Not ALL Indian terrorists are poor headmasters’ sons

Data released by the National Investigation Agency says that the majority of young terrorists are driven by ideology only

For long it was said that terrorism was taken up by either the son of a poor headmaster (read Burhan Wani) or by those who were weak and oppressed. However, if one looks at the data released by the National Investigation Agency, it becomes clear that none of the above mentioned factors played a role in these youth joining the Islamic State -It was ideology alone that drove them towards the IS.

In all the NIA arrested 52 persons suspected to be part of the IS. Out of this 20 were graduates, 13 metric pass, 12 diploma holders, 2 senior secondary pass and three post graduates.

Terror groups these days rely more on the educated terrorist. Groups such as the IS wants a smart terrorist who is able to scan the social media and also read up the internet and prepare bombs on his own and carry out lone wolf strikes. "It is the age of do-it-yourself terrorism," explains senior NIA officer.

The other reason for the rise in number of educated terrorists is due to the social media. Propaganda material is all over the internet and it takes an educated person to read the material, get inspired, then radicalised before joining the outfit.

Both officials in the NIA as well as the Intelligence Bureau say that this trend is unlikely to end. For terrorist groups the target audience is the educated youth. The higher the education, the more he or she is preferred. "Groups such as the IS are able to provoke the thoughts of an educated youth when compared to the uneducated," the officer explains.

OneIndia News