Sentence:  His career has been interpreted over the last century or more as being symptomatic of a wide range of forces thought to be at work in al-Andalus in his day, ranging from sheer <WSD>smash and grab</WSD> brigandage to incipient Hispanic nationalism, and from the alienation of indigenous neo-Muslims to a last gasp resistance on the part of a dwindling Christian minority trying to preserve their culture from total extinction. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An act of theft, appropriation, or other form of gaining advantage at another's expense that is done quickly and audaciously.