Sometimes, real life terrorists are actually so prototypical that a thriller writer would be criticised harshly for inventing such a story:

Some weeks ago two people tried to blow up two German trains in a way that would have led to many casualties if the bombs had exploded. The police (and the commenting press) were quite undecided about who could be behind the bombs. Terrorists was just one idea, a lone blackmailer (we had some of them leaving bombs at busy places) was more in their minds at first.

Now we know (CCTV and DNA) who it was: Young, male, Muslim Arabs from Lebanon. The one already in German custody was know among the other students for his very outspoken defense of the right of Muslims to kill the Danish cartoonist. In each debate, he took the most extreme Islamist position.

And the other, in custody in Lebanon? Well, his first name is 'Jihad'. As I said above, a writer calling one of his invented Arab terrorists 'Jihad' couldn't get away with it.

If only all terrorists would be so close to a stereotype then profiling ("You look like a Muslim, so please tell us your first name and what you think about the Danish caricaturists?") might make a bit of sense.

Wolfgang