The Accidental Terrorist

Cem Aslan is an integrated Danish Muslim of Turkish origin and a student at the University of Aalborg. In The Accidental Terrorist, he wonders how it is possible that Abdulkadir Cesur, a young man of about his age and with a similar background, ended up in a Bosnian prison charged with terrorism. Aslan visits one of Abdulkadir's former classmates at primary school and interviews Abdulkadir's sister about how he became a fundamentalist after 9/11. In road movie style, The Accidental Terrorist follows Aslan's search for the cause of Abdulkadir's radicalization. We hear his thoughts and reflections as he watches suicide terrorists' farewell videos or makes his way to interviews. And then we see him talking separately with Abdulkadir's former classmate, his sister, and a friend. Archive footage from news broadcasts showing Abdulkadir's arrest provides background, and several times we see Abdulkadir declaring his innocence to a judge. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)