^aThe State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, USA

Correspondence: Niyazi Ekici, School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, 123 Washington St, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. E-mail: niyazi@rutgers.edu

Abstract

This article describes preliminary findings of a research project on the attractiveness of targets for terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Turkey. Like crime, terrorist attacks can be prevented by reducing opportunities through situational prevention. We apply a target rating system developed by Clarke and Newman (2006), EVIL DONE, to targets in Istanbul. Targets were rated by analysts in the Turkish National Police Anti-terrorism department. Ratings were applied by analysts specializing in different terror groups, producing broadly similar results. Subsequent research will apply the rating retrospectively to a larger number of attacked premises to further assess the utility of the rating system.