The process of radicalization on the Internet

In the field of Islamist Terrorism, it is called “radicalization process” to the itinerary that an individual traverses until adopting an ideological position that defends the use of violence in defence of the Islam. This positioning does not imply per se that the person is going to commit a violent action, but the own characteristics of the Islamist Terrorist actions (isolated individuals who commit attacks without great logistics), make the risk extremely high.

To tackle this risk and criminally prosecute people who complete a radicalization process, in 2015 The Penal Code was reformed, in which among others, was introduced a legal type of self-indoctrination for terrorist purposes.1

This new crime, punished by imprisonment from 2 to 5 years, seeks the investigation and subsequent conviction of individuals who being in a process of radicalization fulfilling a series of conditioning factors: 2

Repeatedly access to contents that encourages membership or collaboration with terrorist groups or with their purposes, through forums, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), web pages or closed messaging services (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.).
It is totally necessary that the subject does it in order to be trained to carry out terrorism crimes.

With this new legal framework the Ertzaintza carried out two arrests in 2015 and 2016 that resulted in the first two verdicts for self-indoctrination issued by National Audience (terrorism crime competent court) 3 4 , although later the Supreme Court modified the statements in the face of the appeals presented by the convicted.

The sentences make their own expert reports issued by the Ertzaintza terrorism experts who established the process of radicalization on the Internet as a way divided into 4 stages in which progress is made as the individual becomes radicalized: 5

Victimhood: the subject views images or videos in which it is noted the suffering of Muslims, especially children, thus inoculating the idea that the entire muslim community of which the subject is also part, is victim of hardships for its simple religious assignment.
Blaming: the person identifies as responsible for that bad situation in the muslim community to a series of actors: Occident (mainly Europa y EEUU), Shiite stream and the Muslim country governs (for not practicing the kind of Islam that the subject considers correct).
Solution: before the conflict of an oppressed Muslim community by certain responsible, the individual finds as only solution the use of violence against the infidels and sees in terrorist organizations a speech that supports its positioning.
Activism: in the last phase the person adopts and makes the terrorists groups ideology his own, justifying the use of violence against those he calls infidels, starting the commission of other terrorist activities (not only the preparation of terrorist actions, but also sending money, moving to conflict locations to join terrorist groups, proselytizing on the Internet, etc.).

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