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T he lethality of lone-wolf terrorism has reached an all-time high across the world. Isolated individuals using fully automatic firearms, with high-capacity magazines are committing brutal murder with the aim of terrorising others.”Lone-wolf” terrorism is the term used to describe someone who acts alone in a terrorist attack without the help or encouragement of a terrorist organisation. Lone-wolf attacks have evolved as the new face of terrorism and bring unique challenges for counter-terrorism police agencies. Data from the latest Global Terrorism Index shows a rise of individual, unaffiliated terrorist attackers in the West. More incidents are being committed at the hands of lone wolf terrorist attackers in Western nations. Global conflict and terrorist activity are on the rise. The evolution of online extremist culture and the rise of lone actors emerges amid globalisation and technological advancements. The term “lone wolf” was popularised in the late 1990s by white supremacists Tom Metzger and Alex Curtis as part of an encouragement to fellow racists, to act alone in committing violent crimes. Other terms that have been used to describe similar forms of political violence include “leaderless resistance’.Lone-wolf terrorists tend tocreate their own ideologies that combine personal frustrations and aversion with political, social or religious grievances. The above-mentioned definition of lone wolf terrorists comprises a wide spectrum of violent extremists. Among them we can identify religious zealots, environmental and animal rights extremists, white supremacists and jihadists. Even at the level of the ideological or religious background there is much variety. Perhaps one of the most puzzling and unpredictable forms of terrorism is provided by violent acts committed by a single individual. These so-called lone wolves are a nightmare for the police and intelligence community as they are extremely difficult to detect and to defend against. Compared to group terrorism or network-sponsored terrorists, ‘lone operators’ have a critical advantage in avoiding identification. It is extremely difficult to single out potential lone wolves before they strike, even with the help of the most sophisticated intelligence gathering tools. Lone wolves inspire copycat behaviour,become role models for other alienated youngsters and invite band wagon attacks. Although lone wolves might have the disadvantage of lacking the means, skills,and “professional” support of terrorist groups, some of them have proven to be very lethal. Infamous examples from the United States,Israel and Europe include Baruch Goldstein,an American-born Israeli citizen who was responsible for the death of 29 Muslims praying in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron; the Austrian Franz Fuchs, who used letter bombs to kill 4 and injure 15 people. Former US Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, who engaged in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in which 13 people died and 30 were wounded;and the American mathematician Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the “Una Bomber”, engaged in a mail bombing spree that killed three and wounded 23. In addition, there have been several lone wolves who assassinated political leaders- such as Yigal Amir, the assassin of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin; Volkert van der Graaf, who killed the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn;and Mijailo Mijailovic, who is responsible forthe death of the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Anna Lindh. These “disturbed” individuals and their violent acts exemplify the many differences in targets and modus operandi (MO),as well the varieties in the political or ideological background of the perpetrators.it is very hard to predict from which disenfranchised, alienated orfrustrated environment they stem. They display a variety of backgrounds with a wide spectrum of ideologies and motivations. Another commonality among lone wolves is that –they often distribute their ideas or manifestos to the outside world, in some cases even prior to the actual attack. Ted Kaczynski published his own manifesto and wrote letters to local newspapers. Today, the Internet allows anyone to post his or her extremist ideology on the Web. Fortunately for the police, there are some operational constrains for the lone wolf, in executing a“successful” attack. Like any terrorist, they are hindered by the terrorist attack cycle. Because they are working alone, they have to conduct each step of the cycle by themselves. This means that they are vulnerable to detection at several different junctures as they plan their attacks, the most critical of which is the surveillance stage of the operation. Mind mix Anders Breivik targeted a youth camp in Oslo, Norway unleashing a horrendous terror attack, and killed 77 people. This was one of the first prominent lone-wolf terrorist attacks. Breivik justified his act to his quest to ‘save European culture’ from Islam. His act was later supported on social media platform by far-right individuals. Radicalisation plays a critical role in the making of a lone-wolf terrorist. This process mostly happens online through social media platforms, encrypted chat rooms on the dark-net and propaganda on instant messaging apps.The basis of radicalisation emanates from multiple sources. One of them is the sense of injustice the lone-wolf terror suspect’s encounter, together with a loss of faith in the social fabric and their rage at the system for failing to make amends for the wrongs that have been done. We know there are many factors that drive people to engage in terrorism, yet we still don’t understand when or why some factors matter more than others. We know that extremism flourishes in times of instability and conflict.Attracting a wide audience has always been a core goal of terrorism, but today globalisation and technological advancements have dramatically changed the way that terrorists socialise ideas, form (virtual) communities, and inspire action. Social media has played a pivotal role in the rise and success of lone wolf actors. The increase in “salad bar ideology” has experts scrambling to create new terrorism typologies.The terms broadly refer to idiosyncratic patterns of radicalisation. What we’re seeing is violent extremists who display an amalgamation of different disparate beliefs, interests and grievances. Lone wolf terrorists are more educated and socially isolated than group-based actors. Lone wolves also engage in less precursor activities than group actors, but are willing to travel greater distances to prepare for and execute attacks.Some lone wolfterrorists could be diagnosed with various forms of psychopathology. Also, lone wolfterrorism is often preceded by a personal event linked to the upcoming terrorist act –something that has made the “act” personal. Strong reciprocity and group identification are other factors that could contribute to a person becoming a lone wolf terrorist (although the act is individual choice). These individuals are less likely to trust others to do their job properly. Research on lone wolves points out that they typically withdraw from mainstreamsociety. They all suffered from varying degrees of social ineptitude and are often anti-social thinkers. The debate on how to fight lone wolf terrorism is far from decided and remains to be reconciled with popular principles of freedom – as is the case with any exchange of those principles for security reasons. It could be rewarding to study and compare the nature of ‘potential triggers’ or catalyst events in the radicalisation processes of lone wolves. Are they located in the private domain, are they provided by political developments? Or are triggers even cunningly mastered by “entrepreneurs of violence” who call upon their anonymous followers to become active. Police agencies must try to pick up red flags, and hopefully monitor people who display “lone wolf” tendencies. This is a dormant but dangerous threat, globally. (The writer is author of Target Secured- Police Special Task Force)Top-25 teams will hit the court in four games on Tuesday’s college basketball schedule. That includes the Arizona State Sun Devils squaring off against the Kentucky Wildcats at Trojan Fieldhouse at Moore Physical Education Center. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.

US stock indices pushed to fresh records Tuesday, shrugging off tariff threats from President-elect Donald Trump while European equities retreated. Trump, who doesn't take office until January 20, made his threat in social media posts Monday night, announcing huge import tariffs against neighbors Canada and Mexico and also rival China if they do not stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.CIBC’s Dodig Favors Small Wealth Acquisitions Over Larger Deals

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