---
title: "Violence without a motive"
description: "Researchers warn that ‘nihilistic violent extremism’ is slipping past the tools built to stop terrorism"
author: "Albion Grey"
published: 2026-09-27T20:08:09Z
modified: 2026-09-28T10:14:11Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/violence-without-a-motive-a0ab87
language: en
tags: ["crime", "security", "violence", "youth", "psychology", "world"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# Violence without a motive

*Researchers warn that ‘nihilistic violent extremism’ is slipping past the tools built to stop terrorism*

By Albion Grey · September 27, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/violence-without-a-motive-a0ab87

## In brief

- A University of Queensland review warns of ‘nihilistic violent extremism’: violence without ideological motive
- Lead researcher Professor Adrian Cherney says violence itself, fuelled by online subcultures, is now the attraction
- Susceptible young people often show isolation, trauma, abuse or bullying histories, and can be victim and perpetrator at once
- Existing risk frameworks require evidence of ideology, so NVE cases may go undetected
- The study urges broader warning indicators and closer integration of youth justice, education and law enforcement

Counter-terrorism was built on an assumption: that people who want to kill strangers are trying to say something. Smash that assumption and the machinery falters. That is the warning of a new Australian review of an emerging form of violence-young people committing or threatening harm without any clear ideological, religious or political motive at all.

The review was led by Professor Adrian Cherney, a criminologist at the University of Queensland, and examined what researchers call nihilistic violent extremism (NVE). ‘Acts of violent extremism have historically been underpinned by ideological radicalisation, but we’re now seeing cases in which the violence itself appears to be the primary attraction,’ Professor Cherney said. Rather than pursuing a political or religious goal, perpetrators seek spectacle or notoriety. As he put it: ‘The perpetrators want to create chaos and collapse, fuelled by harmful online communities and subcultures that normalise and celebrate violence.’ Within such groups, NVE can be a route to validation, status or acceptance.

The study sketches a worrying profile of those drawn in. Vulnerable young people are especially susceptible: ‘Social isolation and a search for identity and belonging can be common factors, along with emotional drivers such as loneliness, hostility and contempt,’ Professor Cherney said. Many such cases involve a history of trauma, abuse, bullying or family dysfunction, which leaves the young person open to harmful online influences. That makes the problem unusually tangled, because ‘the person can present as both a potential perpetrator of serious violence as well as a victim of exploitation.’

The deepest difficulty, the review found, is that the existing toolkit misses these cases. ‘The frameworks used to identify someone at risk can require evidence of extremist ideology before intervention occurs,’ Professor Cherney said. But many NVE cases fail that test, so someone who ought to be flagged to the appropriate authority may go undetected. The researchers recommend ‘a broader approach which considers other factors alongside traditional indicators of radicalisation, like behavioural warning signs, online signalling and a fascination with violence.’

They also call for closer integration across youth justice, child protection, education and law enforcement, to assess risk, choose interventions and refer young people to support services. The front-line professionals who would carry this out, the study notes, themselves need training and support. ‘Repeatedly encountering distressing content and behaviours can place new demands on their emotional resilience and professional judgement,’ Professor Cherney said, adding that it ‘can contribute to burnout and desensitisation and potentially compromise the quality and appropriateness of the interventions they deliver.’

Professor Cherney concedes that understanding of NVE is still evolving, but argues the research is necessary to prevent harm and steer vulnerable young people away from violent paths. The findings appear in *The Journal for Deradicalization*. The uncomfortable message is that the next case of mass violence may come with no manifesto to parse, no cause to counter-no ideology at all. Prevention systems tuned to a motive will not see it coming.