How authorship language helped catch a domestic terrorist – new podcast

Self-proclaimed anarchist Karvounakis planted a viable explosive device in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh in 2018

Mar 26, 2025

3 min

Professor Tim Grant


In the latest episode of Writing Wrongs, hosts Professor Tim Grant and Dr Nicci MacLeod interview Dr Isobelle Clarke to unravel a case where forensic linguistics helped track down and convict a dangerous individual.


Episode three, Imposters Tending to the Wild with Dr Isobelle Clarke, dives into the chilling case of Nikolaos Karvounakis, a self-proclaimed anarchist who planted a viable explosive device in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, in 2018.



Karvounakis, a Greek national, evaded capture for years, hiding behind online anonymity and extremist rhetoric. However, forensic linguists stepped in to analyse his anonymous blog posts, revealing patterns in his language that ultimately helped Police Scotland link him to the crime. The case not only demonstrates how linguistic evidence can be a powerful forensic tool but also raises crucial questions about the role of language analysis in modern terrorism investigations.


On 11 January 2018, a suspicious cardboard box was discovered in a public seating area in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens. After a controlled explosion, investigators determined the device could have caused serious harm had it detonated. With no immediate leads, the investigation stalled - until an anonymous blog post surfaced, claiming responsibility for the attack.


The post, written in both English and Spanish, was linked to an eco-anarchist group called Individualists Tending to the Wild, a Mexican-based extremist organisation advocating violent action against technological progress. Crucially, the post included an image of the bomb’s interior, a detail only the perpetrator or law enforcement could have known.


Police Scotland sought the expertise of Professor Tim Grant, who analysed the text, producing a linguistic profile that suggested the writer was neither a native English nor Spanish speaker - but rather someone influenced by another language entirely.


Two years later, police identified Nikolaos Karvounakis as a suspect. Using comparative authorship analysis, Professor Tim Grant compared his online writings - including song lyrics from his rock band - to the manifesto. By dissecting word patterns, grammatical structures and stylistic quirks, he established that Karvounakis was the likely author. This evidence -alongside forensic meteorology, which linked photos of clouds in Karvounakis’ blog posts to the same weather conditions on the day of the crime - was used to secure a warrant and seize computers containing known writings by Karvounakis.


To eliminate inevitable bias that would result from having worked the case for more than two years, Professor Grant invited Dr Isabelle Clarke onto the case as an independent forensic linguist. Using a version of the General Imposters Method, a technique similar to a police lineup but for language, Dr Clarke confirmed that the writing style in the blog post was the closest to Karvounakis’ known writings.


Police Scotland put the evidence in the case, including the linguistic evidence, to Karvounakis, and secured a guilty plea. In February 2022, Nikolaos Karvounakis was sentenced to over eight years in prison under the UK’s Terrorism Act.


Tim Grant, professor of forensic linguistics at Aston University, said:


“The case highlights the growing importance of forensic linguistics in solving crimes, particularly in an age where digital anonymity combines with extremist ideologies.


“It also highlights the how different types of language analysis can assist as a case moves through different stages of investigation.”


Dr Nicci MacLeod, deputy director of the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, said:


“This episode offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the forensic methods that expose deception, identify threats and ultimately bring criminals to justice.”


Dr Isobelle Clarke, a lecturer in security and protection science at Lancaster University and one of the first graduates from the campus-based MA Forensic Linguistics programme at Aston University, said:


“It was great to be back at Aston University talking about the Karvounakis case for the Writing Wrongs podcast.


“It’s an interesting case to highlight, as it shows how different types of language analysis can help with police investigations.”


Writing Wrongs is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major streaming platforms.


Listeners are encouraged to subscribe, share and engage with the hosts by submitting their forensic linguistics questions. Whether it’s about this case or broader forensic linguistic techniques, Professor Grant and Dr MacLeod welcome inquiries from listeners.

Connect with:
Professor Tim Grant

Professor Tim Grant

Professor of forensic linguistics

Professor Grant's main research interests are within the area of forensic linguistics.

Forensic LinguisticsForensic Authorship AnalysisOnline Sexual Abuse ConversationsTwitterSMS

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Aston University

3 min

Aston University-led report exposes persistent barriers for Black professionals in the UK television industry

L to R: Professor Helen Wood, Annika Allen and Nadia Afiari (Image: Simon Roberts Photography) Aston University’s Professor Helen Wood led the research for Black Leaders in TV, a company championing Black TV professionals Black in Focus is the first report of its kind and highlights the prevalence, with 92% of respondents reporting prejudicial or discriminatory experiences Recommendations for improvements include mid-career support, changing how Black stories are commissioned and tackling racism and bullying. Black television professionals in the UK’s television industry continue to face persistent barriers to career progression, with progress towards equity and inclusion very slow, according to new research led by Aston University academics. The report, Black in Focus, was produced in partnership with Black Leaders in TV, a company set up to champion Black professionals in the UK television and content creation industry, committed to bridging the representation gap and creating a more inclusive and innovative industry. The research group was led by Professor Helen Wood, a professor of media and cultural studies at Aston University. It also included Aston University’s Dr Killian Mullen and Dr Priya Sharma, alongside Dr Jack Newsinger, associate professor in cultural industries and media at the University of Nottingham. The researchers surveyed 164 Black mid-career television professionals to learn about their experiences. While entry-level diversity efforts have sparked positive change, the researchers say that respondents generally see this as performative, with little genuine progress at mid and senior levels. Of those surveyed, 92% reported experienced microaggressions at work, defined as subtle, often unintentional, comments or actions that express prejudice or discrimination towards them, such as being mistaken for a taxi driver or colleagues continually mispronouncing a name. 80% stated that their careers in television have negatively impacted wellbeing. Almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said they had been ignored or excluded at work One of the biggest problems highlighted is a persistent ‘club’ culture with career progression often based on informal networks and hires. 91% of the survey respondents reported having no friends or family in the industry, blocking wider access and opportunity. Many Black television professionals still report being labelled as ‘diversity hires’, which negatively impacts their confidence and feeling of belonging in the industry. Black-Caribbean respondents and those from working-class backgrounds report heightened feelings of exclusion. Another major problem found by the report is in programme commissioning, with Black stories often viewed as commercially risky, leading to missed opportunities for richer, more authentic storytelling. The recommendations for improvement are grouped into four categories - breaking the mid-career bottleneck, commission, diversity initiatives, and racism, bullying and inclusion failures. To help with career bottlenecks, the authors’ suggestions include developing a national fellowship scheme to offer structured leadership training, shadowing, and commissioning exposure for Black professionals, setting up a centralised database for Black talent and supporting Black creatives though industry showcases. The television industry could tackle the problems with commissioning for example by incentivising Black-led narratives and requiring commissioning teams to complete anti-bias training. Diversity initiatives should move away from entry-level programmes towards structural change. This includes moving away from informal, network-based recruitment to structured, clear processes, and formalising promotion pathways. The television industry can tackle racism and bullying through zero-tolerance harassment policies, independent reporting mechanisms and sanctions, inclusive leadership training and developing mental health resources specifically tailored to Black professionals. Professor Wood said: “We can hear the voices of frustration in this survey and the data is clear about the problems. It’s time for the industry to use this evidence to take the next steps to deliver real, systemic change.” Black Leaders in TV founders Nadia Afiari and Annika Allen Gray said: “The findings make clear that, for UK television to truly reflect its diverse audiences and unlock creative innovation, the industry must move beyond surface-level diversity efforts. There needs to be support in place for Black professionals, greater transparency in recruitment and progression, and a fundamental shift towards inclusive, equitable workplace cultures.” Visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/Black_in_Focus_report.pdf to read Black in Focus in full.

3 min

Aston University research: Parents should encourage structure and independence around food to support children’s healthy eating

Dr Katie Edwards studied the feeding practices of parents of children with ‘avid’ eating traits, which can lead to obesity Focusing on health or deciding when it is time for a meal or snack helps parents to use supportive feeding practices. Supportive feeding practices could include involving children in decisions about food, or sitting together for mealtimes New research from Aston University has shone a light on the best ways for parents to encourage healthy eating in their children. The team of academics from Aston University’s School of Psychology, led by Professor Jacqueline Blissett, with Dr Katie Edwards as the lead researcher, looked at the meal- and snack-time practices of parents of children with ‘avid’ eating behaviours. ‘Avid’ eaters, who make up around 20% of children, particularly love food, are often hungry and will eat in response to food cues in the environment and their emotions, not just when they are hungry. They are the most susceptible to obesity and therefore encouraging a healthy, balanced diet is vital. Feeding children with avid eating behaviours can be challenging and the researchers wanted to understand how factors in everyday life, such as parent mood or eating situations, influence the feeding practices that parents use. Understanding this can help to create better support for families around meal and snack times and reduce the risk of children developing obesity. Dr Edwards says that the research shows that when parents prioritise children’s health or decide when it is time for a meal or snack, parents are more likely to use supportive feeding practices which create structure around meal or snack times or encourage children to be independent with their food choices. For example, parents could sit and eat with their children, choose what food is available for their children, or involve children in decisions about what food to eat. She adds that there are three main things that parents can do to help encourage healthy eating behaviour. The first is to focus on health, by providing nutritious and balanced meals. The second is to ensure a calm and positive atmosphere during eating occasions. The final recommendation is that parents should take the lead on setting meal- and snack-times, with a good structure being three meals and two snacks a day. These recommendations are linked to parents’ use of supportive feeding practices which are known to encourage children’s healthy eating. To carry out the research, the team recruited parents of children aged 3-5 with avid eating behaviour and asked them to download an app to their smartphones. The app sent four semi-random reminders per day for a 10-day period, asking them to complete a survey with information about mood and stress levels. Every time a child had a meal or a snack, or asked for food, parents completed another survey to give information about feeding practices (including those which give children structure, or independence, around food), mealtime goals (such as prioritising healthy eating), and information about the mealtime setting (such as the atmosphere). Previous research from this team at Aston University identified four main eating traits in children. As well as ‘avid’, the other traits, not studied here, are ‘typical’ eaters, who have no extreme behaviours, ‘avoidant’ eaters, who are extremely fussy, and ‘emotional’ eaters, who eat in response to emotions but do not necessarily enjoy food in the way that avid eaters do. Dr Edwards was also involved in the team’s research at Aston University that showed that parents’ eating behaviour influences that of their children. Dr Edwards said: “Given the challenges that parents may face and the risk of childhood obesity, we will use these findings to develop feeding support for families. Encouraging parents to use feeding practices which provide structure around meal and snack times, or promote children’s independence with food, could be helpful for supporting children’s healthy eating. Read the full paper in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-025-01768-x.

3 min

Aston University optometrist develops app with the best easy blinking exercises to improve dry eye symptoms

Dry eye disease is a common condition affecting one-third of the adult population and one-in-five children Professor James Wolffsohn researched the most effective blinking exercises to reduce discomfort, involving a close-squeeze-blink cycle He developed the MyDryEye app in collaboration with Alec Kingsnorth and Mark Nattriss to help sufferers An Aston University optometrist, Professor James Wolffsohn, has determined an optimum blinking exercise routine for people suffering with dry eye disease, and has developed a new app, MyDryEye, to help them complete the routine to ease their symptoms. Dry eye disease is a common condition which affects one-third of the adult population and one-in-five children, in which the eyes either do not make enough tears, or produce only poor-quality tears. It causes the eyes to become uncomfortable, with gritty- or itchy-feeling eyes, watery eyes and short-term blurred vision. It is more common in older adults and can be exacerbated by factors including dry air caused by air conditioning, dust, windy conditions, screen use and incomplete blinks, where the eye does not fully close. Professor Wolffsohn is head of Aston University’s School of Optometry and a specialist in dry eye disease. While it has long been known that blinking exercises can ease the symptoms of dry eye disease, the optimum technique, number of repetitions and necessary repeats per day are unclear. Professor Wolffsohn set out to determine the best exercises. His team found that the best technique for a dry eye blinking exercise is a close-squeeze-blink cycle, repeated 15 times, three times per day. Participants found that while they were doing their exercises symptom severity and frequency decreased, and the number of incomplete blinks decreased. Within two weeks of stopping the exercises, their symptoms returned to normal levels, showing the efficacy of the exercises. To carry out the work, Professor Wolffsohn’s team ran two studies. For the first, they recruited 98 participants, who were assessed for dry eye symptoms before and after the two weeks of blinking exercises. Participants were randomly allocated different blinking exercises to determine the most effective. A second study with 28 people measured the efficacy of the blinking exercise. Once the optimum blinking routine had been developed, Professor Wolffsohn worked withAlec Kingsnorth, an engineer and former Aston undergraduate and PhD student, and Mark Nattriss, business manager of his spin-out company, Wolffsohn Research Ltd, to develop the app, MyDryEye, which is freely available on Android and iOS operating systems. The app allows users to monitor their dry eye symptoms, assess their risk factors, add treatment reminders and monitor their compliance, complete the science-based blink exercises and find a specialist near them. Professor Wolffsohn says that the blinking exercises should be carried out as part of a treatment programme which could also include the use of lipid-based artificial tears, omega-3 supplements and warm compresses. Professor Wolffsohn said: “This research confirmed that blink exercises can be a way of overcoming the bad habit of only partially closing our eyes during a blink, that we develop when using digital devices. The research demonstrated that the most effective way to do the exercises is three times a day, 15 repeats of close, squeeze shut and reopen – just three minutes in total out of your busy lifestyle. To make it easier, we have made our MyDryEye app freely available on iOS and Android so you can choose when you want to be reminded to do the exercises and for this to map your progress and how it affects your symptoms.” Read the full paper, ‘Optimisation of Blinking Exercises for Dry Eye Disease’, in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102453.

View all posts