Inside the Minds of Terrorists and Organized Criminals: A Personal Journey

I have recruited informants, spent days in a disused warehouse to get a photograph of an ex-French Foreign Legion veteran flooding a city with heroin, and persuaded would-be jihadists of the futility of their cause. I have fought, sometimes in their own homes, with Scotland’s most serious criminals. I have surveilled terrorists and organized crime groups. I’ve had broken bones, been stitched up, and lost teeth. I loved my job.

Many years ago, when I read the quote, “the Mafia will help whoever can pay,” the words just didn’t sit well with me. My experience was not of one-dimensional evildoers but instead of complicated individuals with a moral compass that pointed in a different direction. The men and women I investigated had families and friends. They, too, had hopes and dreams. They might have been nightmares to many, but the luster of their pursuits appealed to those engaged in these most nefarious activities.

Armed with this knowledge, I embarked on my journey, which has culminated in this book. I have studied terrorism and organized crime for over a decade and hope that the chapters here give you a step-by-step guide to my thought process on what makes these individuals tick, what matters to them, and how we can stop them.

The most important commodity for a terrorist or a member of organized crime is their reputation. In my book, I explain how money matters to those engaged in both phenomena, but without a solid reputation, they cannot function. I also outline a general degradation among terrorist actors that has culminated in it being highly questionable whether we should consider them to be ‘Terrorists’ at all.

I place all the foregoing within accepted academic constructs, which I explain and build upon. Finally, I reflect on the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and what this might mean for the rest of the world; there are striking parallels to the past and old alliances being rekindled that many are currently blind to or choosing to ignore.

My book doesn’t have all the answers to why there are terrorists and organized criminals. I wouldn’t display such hubris. But after reading it, I hope you have a far better understanding of why those engaged in these worst crimes carry out their activities and are in a better position to stop them whenever you can.