Tech Against Terrorism

Dr. Austin Doctor, a political scientist and counterterrorism expert, dives into the frightening evolution of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He discusses how terrorists are leveraging drones and 3D printing in their tactics, making IED assembly more accessible than ever. With DIY manuals proliferating online, younger individuals are increasingly drawn to IED creation. Doctor also highlights the rise of AI in enhancing explosive capabilities and stresses the urgent need for governments to adopt proactive strategies to counter these emerging threats.

As political uncertainty continues to rise across Europe, increasing polarisation is creating a breeding ground for radicalisation. More than ever, extremist groups are exploiting online platforms and social networks - using them as virtual planning hubs, spaces to share extremist propaganda and recruit young people. In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Dr Nicolas Stockhammer, a political scientist and Director of the Research Cluster "Counter-Terrorism, CVE and Intelligence" at Danube-University Krems in Austria. They explore the online trends emerging across Europe, and what these developments mean for counter-terrorism efforts.🎧 Listen to learn:➡︎ How terrorist groups are exploiting social media and online communities➡︎ The role of online propaganda in radicalising young people➡︎ How virtual spaces are used for training and operational planning➡︎ The impact of political instability on extremist influence online📱Connect with Dr Nicolas Stockhammer.⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

From online propaganda targeting youth, to the gendered dynamics of extremist groups, Southeast Asia faces a unique set of terrorism challenges that are often overlooked by the international community.In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Julie Chernov Hwang - Associate Professor at Goucher College, Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Center, and an expert on terrorism in Southeast Asia. Together, they explore the key drivers of radicalisation in the region, how individuals disengage from violent groups, and what local civil society initiatives are doing to counter extremism.🎧 Listen to learn:➡︎ How social bonds play a central role in radicalisation➡︎ The growing trend of youth and women in extremist networks in South East Asia➡︎ What drives militants to leave terrorist groups➡︎ The role of locally led deradicalisation efforts➡︎ What the world can learn from Southeast Asia's experience📱Connect with Julie Chernov Hwang.⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.  🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s, Al-Qaeda is best known for orchestrating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people. But what kind of threat does the violent Islamist organisation pose in 2025?In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and former Coordinator of the United Nations’ Monitoring Team, and an expert on Al-Qaeda. Edmund shares unique insights into Al-Qaeda’s current capabilities, the group’s strategic recalibration following the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack, and why he believes a directed Al-Qaeda attack may not be far off.🎧 Listen to learn: ➡︎ How serious a threat Al-Qaeda currently poses on the global stage ➡︎ Why the group is ramping up recruitment and training ➡︎ What indicators suggest a directed attack on the West could be imminent📱Connect with Edmund Fitton-Brown. ⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is fighting for the independence of Balochistan, a resource-rich but politically marginalised region in Pakistan. In pursuit of that goal, the group have evolved both their offline and online strategies, from suicide bombings to increasingly sophisticated online propaganda. Now, experts are warning the BLA could represent the most significant internal threat Pakistan faces.In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Riccardo Valle, a researcher specialising in jihadism, armed groups, and regional politics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Together, they unpack the rise of the BLA, its growing presence on social media and messaging platforms, and the unique role women play in the group’s operations.🎧 Listen to learn: ➡︎ The origins of the BLA  ➡︎ About their sophisticated online media campaign   ➡︎ About the group’s female suicide bombers  ➡︎ How Pakistan is responding to the BLA’s threat ➡︎ How the group has become Pakistan's biggest internal threat 📱Connect with Riccardo Valle.⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Accelerationism is no longer a fringe theory - it’s become a dangerous ideological driver behind a growing number of real-world terrorist attacks. Rooted in the belief that societal collapse should be sped up to bring new world order, this radical worldview has been adopted by extremists across the spectrum - from the far-right to violent anarchists.In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Ben Makuch, national security reporter and contributor to The Guardian and Peter Smith, an independent researcher and journalist with the Canadian Anti Hate Network. They unpack where accelerationist narratives started, and how the rise of the digital age has helped spread them. They also examine why this ideology appeals to violent actors - and the challenges law enforcement faces in countering the threat.🎧 Listen to learn: ➡︎ What accelerationism is, and how it has evolved over time. ➡︎ How extremist communities are using this ideology to justify real-world violence. ➡︎ The role of memes, manifestos, and online subcultures in spreading accelerationist ideas. ➡︎ The challenges in tackling the threat of accelerationism. 📱Connect with Ben Makuch and Peter Smith.⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.  🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Once a revolutionary manufacturing innovation, 3D printing has become a double-edged sword. While the technology is driving progress across sectors like medicine and aerospace, it’s also being exploited to produce untraceable, homemade firearms.In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Yannick Veilleux-Lepage, Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and a leading expert on the intersection of terrorism and emerging technologies. Together, they explore how 3D-printed weapons are being used by extremist actors, how online communities are spreading firearm blueprints, and why policymakers are struggling to respond to this growing security challenge.🎧 Listen to learn: ➡︎ Why 3D printing has become so attractive to extremists. ➡︎ How online communities are facilitating the global spread of 3D-printed firearm designs. ➡︎ The different types of 3D-printed weapons in circulation. ➡︎ What governments and platforms can do to mitigate this evolving threat.📱Connect with Yannick Veilleux-Lepage. 📚Read Yannick’s latest research Printing Terror: An Empirical Overview of the Use of 3D-Printed Firearms by Right-Wing Extremists⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.  🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

The Islamic State, once a local insurgency rooted in Iraq and Syria, has transformed into a global network with far-reaching influence. In this episode of the podcast, we chart how its operations have expanded beyond the Middle East, as the group leveraged technology, propaganda, and local affiliates to spread its ideology across borders. Host Lucas Webber is joined by Aaron Zelin, a Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and founder of the widely acclaimed website, Jihadology. Aaron explains how The General Directorate of Provinces, a global hierarchy structure responsible for overseeing and coordinating Islamic State’s global affiliates, is central to much of the group's expansion.🎧 Listen to learn:➡︎ How The General Directorate of Provinces has helped IS integrate more globally.➡︎ The implications of The General Directorate of Provinces for global security. ➡︎ How current political instability in Syria affects the operational capabilities of IS.➡︎ Strategies which could mitigate the Islamic State’s influence globally.📱Connect with Aaron Zelin.📚Learn more about jihadology.net here. ⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Unmanned aerial vehicles - better known as drones - are transforming modern warfare. As the technology becomes more accessible to the general public, it also becomes easier for bad actors to exploit. From surveillance and reconnaissance to weaponised drone attacks, extremist groups are increasingly using this technology to enhance their operational capabilities.In this episode of the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, host Lucas Webber speaks to Don Rassler, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy at West Point. Together, they discuss how drones are being leveraged by terrorist organisations, the evolving threat landscape, and the countermeasures being developed to mitigate these risks.The views expressed by the guest in this podcast are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the Combating Terrorism Center, United States Military Academy, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.🎧 Listen to learn:➡︎ How terrorist groups are acquiring and adapting drone technology➡︎ The tactical advantages drones offer to extremist organisations➡︎ How governments are responding to this emerging threat➡︎ The future of drone warfare in terrorist operations📱 Connect with Don Rassler.📚Learn more about the Combating Terrorism Center here.⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production. 

Video games are increasingly being leveraged as powerful tools in the fight against extremism. Counter-terrorism practitioners are using these "serious games" to enhance critical thinking and decision-making by immersing participants in realistic scenarios that mirror real-world security challenges.In this episode of the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, host Lucas Webber is joined by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Founder & CEO of Valens Games and an internationally recognised expert on political violence, alongside Eleanor Ross, Director of Game Design at Valens Games. Together, they discuss how immersive wargames and AI-driven narrative simulations are shaping the future of intelligence and counter-terrorism training.🎧 Listen to learn:➡︎ About the intersection of gaming and counter-terrorism➡︎ How Valens Games develops simulations for practitioners➡︎ The real-world applications of video game technology in security strategy➡︎ The Challenges and risks associated with gamifying counter-terrorism training➡︎ The role of AI and interactive storytelling in security simulations📱Connect with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Eleanor Ross. 📚Learn more about Valens Games here. ⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn. 🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber. 📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here. 🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.