What Distinguishes Violent from Non-Violent Terrorist Offenders? A Latent-Variable Approach Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Logistic Modelling Based on Data from the European Database of Terrorist Offenders

Understanding why some individuals convicted of terrorism engaged in violent or non-violent acts is a central issue in terrorism research. This study examines factors associated with the likelihood of committing a violent terrorist act using the European Database of Terrorist Offenders. The sample comprised 171 individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses in Belgium and the Netherlands. Offenders were categorized as violent or non-violent based on the nature of the acts committed. Multiple Correspondence Analyses were conducted to extract latent dimensions from several nominal variables. These dimensions were subsequently included in a logistic regression to assess their association with violent versus non-violent offending. Age and gender were included as covariables but showed no significant influence. The results indicate that violent terrorist acts are more likely among individuals characterized by a prior criminal history, higher levels of ideological radicalization, and familial configurations marked by religious homogeneity and ideological immersion. Conversely, structured Islamic family environments (when not embedded in radicalized contexts) and existential motivations for engagement are associated with a lower likelihood of violent offending. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of conceptualizing radicalization and violence as multidimensional phenomena and underscore the value of latent, continuous approaches for distinguishing violent from non-violent terrorist trajectories.