The scientists persuading terrorists to spill their secrets

Expert interrogators know torture doesn ’t work – but until now, nobody could prove it. By analysing hundreds of top-secret interviews with terror suspects, two British scientists have revolutionised the art of extracting the truth. By Ian LeslieIn 2013, a British man was arrested for planning to kidnap and brutally murder a soldier. The suspect, who had a criminal history, had posted messages on social media in support of violent jihad. In a search of his residence, the police had found a bag containing a hammer, a kitchen knife and a map with the location of a nearby army barracks.Shortly after his arrest, the suspect was interviewed by a counter-terrorist police officer. The interviewer wanted him to provide an account of his plan, and to reveal with whom, if anyone, he has been conspiring. But the detainee – we will call him Diola – refused to divulge any information. Instead, he expounded grandiloquently on the evils of the British state for 42 minutes, with little interruption. When the interviewer attempted questions, Diola responded with scornful, finger-jabbing accusations of ignorance, naive ty and moral weakness: “You don’t know how corrupt your own government is – and if you don’t care, then a curse upon you.”Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Police UK criminal justice Crime Torture UK news Law Psychology Science UK security and counter-terrorism Source Type: news