ve seen based on classified data (as opposed to data from media sources).

The report is based on 91 disrupted plots/prevented attacks in 13 Western countries between 2012 and 2019, and includes both Islamist and right wing extremist plots. Of the 91 disrupted plots, 43% were discovered by intel/security services, and 28% by regular police. The remaining 29% were initiated by information from private persons (18%) and employees in public/private sectors (11%). The report sought to identify the the "initial indicators" that first had alerted the authorities to attack planning, using 6 categories: Expressed threat(s); a tip from a family or friend; a tip from a third party; online activity; regular police work; or other. Online activity (45%) and third-party tip-offs to authorities (23%) were most common, followed by tip-offs from family/friends (10%), regular police work (9%) and expressed threats (3%). They assess the actual % of family/friends aware of terror plans to be higher. Based on this, PST has listed certain behaviors, statements and material acquisitions they want the public to be aware of and notify them of. This list has been communicated in several Norwegian news outlets this week.

Link: https://www.pst.no/globalassets/arti...rrorangrep.pdf