A lone actor, loneactor terrorist, or lone wolf is someone who prepares and commits violent acts alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group. Lone wolf terrorism is a wakeup call to those who view terrorism solely as a threat that comes from large groups acting through wellorganized networks. Jeffrey simons chilling and compelling account of the rise of lonewolf terrorism proves prescient, as the recent. Terrorism as such is already a complicated, eclectic phenomenon. An explanation and assessment claire wiskind, research assistant, ict summer 2016 the views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of. Terrorism expert simon the terrorist trap explores the potential threat posed by a single person, or lone wolf, in this unsettling look into how the current political and technological landscape h. The attackers are usually citizens of the country that they are attacking, so they cannot easily be traced or stopped at borders. Lone wolf terrorism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. An explanation and assessment claire wiskind, research assistant, ict summer 2016 the views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the international institute for counter terrorism ict. Understanding the threat of lone wolf terrorism law.
The growing threat of domestic lone wolf terrorist attacks. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading lone wolf terrorism. Americas experience with terrorism and lone wolf terrorism. The reality is that this type of terrorism is not new at all, in fact it goes back a long time. A new report has shed light on the growing threat of terrorist attacks carried out by individuals. Pdf on oct 1, 2015, jasonleigh striegher and others published understanding lone wolf terrorism. Understanding loneactor terrorism has never been more pressing. Former central intelligence agency director leon panetta observed in his recent memoir that socalled lone wolf terroriststerrorists who work. Trends and developments in lone wolf terrorism in the western. Northeastern university, 2005 a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master in arts in the department of political science in the college of sciences. Lone wolf terrorism is the new catchy term being over used by by the news factories like cnn and fox.
Lone wolf terrorism is exceedingly difficult to detect and therefore prevent. May 02, 20 hot on the heels of ramon spaaijs understanding lone wolf terrorism, this is the second book on this resurgent phenomenon in as many years. Review of lone wolf terrorism 9781633882379 foreword. The myth of the lone wolf terrorist news the guardian. Drawing on over 25 years of experience, simon covers the diversity in motivations and backgrounds of these terrorists, how modern technology and politics impact. A comparative analysis with violent hate crimes and groupbased terrorism. From anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to omar mateen. Larry steve mcquilliams acted alone when he opened fire on the austin, texas, police department and other buildings. Ios press ebooks lone actors an emerging security threat. Understanding the growing threat comes from an internationally renowned terrorism expert who presents the first indepth treatment of the issue, and who considers the motivations and backgrounds of lonewolf terrorists. Understanding the growing threat which appeared in february 20 is one of the relatively few studies of this type of threat. A new era in terrorism is emerging and the lone wolf is at the forefront.
Understanding the growing threat, internationally renowned terrorism expert jeffrey d. Lone wolf terrorism a brief bibliography homeland security. Isolated individuals using firearms with highcapacity magazines are committing brutally efficient killings with the aim of terrorizing others, yet there is little consensus on what connects these crimes and the motivations behind them. The recent spate in is inspired lone wolf attacks during 2014, suggest islamic. Policymakers and chief risk officers are today confronted with a different type of threat. Hewitts 2003 study identified 30 cases of lone wolf terrorism in the united states between. This acclaimed book by brian michael jenkins is available at in several formats for your ereader. Alternatively, you can also download the pdf file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a pdf reader. He believes that the most serious threats remain those posed by groupbased terrorists12. Perspectives on terrorism could be characterized as nontraditional in that it dispenses with some of the traditional rigidities associated with commercial print journals. Lone wolf terrorism is a growing threat throughout the world.
The age of lone wolf terrorism columbia university press. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Spaaij, the enigma of lone wolf terrorism see note 7 above. For a long time, it was believed that for an act of violence to be considered terrorism it had to be a group or a cell that committed the attack. Understanding the behavior of lone wolf terrorists. Understanding the behavior of lonewolf terrorists brink. It can be defined as an anxietyinspiring method of repeated violent action. Leaders of al qaeda prompted their followers to take part in independent acts of violence against their perceived enemies at any given moment. Understanding the growing threat prometheus books, new york, 20. Moreover, no decade has been bloodier than the 1990s when lone wolves left 212 victims, killing 30 and wounding 182 others. Definitions a fundamental challenge presented by the literature is that there is no consistent definition of lone actor terrorism. The pdf file you selected should load here if your web browser has a pdf reader plugin installed for example, a recent version of adobe acrobat reader.
Lone wolf terrorism is the term used to describe violent acts committed by a single perpetrator. Although lone wolf terrorism may not be increasing in the united states, it is undergoing dramatic changes in terms of modus operandi. Trends and developments in lone wolf terrorism in the. Although mcquilliams was killed by police before harming anyone, he left a note indicating he was a white supremacist priest in. A case study examination of lone wolf terrorism and the roles and responsibilities of government agencies by peter d bandel b. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. They may be influenced or motivated by the ideology and beliefs of an external group and may act in support of such a group.
A new era in terrorism is emerging and the lone wolf is at the f. The modern concept of lonewolf terrorism was developed by rightwing extremists in the us. The author does a good job chronicling the history of lone wolf terrorism as well as classifying the motivational types of lone wolf terrorists. Those are the central questions i explore in my new book, lone wolf terrorism. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about the potential terrorist threats from violenceprone individuals in our midst. Topical articles can be published at short notice and reach, through the internet, a much larger audience than feebased subscription journals. Dickson 5 a narrower definition offered by spaaij 2010 attempts to isolate the phenomenon of lone wolf terrorism and specifies, a lone wolf terrorist may identify or sympathize with extremist movements or terrorist organizations, however if they join an established organization, they cease to be deemed as a lone wolf. Understanding lone actor terrorism has never been more pressing.
Definitions a fundamental challenge presented by the literature is that there is no consistent definition of loneactor terrorism. Simon presents the first comprehensive treatment of this important issue. Instead, each report or article commences by outlining the definition to be applied. Unfortunately, it illuminates mainly by calling into question its own subject matter as an intellectuallycoherent category for analysis. Interestingly, hoffman argues that in order to qualify as terrorism, a lone wolf must be at least inspired by a terrorist organization. Drawing on extensive international data and qualitative case studies, it examines the global patterns in and key features of lone wolf terrorism over the past four decades. Simon, phd, is president of political risk assessment company inc. This important work offers much for a general, concerned audience, as well as for specialists charged with combating terrorism. Lone wolvesactors of terrorism universiteit leiden. The growing threat of domestic lone wolf terrorist attacks we are likely to see more lone wolf terrorist attacks in the u. Understanding the growing threat kindle edition by simon, jeffrey d.
There was growing evidence that the threat from islamic. Lonewolf attacks have become more common as individuals have. One of the first indepth analyses of lone wolf terrorism, this publication sets out to answer these questions. Though not, as the books marketing copy says, the first or only one.
Request pdf on apr 1, 2014, christopher hewitt and others published jeffrey d. From anders breivik in norway, who murdered scores of young people in a bombing and massshooting attack, to nidal malik hasan in the united states, who killed many of his fellow. But for months she had been secretly downloading sermons by. Spaaij, understanding lone wolf terrorism see note 7 above. The lethality of lonewolf terrorism has reached an alltime high in the united states. Lone wolves have proven to be more creative and dangerous than many terrorist groups. Click download or read online button to get lone wolf terrorism book now. Understanding the growing threat article in terrorism and political violence 262 april 2014 with 153 reads how we measure reads. Whereas that study, by a lonewolf specialist, was concise and quantitative, this account by terrorism consultant jeffrey simon is expansive and qualitative. Ramon spaaijs understanding lone wolf terrorism is therefore an important contribution to the literature. Lone wolf terrorism prospects and potential strategies to address the threat a new book based on research, a real time delphi study, and expert insights trends over the past decades show that lone wolf lw terrorism is on the rise around the world.
An explanation and assessment claire wiskind, research assistant, ict summer 2016 the views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the international. Although mcquilliams was killed by police before harming anyone, he left a note indicating he was a white supremacist priest in the fight against antigod people. This mistaken view often leads to the conclusion that fighting terrorism is like waging a war with large military units. Spaaij begins this thoughtful and meticulous analysis by offering a concise fourpart definition of lone wolf terrorism that clearly distinguishes the phenomenon from terrorist activities carried out by underground organisations or states. For the first time, an indepth analysis is provided of the key features of lone wolf terrorism worldwide over the last four decades. To download the pdf, click the download link below. Jasparros 2010 study asserts that lone wolf terrorism is not a big threat, as lone wolf attacks carry a poor record of success, and result in fewer fatalities. In its original sense, a lone wolf is an animal or person that generally lives or. How can lone wolf terrorism be effectively countered. The washington institute for near east policy hosts a discussion on the threat of lone wolf terrorism. Understanding the growing threat before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised lone wolf terrorism. He is a visiting lecturer in the department of political science at. Feb 21, 20 those are the central questions i explore in my new book, lone wolf terrorism.