Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism

LISTEN
(
Staniforth, 2014
) to members of the public:
L
isten to citizens and take their concerns seriously
I
nspire confidence and provide reassurance
S
upport with information, advice and guidance
T
ake ownership and record citizen concerns
E
xplain what you shall do and why
N
otify supervision and report concerns
During all cyber investigations, the public must be put first. The victims of cyber 
crimes must be managed professionally and specialist care and support provided as 
required. Complainants of cyber crimes must be regularly updated as to the progress 
of the investigation. By listening to members of the public and providing a police 
service of the highest professional standards will increase confidence of the public in 
the law enforcements commitment and determination to tackle cyber crimes.
INVESTIGATING CRIME AND TERROR
When Metropolitan Police officers raided a flat in West London during October 
2005, they arrested a young man, Younes Tsouli. The significance of this arrest was 
not immediately clear but investigations soon revealed that the Moroccan born Tsouli 
was the world’s most wanted “cyber-terrorist” (
Staniforth and PNLD, 2009
). In his 
activities Tsouli adopted the user name “Irhabi 007” (Irhabi meaning “terrorist” in 
Arabic), and his activities grew from posting advice on the internet on how to hack 
into mainframe computer systems to assisting those in planning terrorist attacks 
(
Staniforth, 2012
). Tsouli trawled the internet searching for home movies made by 
US soldiers in the theatres of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan that would reveal the 
inside layout of US military bases. Over time these small pieces of information were 
collated and passed to those planning attacks against armed forces bases. This virtual 
hostile reconnaissance provided insider data illustrating how it was no longer neces-
sary for terrorists to conduct physical reconnaissance if relevant information could 
be captured and meticulously pieced together from the internet.

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