Terrorism has typically been considered an organized activity undertaken by networks of individuals who share a collective identity and purpose. In recent years, media, law enforcement and scholarly attention has increasingly focused on the construct of the lone actor terrorist. However, lone actor terrorism has suffered from significant conceptual confusion, particularly with regard to whether such actors actually radicalize and/or undertake acts of violence alone. In order to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of this emerging phenomenon, this paper analyzes five lone actor attacks perpetrated in Australia between September 2014 and the end of 2017. It examines what (if any) interpersonal relationships these lone actors had with others, along with the nature of such connections and any ideological or logistical support these individuals may have provided. A personal network design is used to visualize interpersonal relationships and explore the nature of such connections. The paper concludes by discussing implications for policy and practice, and for the construct of the lone actor.

中文翻译：

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探索“孤独演员”恐怖分子的隐藏社交网络

恐怖主义通常被认为是由共享集体身份和目的的个人网络进行的有组织的活动。近年来，媒体、执法部门和学术界的注意力越来越集中在独行者恐怖分子的构建上。然而，单独行动者恐怖主义遭受了严重的概念混淆，特别是关于这些行动者是否真正激进化和/或单独实施暴力行为。为了有助于更细致地理解这一新兴现象，本文分析了 2014 年 9 月至 2017 年底在澳大利亚发生的五起独行侠袭击事件。它研究了这些独行侠与他人之间的人际关系（如果有的话），以及此类联系的性质以及这些人可能提供的任何意识形态或后勤支持。个人网络设计用于可视化人际关系并探索这种联系的性质。本文最后讨论了对政策和实践的影响，以及对孤独行动者的构建。