Islamist Activities and (Re-)Actions of State Actors

Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the security authorities shifted their focus onto the threat of political violence perpetrated by Islamist extremists. Previous research has focussed on the historical developments of Islamist extremism, individual radicalisation processes, and the various counter-measures employed by states. However, in the German context, there appears to be a lack of comprehensive long-term studies that examine activities carried out by Islamists since 2001 alongside the institutional changes that have been triggered by this shift in focus. We aim to fill this gap in the research by approaching the question of how the (re-)actions of state actors have been shaped by Islamist activities over time. This paper is divided into two sections; the first part investigates Islamist activities in Germany since 2001, whilst the second part reflects on the reactions and perceptions of state actors in the context of preventing and countering Islamist extremism. Using open-source data from the security authorities as well as interviews, this paper outlines how Islamist activities as well as the modus operandi of Islamist actors in Germany have changed since 2001. It will also show how these developments have had an impact on the (re-)actions of state actors and their perceptions of the threat. Focusing on the German context, our dataset comprises not only Islamist attacks committed since 2001 but also failed attacks and attacks foiled by the security agencies. Additionally, we highlight non-violent Islamist activities aimed at increasing the political influence of Islamist groups to get a fuller picture of Islamism in Germany beyond political violence.