Hybrids: on the crime–terror nexus

ABSTRACT

Terrorist organisations may complement their military capability with functioning infrastructures and profitable activity in economic ventures as well as in crime. This leads many commentators to focus on the increasing overlap between terrorism and crime, including and particularly organised crime. The present paper is devoted to the analysis of this controversial overlap, and after providing a concise outline of definitions of organised crime and terrorism found in criminology, highlights similarities and differences between the two forms of criminality, along with the ambiguity of the very notion of “crime–terror nexus.”

KEYWORDS:

• Criminology
• organised crime
• terrorism
• hybrids

Additional information

Funding

Funding has been received from the Horizon 2020: [Grant Agreement Number 700688]. This work was supported by the H2020 Societal Challenges (Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agre).

Notes on contributors

Vincenzo Ruggiero

Vincenzo Ruggiero is Professor of Sociology at Middlesex University in London, where he is also Director of the Centre for Social and Criminological Research. He has conducted research on behalf of many national and international agencies including the European Commission and the United Nations. His latest monographs are: Penal Abolitionism? (2010), The Crimes of the Economy? (2013), Power and Crime? (2015) and Dirty Money: On Financial Delinquency? (2017).