"...IDEA of ASSASSINATING someone as a means to such ends might be put into their minds by the media talking about the likelihood of that happening.

Unfortunately we are living in a world where assassinations of one sort or another do actually take place so frequently that I can't see how media speculation could be likely to make much contribution to it.

I accept that here can be a copycat element, as in other crimes - but I see the trigger as overwhelmingly likely to be real events and the press coverage of these, rather than speculation about the events that haven't taken place.