I was indeed routinely slapped upside the head with the 'because I said so'. It wasn't a great strategy for an inquisitive child but my parents were very young when they had me and ill-equipped to deal with my constant barrage of questioning.

I went to school with the one who reneged on his promise to Al-Quaida and then worked with the British Government to prosecute other terrorists. He was a few years above me and I remember him to be very peaceful, very silent, very serious and quite a nice guy. We spoke once or twice. I think, on reflection, he was very easily radicalised by the early years of the internet and the unhappiness of second/third wave immigrants at that time.

If the Urchling is interested then I'd recommend reading the following. This isn't the same guy I went to school with - but they were part of the same terrorist cell and it's a good insight into the process of how someone goes from normal child to trying to blow up a plane. https://www.ict.org.il/images/Richard%20Reid%20-%20His%20Radicalization%20Explained.pdf

And no, i'm not creeped out exactly, I find it interesting more than anything else. I think there's a sleight of hand that liberals do, when someone commits a heinous crime - where they disown the actions of criminals and then ostracise the individual as not being part of society. If someone has decided to hop on a plane and blow his shoes up, there's either an individual problem or a systemic problem, or both. The same with taking a gun into school and shooting up your classmates. There is a lack of curiosity across the board because the demonisation of criminals and use of words like 'evil' and 'creepy' provide a quick get out from collective responsibility and difficult questions.