Abstract:
This thesis analyzes the relationship between characteristics of the locations of terrorism
events and the number of fatalities that result. Through the lenses of environmental
criminology, routine activities theory, and opportunity theory, the characteristics of
locations that suffered an attack are collected and examined against the number of
fatalities in that attack using the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the
Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) Global Terrorism Database
and major news outlets. Although limited in available data, this study cautiously finds a
statistically significant relationship between fatalities and certain types of guardianship in
an unexpected direction, time, and method of attack of the terrorist organization. These
findings question the appropriateness of applying routine activities theory and
environmental criminology to the study of terrorism.
