Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal

Let’s talk about grooming. People know the word grooming in the context of pedophiles, that they spend a very long time gaining the trust of the victim and often the victim’s family. But many people don’t realize that grooming takes place by terrorists too. They spend a very long time gaining the trust of the people they want to recruit, whether it’s for propaganda, whether it’s for actual carrying out of terrorist attacks, they bring them into the ecosystem in a very appealing, even gentle way at first. They offer treats. It’s only later when that sense of loyalty has been built up that the victim is told they have to repay them in some way. They have to do something to prove their loyalty.