Dr Rajan Basra is a Fellow at the Centre for Statecraft and National Security (CSNS) and a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.
He researches how terrorists think and act, focusing on the terrorist threat in Europe, the relationship between regular crime and terrorism, and the role of prisons in radicalisation and recruitment.
Basra has presented his research at the United Nations Security Council, the European Council, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and has served as an expert witness for terrorism trials in the UK.
He completed his PhD in War Studies at King’s College London, for which he won a 2021 King’s Outstanding Thesis Prize. He holds an MA in Terrorism, Security, and Society from King’s College London and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Warwick.
The Impact of Terrorist Kidnappings: Lessons from Arsal, Lebanon
XCEPT Policy Brief By Dr Rajan Basra and Dr Craig Larkin In 2014, jihadist groups overran the town of Arsal…
Imprisoned for Terrorism: The Experiences of Inmates in Roumieh Prison in Lebanon
By Dr Craig Larkin & Dr Rajan Basra This Briefing Note assesses the impact of imprisonment and Lebanon’s criminal justice…
Q&A with Dr Rajan Basra
Dr Rajan Basra is a post-doctoral researcher on the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme at King’s…
The Importance of Prisons to Terrorist Groups and Movements
By Rajan Basra Throughout the history of terrorism, few locations have impacted the evolution of terrorist campaigns as the jail…