Illicit Networks Connections with Criminal Organizations - Research Paper Example

Illicit Networks Introduction The main intention of an anarchist group is to overturn the constituted forms, s within the society and the government as a whole. Violence is the means that is used by most of the anarchist groups. In the modern era terrorist groups pose the greatest challenge to the security of Europe and the entire world. Anarchist groups are beginning to gain ground in Europe and recruiting mainly the young people in the group to commit violent acts against the government. The illicit networks thrive by exploiting the problems facing a particular group of people (Fellman & Wright, 2014). The spread of false ideologies that justifies violence is also a common aspect of the anarchist groups. Most of the people who join such groups are usually radicalized which makes them a threat to the government and the society as a whole. The anarchist groups have been responsible for several terrorist attacks in Europe that has led to several deaths. The paper thus discusses a hypothetical anarchists group in relation to a terrorism network operating in Western Europe. Discussion Transnational illicit groups that might interact with the network There are several transnational terrorism groups that have been targeting Western Europe and are likely to interact with the network. Al-Qaeda is one of the transnational organizations that are likely to interact with the network. The group has been involved in various terrorist activities and it has been seeking to recruit members from Western Europe to carry out terrorist activities in the region. The group is also interested in carrying out terrorism activities in western Europe since the governments in the region is heavily involved in the fight against terrorism and has killed several members of Al-Qaeda (Cronin, 2012). The group is therefore likely to interact with the network in order to infiltrate Western Europe and carry out terrorist activities in the region. On other hand, it is also important to note that Al-Qaeda is currently weak and associating with the network will give it a boost. Islamic State of Iraq and Levant is a terrorist group operating in Syria and Iraq and it may also interact with the network. The group has about a thousand members from Western Europe in its rank fighting in Syria and Iraq (Laub & Masters, 2014). The group is a transnational terrorist organization that has always expressed interest in carrying out its terrorist activities in Western Europe. The group is therefore likely to interact with the network for the purposes of recruiting members from Western Europe as well as plan and execute its terrorist activities in the region. In Western Europe, there are people who are not satisfied with the actions of the government and the group is likely to capitalize on such a weakness to recruit members through the network. The network is likely to interact with the transnational terrorist organization due to various interests in Western Europe. Financial networks to support the anarchist organization Several financial networks can be used by the network for the purposes of ensuring that it is able to finance its activities. Contribution s from the sympathizers is one of the methods of financing. The terrorist organizations have the capacity to influence wealth business people who may also be sympathizers. The network can also rely on funding from legitimate governments that are against the western countries. However, this is usually not carried out directly but high levels of discretion have to be maintained so as not to expose the governments. This may lead conflicts with the countries if it is proved that it is financing the network. The financing of terrorism groups by governments is not a new concepts and it has been taking place over the years (Passas, 2012). The Taliban government in Afghanistan before its fall was not only habouring terrorist groups but it was also financing the group. Other countries including Iran and the United States of America have also been accused of providing funds to terrorist groups due to diverse interests. Criminal activities can also be utilized for the purposes of financing the network. Kidnapping of the nationals of the countries in Western Europe or tourists visiting the Western Europe is a source of funds. Money laundering is a source of finance for most of the terrorist organizations and it is also applicable to the network. Cyber crimes like hacking are also a source of funding for the terrorist activities. The hacking of data from the banks as well as personal accounts can be an important source of funding for the network. In some instance, other activities like human trafficking and drug trafficking provides funds for the terrorism groups. This is also evident in Afghanistan where the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are heavily involved in the production and sale of Poppy which is used for making hard drugs like heroine (Passas, 2012). Possible linkages and mutual interest with criminal cartels A linkage and mutual interest between the terrorist groups with the criminal cartels is usually common. The criminal cartels are usually interested in making money while the terrorist groups are interested in causing terror. This brings the two groups together as the criminal cartels can act on behalf of the terrorists. The kidnappings can be carried out by the criminal cartels on behalf of the terrorist groups which is an indication that there is a linkage (Hesterman, 2013). The network therefore has to be link up with the criminal cartels in order to obtain funding. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the criminal cartels are may not be members of the terrorist organization. Since the network has to obtain funding from the activities such as hacking and online fraud, it has to work with the criminal cartels that usually involved in the hacking process. Criminal cartels may also work for money for the terrorist organization. This may be gathering information about individuals or targets for the terrorist network. On the other hand, the criminal cartels may be involved in the sale and distribution of drugs for the network in Western Europe. The linkage between the criminal cartels and the terrorist groups makes it difficult to dismantle the cartels and fight terrorism. It is also important to note that the criminal cartels are also known to have extensive connections in different countries. The terrorists can therefore gain vital information from criminal cartels. Obtaining weapons also requires coordinating with the criminal cartels. Some of the criminal gangs that are known for arms trafficking find a ready market for their weapons in the terrorist organizations (Hesterman, 2013). Effective social networks for the anarchist group The use of social media will play an important role for the purposes of spreading the terrorist ideologies to the people in Western Europe. In Western Europe, a high number of people are on social media which is an indication that issuing it will ensure that the messages reaches a high number of audiences. Facebook is one of the social media with millions of users in Western Europe. This can be used for the purposes of communicating with the embers of the wider society. Other terrorist organizations are increasingly switching to the social media for the purposes of communication (Perliger & Pedahzur, 2011). Al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and Levant are actively involved in the use of social media for the purposes of recruiting new members. The social media like Facebook can be used for the purposes of spreading the terrorist propaganda. Twitter is also a popular social media that can be used by the network for posting information about the operations or gains of the group. Videos and pictures can also be uploaded through twitter. This is much easier as it can be carried out directly by the group members. YouTube can also be used by the network for positing videos to influence the members of the public to join the group. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant usually use You Tube for posting videos influencing the members of public to join the group. It has also used YouTube to show gruesome images of beheadings and burning to death of captives. Interagency and international network to gather intelligence and prevent attacks The interagency and international network has to be involved heavily in gathering intelligence information. Interagency network should mainly draw its members from the intelligence services, police Special Forces and the military. The interagency network should work independently under a single command. It should therefore start by infiltrating into the group and recruiting informers who are members of the group. This can be done with close cooperation with other security forces. Individuals who are highly trained in information technology should be hired for the purposes of dealing with the online communication between the members of the terrorist network. It is also important for the information technology department of the intelligence team to have the capacity and ability to intercept phone calls as a measure to monitor communication among the members of the terrorist network and hence preventing attacks. The international network should be in a position to share information across Europe and hence prevent attacks. A paramilitary wing should also be established for the purposes of acting immediately on the information obtained in order to prevent the attacks. This is because reporting to the police may not stop the attacks as the police may fail to act on the information provided. The intelligence network should also be empowered by the law to carry out covert operations across Western Europe in order to prevent the attacks. The covert operations have been successful in most countries when dealing with the terror groups (Subrahmanian, et al, 2013). Modern and sophisticated equipment should be availed for the purposes of gathering the information. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the hypothetical terrorist network will have to carry out its activities just like the other influential transnational terror groups. However, it is obvious that the interagency international network can stop and prevent the attacks from the group by infiltrating the group and acting on the intelligence information gathered. References Fellman, P. V., & Wright, R. (2014). Modeling Terrorist Networks, Complex Systems at the Mid-range. arXiv preprint arXiv:1405.6989. Cronin, A. K. (2012). Ending terrorism: Lessons for defeating al-Qaeda. Routledge. Laub, Z., & Masters, J. (2014). Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria. The Council on Foreign Relations. June, 12. Passas, N. (2012). Terrorist Finance, Informal Markets, Trade and Regulation: Challenges of Evidence Regarding International Efforts. In Evidence-Based Counterterrorism Policy (pp. 255-279). Springer New York. Hesterman, J. L. (2013). The Terrorist-criminal Nexus: An Alliance of International Drug Cartels, Organized Crime, and Terror Groups. CRC Press. Perliger, A., & Pedahzur, A. (2011). Social network analysis in the study of terrorism and political violence. PS: Political Science & Politics, 44(01), 45-50. Subrahmanian, V.et al. (2013). Suggested Counter-Terrorism Policies. In Indian Mujahideen (pp. 115-132). Springer International Publishing. Read More