The Terrorist Within
: When Causes are Cloaks for Criminality
The word "terrorist" conjures images of distant lands, balaclavas, and geopolitical machinations. We're conditioned to see terrorism as the act of an organised faction, driven by grand, often twisted, ideologies. Yet, what if the true face of terror is far more mundane, far more chillingly familiar? Dr. Stanton E. Samenow, in his seminal work Inside the Criminal Mind, dares us to look closer, stripping away the pretence of cause and creed to reveal a stark, uncomfortable truth: the terrorist, fundamentally, is a criminal.
Samenow argues that the FBI's definition of terrorism—acts "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population"—applies not just to bomb-makers and hijackers, but to a rapist, an arsonist, a carjacker. Even to a domestic abuser. The common denominator, he posits, is the relentless pursuit of power through the systematic infliction of fear.
The Home Front: Terror on Repeat
Consider the hell endured by Judy, trapped in a marriage where her husband, Colin, a man with a rap sheet for fraud and theft, meticulously orchestrates her subjugation. His weapons are not explosives, but threats, psychological abuse, and physical violence. He forces her to sign bad cheques, knowing the account is empty, leaving her in a "perpetual state of subjugation and uncertainty." A thrown ring of keys, a broken door, a black eye—these are Colin's instruments of terror, just as effective in their intimate sphere as any public declaration of war. Her job, her "lifeline," becomes the one thing he cannot entirely control, a small sanctuary in a life otherwise dictated by his whims. Judy’s eventual, painstaking escape—a meticulous plan involving a pay rise, secure children, a car, and external support—underscores the sheer, calculated effort required to break free from this domestic terrorist. Colin, using the tools at his disposal, dominated his small world with the same cold, calculating resolve as any global despot.
The Cloak of a Cause
Samenow's most provocative assertion is that "under the cover of advancing a cause, a person can conceal his underlying criminal personality." He recounts meeting a 1960s civil rights protestor, a "college dropout" who, beneath the veneer of righteous rhetoric, was more attracted to the "excitement" of confrontation than "social justice and racial equality." This individual, already a "liar, a thief, and a drug user," simply found a new, grander stage for his pre-existing criminal character.
This isn't merely academic postulation; it’s a profound re-evaluation of how we perceive those who commit unspeakable acts. It suggests that many terrorists are not sincere ideologues corrupted by extremism, but rather pre-existing criminals who exploit a cause for personal gain – be it power, excitement, or an inflated sense of self-importance. Samenow suggests that "it is not a huge leap for one who understands the mental makeup of criminals to extrapolate the personalities of despots and tyrants."
A Trajectory of Terror: From Childhood to Caliphate
History, filtered through Samenow’s lens, offers chilling corroboration. Robert G. L. Waite's analysis of Adolf Hitler reveals a childhood studded with "temper tantrums," a penchant for being "argumentative, self-opinionated, willful, arrogant and bad tempered." Hitler, even as a child, demanded "unqualified subservience," harboured "homicidal" thoughts, and exhibited a criminal-like certainty in his lottery ticket purchases. His "sentimental and brutal" duality – an affinity for animals paired with utter ruthlessness towards humanity – paints a picture of a "thoroughbred criminal" who later "amassed the power to terrorise, torture, and slaughter millions." His ideology, then, becomes less a genesis and more a vehicle for an already formed evil.
Similarly, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the notorious jihadist, is presented as having a "short, violent life" before he ever embraced a cause. Mary Anne Weaver describes him as "a bully and a thug, a bootlegger and a heavy drinker." His "disruptive" and "brawling" tendencies in prison, where he "flourished" like a "gang leader," underline a consistent pattern. Al-Zarqawi, Samenow highlights, seemed driven more by "mayhem and slaughter" than by strict religious doctrine, even targeting "fellow Arabs who followed different forms of Islam." The commonly held belief that such figures "perverted the very teachings of that religion" is, for Samenow, secondary to the undeniable reality that the criminal personality precedes and exploits the ideology. Osama bin Laden himself, Samenow notes, displayed "narcissistic and antisocial personality patterns," adept at "exploiting Islamic fundamentalism in the service of his own ambition and personal dreams of glory."
The ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic—where "Muslim armed groups... were killing, raping, and pillaging Christian communities," prompting retaliatory "Christian militias" – further illustrates how "predation and power" often eclipse genuine religious motivation. Even causes generally perceived as benign, such as environmental protection or animal rights, can attract "criminals searching for excitement."
The Digital Underbelly and the "Out of Character" Myth
The internet, a double-edged sword, has become "a virtual library for terrorism," offering not just ideology but "detailed instructions" on anything from bomb-making to hacking. Cybercrime, too, is merely the criminal mind adapting to new frontiers, perpetrating "a reign of terror" through data theft and financial disruption. As General Michael Hayden warned, the threat emanates from both "nation-state actors" and "some criminals... who want your PIN number, your credit card number." The underlying motive remains constant: gain and excitement.
And what of the "out of character" terrorist? Our understanding of the Boston Marathon bombers, the Tsarnaev brothers, is reshaped by Samenow. Tamerlan, the elder, was not a sudden convert to extremism, but a college dropout, a social isolate, a violent individual with a history of domestic abuse and theft, who "did not adhere to the training regimen" of boxing but rather "breached boxing etiquette" with aggressive taunts. His "wish list" of ID forger books and links to drug dealing and murder solidifies a pre-existing criminal background. Dzhokhar, often perceived as "brainwashed," was "secretive," "a heavy sleeper and a great liar," and abused substances. Samenow’s uncompromising conclusion is clear: their criminality was present before they embraced any cause. The "influence ideology or religious belief had in their lives" comes secondary to their inherent criminal makeup.
This theme resonates chillingly with Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber. Despite initial perceptions of him as an ordinary individual, McVeigh displayed "rebellious and even violent tendencies" from adolescence, was "obsessed" with guns, and drifted into crime and debt. His "volcanic anger" was a constant. The "senseless" crimes of the Australian student shot for "boredom" in Duncan, Oklahoma, are, for Samenow, entirely logical within the framework of criminal thinking: "Crime is an antidote to boredom." Thomas, who fantasised about being a "serial killer" and idolised Charles Manson, found "pleasure" in "ruining a relationship on purpose, breaking people down, picking on them, putting them in situations where they'd get rejected." For him, "Crime was the oxygen of his life."
Samenow's unwavering message pierces through the comforting narratives of external manipulation or sudden radicalisation: "If one wants to know whether to ascribe their criminality entirely to belief in a cause, consider who these individuals were before embracing a cause." The cause, then, is not the seed of their evil, but merely a new stage, a convenient cloak, for an old, familiar player. It’s a chilling reminder that the greatest terror often wears the most unremarkable mask – the face of the common criminal.
Citations for the Article:
Samenow, Stanton E. (Inside the Criminal Mind): This is the foundational text. Any claims attributed to Samenow in the article are based on this work.
FBI Definition of Terrorism: This is a specific reference point.
Waite, Robert G. L. (analysis of Adolf Hitler): This specific historical analysis is cited.
Weaver, Mary Anne (description of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi): This specific biographical detail is cited.
Hayden, General Michael: His warning regarding cyber threats is quoted.
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