Key Attributes
Lone Wolf terrorism has been studied by various terrorist experts such as Jeffrey D. Simon. Jeffrey has a rich history in the study of terrorism, and he contends that lone wolf terror is a significantly dangerous threat that the world must address before it escalates. Lone wolf terror differs from conventional terrorism because a single person orchestrates it. In other words, a loner who executes this form of terrorism has got no one to consult; they make their decisions independently. Such independence gives them the mandate to act upon any scenario that comes to their mind. While conventional terror groups would be concerned with the government crackdown or alienating supporters, loners are less concerned about such issues1. The main challenging attribute of this new form of terror is that it is much harder to identify loners or predict their intended attacks.
The world should be concerned about this new form of terror. There have been several terrifying attacks that were orchestrated by loners. In Oslo for instance, Anders Breivik, an anti-Islamic loner, staged a bomb; he later massacred youths on a camping mission on another island. Fort Hood Texas is another area that has suffered from the attacks of a loner. A soldier, Major Nidal Hassan, attacked his colleagues and several civilians in protestation of US’s war on Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis in Europe and the US have been the planners of a host of terror activities. Additionally, this form of terror has no political, religious or geographical boundaries. Furthermore, the internet has made things mores easier for loners. They can access different web portals where they learn various terror strategies and tactics. The internet also helps them undergo radicalization through chat rooms or receive financial assistance from like-minded individuals or organizations3. There are fears that loners might stage bioterrorism or cyber-terrorism1.
The Role of Security Agencies
As noted in the previous section, the most challenging feature of this form of terrorism is that it is planned and executed by individuals and not groups. In line with this, it is hard to trace or track down such individuals. It is hard for security officers have intelligence information about planned terror attacks by loners. Loners can simply wake up on any day and decide to terrorize their targets with whatever weapons they have at their disposal. If there has to be considerable success in the prevention and elimination of this form of terror, security agencies across the world must collaborate. There must be corroboration and coordination.
Bakker and Graaf contend that knowing who will commit such terror attacks is difficult3. They argue that the most logical way of dealing with this form of terror is understanding how such attacks are planned and executed. As such, this will help security officers to intervene when they see the signs. Secondly, Bakker and Graaf contend that loners must have undergone radicalizations. In line with this, security officers must track and eliminate any avenues that would lead to radicalization in the targeted community3.
Because of the nature of these attacks, it is essential to engineer preventive measures. One way that this goal can be achieved is through enhancing communication especially between the security forces and the public. On this front, Downing and Mayer call for advanced community policing, as well as effective communication protocols between the public and law enforcement agencies. Since loners could be staying in our communities, Downing and Mayer suggest that people must be encouraged to know their neighbors4. They should be requested to report to the law enforcement agencies individuals with unusual activities. Secondly, Phillips and argues that cyber security must be enhanced. Since some of the loners become radicalized through the internet, measures must be taken to close all web portals that attract radicalizations5. Woo, on the other hand, holds the opinion that governments must ensure that explosives are not smuggled into the country, or civilians without authorization do not access such materials and small arms. Tight measures that regulate the possession of small arms and explosives must be engineered and implemented to the latter.
Conclusion
This analysis has shown that lone wolf terrorism is a new form of terrorism that is sounding the alarm bell to the entire world. This form of terrorism is challenging to deal with because of its nature. Since individuals and not groups perpetrate it, security forces cannot track such attacks beforehand. The internet has been recognized as one of the main channels through which loners undergo radicalization, as well as learn terror tactics and strategies. Therefore, cyber-monitoring is vital. In addition, governments should control the access to small arms and explosive materials. There is a need to enhance community policing protocols. Locals ought to be advised to be their neighbors’ keepers and report any suspicious persons to the law enforcement agencies.
Bibliography
Bakker, Edwin and Graaf, Beatrice. Preventing Lone Wolf Terrorism: some CT Approaches Addressed. Perspectives of Terrorism, 5.5(2011): 1-10.
Downing, Michael and Mayer, Mark. Preventing the Next “Lone Wolf” Terrorist Attack Requires Stronger Federal–State–Local Capabilities. Backgrounder, 1 (2013): 1-5.
Phillips, Peter. Lone Wolf Terrorism. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 17.1 (2011): 1-10.
Simon, Jeffrey. Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat. New York: Prometheus Books, 2013.
Wallace, Mark. Lone Wolf/Active Shooter: Attack on Texas Public Safety Building. Fire Engineering, 1 (2011): 1-10.
Wo, Gordon. Lone-Wolf Attacks Pose Biggest Terror Threat for Western Societies, Underwriters. National Underwriter, 1 (2012): 1-10.
