Police questioning of terrorism suspects: Interrogation or investigative interviewing?

Terrorism provokes strong emotions and generates high levels of fear amongst members of the public. There is often public pressure on law enforcement to obtain 'results' and there can be, in some quarters, little sympathy for the suspects. Law enforcement interviews with terrorist suspects take place within this context where the desire for admissions of guilt and information about terrorist operations may takes precedence over considerations of the rights of the suspect. Often interrogative methods have been the preferred tactic in which little attempt has been made to form rapport with the suspect and in which threats and fear form a strong element. This paper will critically evaluate such approaches and identify some of the risks that they pose in terms of the validity of information obtained, challenges to the suspect's rights and risk of miscarriages of justice. It will then consider more ethically oriented approaches to interviewing terrorist suspects.