Toward a Model of Terrorist Behavior in Hostage-Taking Incidents

Abstract

Behavior in terrorist hostage taking is examined using published accounts of 100 incidents of aerial hijack and 60 incidents of barricade siege occurring worldwide over the past three decades. The use of multi-dimensional scalogram analysis demonstrates that behavior in terrorist hostage taking is highly structured. Behavioral similarities between incidents carried out by the same terrorist organization are demonstrated, and the structures underlying the use of resources in barricade siege and the demands issued in aerial hijacking are presented. The implications for theory development and training and decision making in hostage negotiation are discussed.