The American Face of ISIS: Analysis of ISIS-related terrorism in the US, March 2014 – August 2016 Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
Robert A. Pape, Jean Decety, Keven Ruby, Alejandro Albanez Rivas, Jens Jessen, Caroline Wenger  |  February 2, 2017

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is mobilising sympathisers in the US at rates much higher than seen for previous terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.

To understand this new American face of ISIS, the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) study examined 112 cases of individuals who perpetrated ISIS-related offences, were indicted by the US Justice Department for such offences, or both, in the US between March 2014 and August 2016.

This is the first comprehensive analysis of ISIS-related cases to examine the profiles of indictees overall, as well as to identify characteristics associated with each of the offence types. The findings are striking, and provide a valuable contribution to understanding the contemporary face of ISIS-related terrorism in the US.