The Mind of a Suicide Terrorist
Sept. 20 -- A new breed of terrorist has been introduced to America. They are calculating, as well-trained as any soldier, and know how to blend in without attracting attention to their murderous intentions.
"The profile of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorists differs from earlier profiles," says Dr. Mark Levy, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of California San Francisco. "These men were older, more educated, and some had wives and families."
A prime example is the hijacker authorities have identified as Mohamed Atta, the 33-year-old family man who is said to have trained as a pilot for years before flying a passenger jet into a World Trade Center skyscraper filled with office workers.
In the past "most suicide bombers were single, disenfranchised, depressed and infused with a religious fervor," says Gregg McCrary, a retired FBI special agent.
He points to a recent study in Israel of 74 suicide bombers, among whom the average age was 22.
By contrast, the estimated 19 men who hijacked and crashed four passenger jets last week were well-trained, focused, and often had years of experience and a particular expertise. They would have seemed to have had much to live for.
Not Insane; Committed
While their acts were horrendous, experts agree the terrorists were not "crazy" or insane. Insanity would imply they did not understand the wrongfulness of their acts or the death and destruction that would result.
"It is unlikely that any of the terrorists suffered from a serious mental illness," says Dr. Park Dietz, the head psychiatric consultant for the FBI and the founder of the Threat Assessment Group Inc., a private forensic consulting firm in Newport Beach, Calif.
In fact, quite the opposite may have been true because "in order to be chosen for such a mission, [the terrorists] would need to prove themselves trustworthy, reliable, and dedicated" to a cause, he says.
Commitment to that cause, experts say, can be borne of personal experience with terror or violence, or a feeling of being persecuted.
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