Terrorism

The rampage and its imitators

Amok runs follow each other often in short intervals. This is not a coincidence. There are many indications that crimes of this kind will find imitators. A crucial role plays the way of reporting.

The gunman of Munich suggested at 22. July – on the day exactly five years after the Norwegian right-wing extremist Andres had Breivig killed 77 people. It is not excluded that Ali, David S., shot in Munich, nine people, had taken Breivig as a model.

Fixed: killing sprees often lead to imitation acts. The appropriate data is there yet, especially from the USA. The fatal consequences of amok runs, uin are the United States is very present In the statistical average there are all of twelve and a half days on a killing spree with at least four dead. Amok runs at schools registirert all of 32 days.

The US-American mathematician Sherry Towers of Arizona State University examined the question of whether these crimes are in any way related to each other. In particular, they wanted to find out, whether running amok imitation to find the perpetrators.

For this, they examined a total of 468 of such crimes. Were committed in the period between February 2005 and January 2013 on the entire territory of the United States.

Fatal Attraction

The analysis leads to a conclusion, she writes: “We find significant evidence that firearms out assassinations resulted in at least four of the dead are also inspired by similar events in the immediate past.” The highest risk within the first 13 days after a killing spree. In this period, the risk of further killing sprees increases to 22 percent.

Attention is amok runners are certainly. Gathered reporters in Munich

Amok runs, Towers, depended very much on the availability of the appropriate weapons. In the United States, the danger that young people could be shot to death, five Times higher than in other industrialized countries. 87 percent of all with a gun killed people between the ages of 0 and 14 years lived in the United States.

A comparatively small influence on the state of mental illness would come. The greater the influence of the reporting of such cases. You could animate young people, consciously or unconsciously, to emulate.

“Such a Form of non-contagious thought is implausible,” writes Towers. So unstable young people can be receptive to the idea of suicide, if this is earlier in mass media it was reported. Similarly, it has been proved that reports of murder and suicide take the appropriate actions to increase.”

Power of images

Also the US-American anthropologist and sociologist Loren Coleman writes the media is a big responsibility. In the reporting of killing sprees, you should pay close attention to the word choice. So, it should not be about “successful” gun attacks, or “failed” suicides are reported, says the author of a book on Copycat. It is also important to avoid stereotypical images of the “nice boy next door” or the “lonely weirdo”.

The Princeton University faculty, sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, a indicates the Power of images: heavily armed bomber or gunman suggested omnipotence and lüden according to the imitation. Therefore, the media should deal with such images as restrained as it is with the name of the assassin. This would be released, suggesting this is a popularity, the wanted, possible Copycat.

What drove the Munich gunman? Police officers secure the personal items of the offender

Identification with Avengers figures

In Germany, the research to amok runner is still relatively young. They came about after the student Robert steinhäuser shot and killed in April 2002, an Erfurt high school 16 people and anschließensd killed himself.

The decision to kill people in a killing spree, taking usually over several months, says the Giessen lawyer and criminologist Britta Bannenberg. It predominantly takes place in front of the Computer. There, the imitators identifying with his model, he have also a justification of his act.

Many kept a diary, or were making it up fictional stories in which they described the fact. You umgäben with weapons and false weapons, according to the designs of farewell messages or think about what clothing you should wear in fact.

“Time and again you read of other offenders, watch documentaries, and Videos of acts that play Ego-Shooter, to introduce yourself, how will you perform the deed,” explains the criminologist Bannenberg.

Media for Copycat indispensable, because they provide information about previous killing sprees. “They play an important role, because they invite you to identify. It’s always a matter of identification with Avengers figures and role models who have committed similar acts.”

Disunity and weakness of the perpetrators

Even more so, writes the psychologist Jens Hoffmann in his study of “Amok – a new look at an old phenomenon”, would it be worth it to face some of the spectacular images of fact, the sobering backgrounds.

He recommends to report factually on killing sprees. “To be demonized for young offenders such as Robert stone houses, nor blameless, is shown, her biography in all its brokenness and weakness. Thus, the exemplary role of the young people on a rampage can be used to attenuate rotor significantly.”