criminal psychology

Criminal Psychology
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Criminal Psychology
Summary
A terrorist attack occurred at an event to orient new employees. One of the current employees, Terik, had been invited to talk at the event. On the day of orientation, Terik made his short presentation and left early. He left a backpack on top of a table at the event.
Terik is a US citizen born in 1980; however, his parents immigrated from Pakistan. His father used to physically and verbally abuse his mother in his presence. As a child, he had few friends, and his schoolmates describe him as an awkward and shy person. His coworkers describe him as a quiet and awkward in social situations. He is described as clumsy and poor at sports by a childhood friend. The friend mentions that Terik wanted to join the military and that he thought of himself as a patriot with several American flags in his room.
A childhood friend to Terik, though not sure, mentions that when Terik was 15, he traveled to England with his father and he got sick. A social worker says Terik had difficulty in adjusting to a new environment. The worker explains that Terik was not able to serve in the military due to a medical condition, guessing it was a breathing problem. Terik had no criminal record and was never listed in any terrorist screening database.
Terik met Lori online, and since then they have been committed to each other even before meeting in person. They communicated online through direct private messages. They shared a common interest in martyrdom and jihadism.

In his profile, Terik mentioned regular target practice as a hobby. At work, he always mentioned how Islam is a peaceful religion.
The attackers had rifles and semi-automatic pistols. They killed three people outside the building. They wore ski masks and black tactical gear. They fired at those in attendance for about 2-3 minutes, firing more than 100 bullets. Most of those present moved and hid in other rooms in the building when the shooting started. Water poured down the room as a bullet hit a fire sprinkler pipe. This made it difficult for the attackers to see. They moved between tables, shooting at any sound of movement. One person tried to escape through a glass door but was shot.
The backpack contained pipe bombs, though due to poor construction they did not explode. Authorities believe they were targeted at emergency personnel who would respond to the scene. The model of the devices was similar to the ones in Al- Qaeda Inspire magazine.
Terik committed terrorism, though his motive is unclear. From the information gathered on Terik, it is possible he attacked his coworkers out of feeling rejected. From observing an abusive relationship between his parents to childhood with few friends to a medical condition and being denied the chance to fulfill a childhood dream of serving in the military, Terik felt rejected by society. When he met Lori, he met someone who appreciated him. Lori used Terik feelings of rejection to attack the society which rejected him.
Crime assessment
There are various similar cases. Hasib Hussain, an eighteen-year-old, was a suicide bomber who bombed the London transport network in 2005. He was described as quiet with few friends and not a troublemaker. His parents were from Pakistan. He once went to visit relatives in Pakistan, and when he came back, he was religiously observant. He was committed to martyrdom and jihadism (BBC NEWS, 2011).
Another case was Abdul Numan Haider, an eighteen-year-old, who stabbed two police officers in Melbourne in 2014. He had previously been investigated by anti-terrorism officials. This led to his passport being canceled. His parents were from Afghanistan. He was associated with an Islamic group known as Al- Furqan (Oakes, 2014).
Another similar case is of a twelve year from Germany who attempted to bomb a town hall and a Christmas market. He used a device made of materials from sparklers and fireworks. Authorities believe he received instructions via Telegram, a messaging app, from a member of the Islamic state on how to create the device (Eddy, 2016).
There are a lot of similarities between the case study and similar crimes as illustrated. The most important pattern is that all these cases are connected to a member of the Islamic state. The attackers seem to act on a religious calling. They were once regular people, but after interaction with religious extremists, their religious awareness is heightened. It seems these extremists appeal to unappreciated aspects of the attackers’ lives. From the studying trends in similar cases to the case study, it is evident that Terik was motivated by the need to feel appreciated in society.
References
BBC NEWS (2011). Profile: Hasib Hussain. BBC News. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12621387Eddy, M. (2016). Germany Investigates if Boy, 12, Planted Bomb at Christmas Market. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/world/europe/germany-bomb-boy-12-christmas-market-investigation.htmlOakes, D. (2014). What we know about Abdul Numan Haider. ABC News. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-24/what-we-know-about-abdul-numan-haider/5767044