Igniting a Flame: Examining the Role of Catalytic Events in Triggering Violence

Despite several high-profile cases in recent years where a catalytic event appeared to directly impact a perpetrators mobilization to terrorism or targeted violence, traditional law enforcement prevention and mitigation frameworks have not formally integrated the concept. Through a structured, focused comparison of 11 plots and acts of violence triggered, at least in part, by three catalytic eventsthe COVID-19 pandemic,the police murder of George Floyd, or the 2020 presidential electionthis thesis seeks to gain insight into the ways in which catalytic events mobilize individuals to violence. This research finds that catalytic events have the potential to trigger a range of individuals to violence, while playing a significant role in their targets election and the timing of their attacks. The primary contribution of this thesis is an initial typology of catalytic event-driven violence, which proposes that catalytic events trigger an individual to violence in three primary ways: presenting a perceived opportunity to maximize violence or capitalize on chaos, exacerbating grievances and contributing to radicalization, or compounding personal stressors, resulting in violence that may appear impulsive and/or random. Leveraging the typology, this thesis provides law enforcement with an initial set of tools for incorporating catalytic events into violence prevention and mitigation frameworks.