All they need now is an internet connection, a social media account, and closed, hard-to-trace chat rooms. This is the new face of terrorism: invisible, borderless, and infiltrating our daily lives through the small screens in our hands. This phenomenon creates a threat that is far more difficult to address than the conventional forms of terrorism that have historically been the primary focus of states. This transformation of terrorism is no longer an academic prediction, but it is already happening. ISIS is the most obvious example. When its physical territory collapsed in 2019, analysts expected the group to slowly fade away. In fact, they have emerged even more dangerously through the digital world. By utilising social media, Telegram, dark forums, and professionally polished propaganda videos, ISIS has succeeded in establishing a “virtual caliphate” with followers spread across the globe. Many counterterrorism agencies across the globe even noted that the majority of radicalisation of terrorists over the past decade has occurred online. This means that violent narratives are now spreading faster than the state can control them. This phenomenon raises a far more serious problem: terrorism no longer takes the form of large groups easily targeted by security forces but rather individuals or small groups inspired online.
This is known as lone wolf terrorism. Many perpetrators have never met their network leaders, never entered a training cell, or even left their homes. They learn to make bombs through anonymous PDFs, discuss in encrypted groups, and gain legitimacy through calls to digital jihad. The most obvious examples come from lone wolf attacks in Europe and America, including those radicalized simply by watching YouTube videos or following propaganda accounts on social media. Indonesia is another perfect example. The 2021 suicide bombing at Makassar Cathedral Church is one of the most prominent examples of how digital radicalisation works. The perpetrators were known to actively consume extremist content online and interact in groups affiliated with Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). They never underwent organized physical training. The entire recruitment process, indoctrination, and even action direction were conducted digitally. This is a new form of terrorism that is much more difficult to map, spreads much faster, and is far more dangerous. Even more worrying, technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) are giving terrorists new tools that never existed before. Deepfakes, for example, allow someone to create videos of religious figures calling for jihad that appear “authentic". AI-based disinformation can also amplify conspiracy theories and encourage easily triggered individuals to commit violence. Cybersecurity experts have even warned that in the next few years, AI-based terrorism could produce forms of attack never imagined in previous eras, including automated attack scripts, measured psychological manipulation, and personalized propaganda—something impossible to do manually.
