Terrorism & Anti-Terror Articles

• Boston Marathon, Terrorism & The Future
• Terrorism & Personal Safety - The Next Steps
• Some Lessons From The Terrorism Awareness Course
• Terrorist Attacks, Workplace Violence & Evacuation Strategies
• Marathon Weekend
• Nice Truck Attack
• Terrorism & Mental Illness
• How To Get Guns Into A Government Building
• Lone Wolf Terrorism & ISIS
• Manchester Terror Attacks
• Vehicle Ramming Attacks
• Mass Killers and Environmental Factors
• Extremism And Violence

All Krav Maga Articles

Terrorism and Anti-Terrorism

Counter-terrorism and anti-terrorism are often used interchangeably in discussions about efforts to combat terrorism, but they are distinct concepts with different focuses and methodologies. Both play critical roles in reducing or dealing with the threat of terrorism, but understanding their differences is essential to appreciating the strategies used by governments, organizations, and security forces worldwide, along with the steps that individuals can use to help themselves stay safe from such attacks, or in the worst-case scenarios manage and deal with them if/when they find themselves involved in a targeted attacks e.g., how to safely evacuate, how to identify where the attack is coming from etc.

Counter-terrorism refers to proactive measures designed to detect, deter, and neutralize terrorist activities before they occur. These efforts are offensive in nature, focusing on identifying and disrupting terrorist networks, preventing attacks, and dismantling the infrastructure that supports terrorism. This is not an activity for individuals to engage in as it is the responsibility of the military and government agencies etc. These activities are intelligence-driven and involve trained/professional groups of individuals who work for dedicated units/agencies, who coordinate together in order to actively eliminate threats. The one role that civilians can play in counter-terrorism is informing such agencies of suspicious activities that they observe. Anti-terrorism refers to defensive measures aimed at reducing vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks and mitigating the potential damage if an attack occurs. Unlike counter-terrorism, anti-terrorism is primarily focused on protection and prevention. Civilians are able to engage in such activities e.g., in the 1970’s on the UK mainland the IRA used to plant car-bombs outside of pubs; a single vehicle parked outside a pub at an odd time of day could signal such an attack. Crossing the road and choosing a different route would be a simple anti-terror security measure.

Anti-terrorism efforts are usually less aggressive than counter-terrorism initiatives and emphasize resilience and risk management e.g., anti-terror measures could involve creating an Emergency Preparedness Plan, so that if an individual finds themselves in a targeted terror attack, they have a plan of where to go and who to contact etc. At the more serious end of the spectrum, it could involve advocating for a place of work to install blast proof glass, if a business/workplace is likely to be the target of a terrorist attack. Simply recognizing the significance of a building/business to a terrorist organization is an act of anti-terrorism. The articles contained in this section of the blog are aimed at helping you understand the thought processes of those involved in terrorism along with how they commit such acts, and what to do to prevent and increase the chances of survival should you find yourself at an incident/event that has been targeted.