What creates a terrorist?

It’s a question that has resonated through the country since a string of attacks motivated by those espousing extremist beliefs shocked the nation — especially since the perpetrators were, for the most part, born, bred and radicalized in Canada.

Radicalization seems like a new phenomenon in Canada, but it has roots that stretch back deep through human history. It may seem to be little understood in a modern context, but several Canadian scholars have been working to better comprehend the conditions and psychology that can lead to radicalization, a key part in stopping it.

Here, the Herald’s Dylan Robertson interviews some of Canada’s pre-eminent experts on the topic, to offer some insight into the mind of a homegrown terrorist.