Lone Wolf Terrorism Related Article: The Importance of Defining an Enemy
What We Need to Know and What We Need to Do
By: Vic Artiga
INTRODUCTION
The world has changed since 9/11. Just as the world has changed, so too has the terrorist threat to the Homland thanks in great part to a global increase in military, diplomatic, and law enforcement efforts against transnational terrorist groups and their state sponsors. This poses new challenges for those of use in the first responder community with the emergence of Lone wolf terrorists attacks in the United States.
Today, the FBI and DHS assess the next generation of threats is not just from Muslim extremists bent on waging jihad, but from other groups too. The FBI and DHS assess the threat will come from smaller cells or even lone individuals operating autonomously. Certainly we have seen this manifestation with the JFK airport plot, Ft. Dix plot, the JIS in California, the Time Square and Christmas Day bombers, the Holocaust Museum shooting and, of course the Ft. Hood shooting. This article will address the issue of lone wolf terrorists, how to identify them, their motivation, and what first responders should do to address them.
One could say 2009 was the year of the lone wolf terrorist. The Holocaust museum shooter, the Little Rock recruiting station, and of course Major Hassan shooting his fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood clearly demonstrate the lone wolf phenomenon is gaining popularity amongst would be terrorists. Lone wolf attacks such as these are easy to execute, cost very little to conceive, and make headlines. This lone wolf threat is a great challenge to our first responder, military, and security industries.
FIRST RESPONDERS
First responders play a major role in interdicting terrorists during the terrorists’ pre-operational phase of their attacks. In fact, forty percent of all FBI terrorism investigations begin with information police officers obtain during traffic stops--something officers do every day. While this is proof the reporting system is working, there is still much more room for improvement. The beat officer is our first line of defense against terrorists, but receives the least amount of anti-terrorism training. Police officers and all first responders need more training in recognizing who/what a lone wolf is and how to identify and stop them. Would the average patrol officer stopping a would be terrorist recognize the pre-operational attack indicators? Maybe not. Does the average police officer understand the steps in the terrorist attack cycle? I don’t think so. Likewise, does the officer know how to articulate those indicators in a report or on the witness stand? Is the average officer able to recognize the characteristics common to lone wolf operators? Just as important, has the municipal law enforcement community reached out to the community it serves to inform the public of suspicious terrorist indicators? Many municipal police agencies have not. Yet most departments certainly educate the public on how to prevent burglaries or falling victim to identity theft. Burglary, identity theft and terrorism all are crimes against our communities.
Let’s face it, lone wolf terrorism is on the rise and will continue. We need to be prepared for more lone wolf style attacks. We in law enforcement have dedicated ourselves to crime prevention. Therefore, it is critical the beat officer understands what a lone wolf is, how to interdict him/her, and how to stop them before the bomb explodes or before the assassin pulls the trigger.
LONE WOLF CHARACTERISTICS
What is a lone wolf? Lone wolf terrorists come in all shapes, sizes, ideologies, and operate all over the world. Islamic extremists, religious zealots, environmental and animal rights extremists, and white supremacists have all conducted lone wolf attacks. There is no single common denominator or profile for who becomes a lone wolf. Thus, we cannot handicap ourselves and focus on one particular group. The lone wolf terrorist threat goes beyond Muslim extremists! First responders need to be aware of this fact.
Despite this, there are some commonalities/traits shared amongst many lone wolves. One common characteristic we should be cognizant of is the exploration of extremist media be it books, compact disks, or Internet web pages. Lone wolves will read and derive inspiration and training form such books as the Tuner Diaries (as Timothy McVeigh had done) or have a copies of the jihadi book, Milestones, by Qutb. Other popular book are Resistance is Possible, and Arson Around with Auntie Alf. Would the officer making a traffic stop finding such books know the significance of someone having such literature? Would the officer know to contact the probation/parole officer or indicate it in his/her report?
Lone wolves often do not “work and play well with others”. A classic example is Ted Kaczynski who lived alone in a log cabin deep in the Montana wilderness. Many join extremist groups only to leave due to having a separate agenda or ideas, which are too extreme even for the other members of the group. Timothy McVeigh had difficulty maintaining regular employment once he left the Army and earned money by selling propaganda at gun shows. He even was a member of the KKK for a short time. Bob Matthews left the white supremacist group the National Alliance in 1983 to form his own white supremacist group, “The Order”. Later, members of The Order’s killed liberal radio personality Alan Berg.
Many lone wolves publish their own manifestos. Ted Kaczynski published his own manifesto and wrote letters to local newspapers denouncing technology and stated, “In order to get our message before the public…we’ve had to kill people”. Today the Internet allows anyone with a Facebook account or personal web page to post their extremist ideology. Scott Roeder, who shot and killed abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller, wrote a column called “Tiller Watch” on the web page Operationrescue.org. Roeder made statements such as “"Bleass[sic]everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp. Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers [sic] church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller. Tiller is the concentration camp 'Mengele' of our day and needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgment upon our nation.” James Von Brunn, the Holocaust Museum shooter, operated an anti-Semitic web page called the Holy Western Empire. Finally, Major Hassan developed a Power Point presentation entitled “The Koranic World View as it Relates to Muslims in the U.S. military” and spoke of how the military should give conscientious objector status Muslims serving in uniform.
MOTIVATIONS
Lone wolves like all terrorists are striving to accomplish several things:
• To send a message to policy makers, adversaries, or supporters.
• To raise awareness for their cause.
• Influence the political process.
• Instill fear.
• Destroy key or symbolic infrastructure.
• To correct a perceived injustice.
Like other terrorists the lone wolves may never have been victimized by their target group. However, the lone wolves believe they must correct some injustice befalling someone whether that someone be animals, the environment, unborn children, or a ethnic or religious group. The lone wolf’s hatred of others drives them to right this wrong through intimidation and violence. “Propaganda by deed” and “leaderless resistance” are very common motivations for lone wolves. In short, lone wolves don’t just talk about correcting an injustice, they take action with force. By taking action the lone wolf hopes to become a hero for his/her cause and correct a perceived injustice.
METHODOLOGY
Lone wolf attacks range from simple harassment to vandalism to shootings to bombings. Statistically, the most common kinetic lone wolf attacks are shootings or bombings. Animal rights/environmental extremists will often vandalize the offices, cars, and homes of those they believe are injuring animals or the environment. They took this a step farther by burning a Vail Colorado ski resort, burning HMMW-V dealerships, and detonating firebombs at the homes of researchers in California. In 2009-2010 we saw plenty of examples of shootings and attempted bombings.
CHALLENGES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
Identifying, targeting, and arresting a lone wolf is very difficult due to legal and operational issues. After all, U.S. citizens have a constitutional right to express themselves. In addition, law enforcement agencies cannot simply monitor or collect information on someone who does not have a direct nexus to crime. Other challenges law enforcement officers face is lone wolf attacks occur all over the United State and the world. Their attacks are not confined to any particular geographic region. There is no ground zero for a lone wolf the way New York City or the Pentagon have been for other terrorist groups.
By their very nature, lone wolves operate by themselves in or in very small groups. This makes collecting intelligence on their operations difficult at best. Hopefully, someone who knows the lone wolf will report their activities to the authorities before someone gets hurt. Unlike an organized crime group or criminal gang, there is no hierarchical structure to target.
CHALLENGES FOR THE LONE WOLF
Lone wolves face many challenges of their own. By knowing their weaknesses we can better identify a would be lone wolf and stop them before they injure someone. Many lone wolves have difficulty obtaining professional level training in using weapons or explosives, have difficulty translating their rhetoric into action, and often make some sort of key mistake. In addition, lone wolves are still constrained by the terrorist attack cycle and consequently must conduct target surveillance by themselves. This makes them more vulnerable to discovery by security forces and even the average citizen provided the citizen knows what to look for and report. Since they must survey their targets by themselves they tend to establish patterns in their behavior, do not have a good cover story, and easily detained by law enforcement or security forces. Many will not maintain their operational security and brag about their actions to others who then turn in the lone wolves to the authorities. Ted Kaczynski’s brother recognized Ted’s writings in the letters Ted sent to local newspapers and reported this to authorities.
Sometimes lone wolves will have run ins with the law prior to their attacks. For example, Shawnee County Police stopped Scott Roader in 1998 for not having a proper license plate on his vehicle. The officers later discovered Roader had bomb making supplies in his car. Oklahoma troopers stopped Timothy McVeigh while he was making his escape from Oklahoma City for not having a license plate on his car. The Yemeni government arrested Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammed, the Little Rock shooter, for traveling with a fraudulent Somali passport. In 1981 Holocaust Museum shooter, James Von Brunn, attacked the Federal Reserve Board in Washington D.C. and later was convicted for kidnapping and firearms violations charges and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
SUMMARY
Law enforcement officers need to learn how to recognize and deal with a lone wolf terrorist. Lone wolf terrorists are a significant threat to our security. They can come in any shape, size, and ethnicity and represent a host of ideologies. Police and all first responders need more training and awareness to effectively counter the lone wolves.
AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Vic Artiga is a municipal police officer, terrorism liaison officer, and hostage negotiator in Northern California. He teaches classes on terrorism and lone wolf terrorism to other first responders and the military. He is also a Major in the Army National Guard specializing in intelligence, counterintelligence, and force protection with operational experience in Iraq, Asia, Central America, and Europe. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies at Henley-Putnam University.
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