RAN Cross-cutting thematic event Lone actors – Jointly taking stock of recent developments and combining knowledge, online meeting 21-22 April 2021

In light of recent events such as the Christchurch attack, the Hanau shooting and the beheading of the teacher Samuel Paty near Paris, the threat of lone-actor violent extremism has grown within and outside the EU.

While the topic has already been discussed in several RAN events and papers, activities of lone-actor violent extremists are constantly changing — also due to an ever-evolving digital landscape — and therefore underline the need to identify recent trends with different experts and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) stakeholders.

The objective of the cross-cutting event was to bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners on the topic of lone-actor terrorism. While the topic is not new, the ways that we can identify and prevent such attacks are evolving, with the age of the internet, with increasingly better understanding of the mental health aspects of individuals at risk, and by building relationships and trust amongst different sectors: intelligence, police, mental health professionals, educators, who must work together.