Implicit Terrorist Networks: A Two-Mode Social Network Analysis of Terrorism in India

Recent studies examine factors that lead to the emergence of terrorism and why some locations are more frequently targeted than others. However, much of the research assumes that terrorist incidents and groups are independent. We show that the assumption of independence is not always valid. Instead, we identify the conditions under which terrorist groups share choices over target locations, forming Implicit Terrorist Networks. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by examining Islamic terrorism in India (1990–2015). Using a two-mode network approach, we find that violent target locations are not independent of each other, but instead have a tendency to occur in clusters. The results highlight the patterns by which India has been targeted by a number of active, Islamic terrorist organizations over a 25-year period. More generally, our study: (1) demonstrates the utility of employing an Implicit Network approach to understanding terrorism, (2) shows that cluster analysis can assist in identifying terror group aliases, (3) identifies unexpected locations for violence that may indicate the involvement of external factors, providing leads for counter terrorism efforts, and (4) provides a tool for identifying the structures underlying patterns of global terrorism.