Psychologists warn of more suicide attacks in the wake of London bombs

摘要

When bombers struck London on the morning of 7 July, the city's inhabitants were shocked but not surprised. Since the 11 September attacks in New York, intelligence officials had warned that Britain's capital was a terrorist target. The real surprise came five days later, when police said that they believed the attacks were the work of suicide bombers. The perpetrators were born and brought up in Britain, had normal jobs and — to their neighbours and colleagues at least — had not seemed to be involved with extremist groups. But to academics who have studied the psychology of suicide bombers and the groups that back them, this was par for the course. Through interviews with bombers who have failed to detonate their devices, and discussions with the families of those who succeeded, reasonable knowledge about suicide terrorism has been accumulated.