Focused, Not Crazy
Experts Explain the Thinking of Suicide Terrorists
By Andrew Giese
Copyright © 2001 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures.
Sept. 20 — A new breed of terrorist has been introduced to America. They
are calculating, as well-trained as any soldier, and know how to blend
in without attracting attention to their murderous intentions.
"The profile of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorists differs
from earlier profiles," says Dr. Mark Levy, a forensic psychiatrist
at the University of California San Francisco. "These men were older,
more educated, and some had wives and families."
A prime example is Mohamed Atta, the 33-year-old family man who is said
to have trained as a pilot for years before flying a passenger jet into
a World Trade Center skyscraper filled with office workers.
In the past "most suicide bombers were single, disenfranchised,
depressed and infused with a religious fervor," says Gregg McCrary,
a retired FBI special agent.
He points to a recent study in Israel of 74 suicide bombers, among whom
the average age was 22.
By contrast, the estimated 19 men who hijacked and crashed four passenger
jets last week were well-trained, focused, and often had years of experience
and a particular expertise. They would have seemed to have had much to
live for.
Not Insane; Committed
While their acts were horrendous, experts agree the terrorists were not "crazy" or
insane. Insanity would imply they did not understand the wrongfulness
of their acts or the death and destruction that would result.
"It is unlikely that any of the terrorists suffered from a serious
mental illness," says Dr. Park Dietz, the head psychiatric consultant
for the FBI and the founder of the Threat Assessment Group Inc., a private
forensic consulting firm in Newport Beach, Calif.
In fact, quite the opposite may have been true because "in order
to be chosen for such a mission, [the terrorists] would need to prove
themselves trustworthy, reliable, and dedicated" to a cause, he
says. Commitment to that cause, experts say, can be borne of personal
experience with terror or violence, or a feeling of being persecuted.
Atta’s Change
While it is not clear what motivated Atta, there are some clues about
his behavior and actions. Born in a rural town in Egypt, he appeared
to have gone through some change while studying urban planning at Hamburg
Technical University in Germany, where he enrolled in 1992.
"We observed that there was a changing between '95, and '98-'99
when he made his diploma," says Professor Dittmar Machule, Atta's
thesis supervisor.
Machule says Atta abruptly shaved off his beard and seemed to be a changed
man, as if he had a split personality.
"The only explanation I have now is that there was a cut in his
brain. It was somewhat astounding," Machule says. "Of course,
we all asked him what happened, and he explained it with trouble in his
family."
Fifteen months ago, Atta came to the United States to study flight training.
Patrons of a Hollywood, Fla., bar he frequented and a neighbor describe
him as intense yet emotionless.
"He was not a nice guy, like, he wasn't friendly," says upstairs
neighbor Carmen Padilla. "He was just quiet and had no emotion whatsoever,
none. You can look at this person, you can feel nothing from him."
No Suicidal Symptoms
While the experts can't assess why last week's hijackers, who died in
the attacks they carried out, did what they did, the psychological motivation
could stem from "rage and a sense of self-righteousness," says
Dr. Harold Bursztajn. He is co-director of the program in psychiatry
and the law at Harvard Medical School, has profiled terrorists and often
testifies as an expert witness in mass-murder trials.
These individuals do not display symptoms of those who typically contemplate
suicide, Bursztajn says. They are not "depressed, hopeless, and
helpless" because "their primary aim is not suicide" but
the accomplishment of an awful mission, he says.
Dietz adds that the terrorists took part "in a suicide mission on
behalf of a cause … with the expectation of contributing to the accomplishment
of a greater good."
He points out that while "the terrorist on a suicide mission seeks
revenge and publicity … their primary goal is political change."
It appears that suicide is a mere consequence of their mission, and the "terrorists
see themselves as soldiers willing to sacrifice themselves for a higher
purpose."
McCrary, who was in the FBI for 25 years, says that because of their
belief system or ideology, "most Middle Eastern religious terrorists
believe that they are going on to a greater eternal reward through their
actions" and that there is some type of "personal gain to be
achieved through their homicidal and suicidal behavior."
The ability to accept one's death "is easiest for those who expect
a rewarding afterlife," says Dietz.
Blending Into American Society
The experts also say they are not surprised the terrorists could live
undetected among those they wish to kill. Many of the accused allegedly
lived and traveled in the United States for months or years.
The University of California's Levy explains that some people have the "capacity
to divide their consciousness" into two separate and often conflicting
identities. A terrorist living in America may be able to "isolate
behaviors" that even they find morally reprehensible while they
at the same time live in a community, have a family, and "blend
in as a normal person," he says.
Unlike a serial killer, who feels some connection to the victims, "these
terrorists are very impersonal; they see us as insects to be destroyed," says
Bursztajn.
They are capable of killing a neighbor they know well, or a faceless
victim in the World Trade Center, he says. They can live among us and
still kill us "just as a husband might kill his spouse and children
even though he lives with them for years" and shows the outside
world no signs of violent intentions.
Like double agents trained by a government, "the most important
trait of those who can lay low for a prolonged period is a strong affiliation
with the group to whom they are loyal," says Dietz.
There may have been very few signs of the terrorists' intentions, perhaps
only "saying goodbye to loved ones and setting their affairs in
order," says Dietz.
McCrary adds that the terrorists would not "telegraph their intentions
overtly" because of the fact that "these offenders appeared
to be quite disciplined."
Burstajn says the only way to spot anyone affiliated with the hijackers
is to "beware of those who celebrate the mass murderers and those
who apologize for them," perhaps indicating some sense of guilt
by association.
Professor Harvey Clifton of New York's Long Island University, an authority
on terrorist groups, believes there are more like Atta at large, quietly
blending in, impossible to detect.
"He's a faceless enemy," Clifton said. "There is no profile
available to keep individuals like this off planes, out of bars, away
from hotels or in flight schools."
ABCNEWS investigative correspondent Brian Ross contributed to this report.