The Inception of the Lone Wolf Terrorist: The New Face of Terrorism

Before the delegation enters the subject of Lone Wolf terrorism, the delegation believes the definition of terrorism must be addressed first, in order to distinguish the differences.

According to most analysis of the lone-wolf terrorist, the lone-wolf terrorist is identifiable by a few characteristics. However, Bartol and Bartol list seven main characteristics in textbook. The lone-wolf terrorist may identify or sympathize with extremist movements, but they operate individually. Since they operate alone, they act with the influence of a leader or hierarchy. They may often strive for notoriety on the behalf of an interest group. Because their plans are well throughout in advance, it is consider to be premeditated. Unlike other terrorist, the lone-wolf appears to have suffered from some form of mental illness. Lastly they may prefer solitude instead of the companionship of friends because they lack interpersonal and social skills (Bartol & Bartol, 2014, p337).

The 9/11 terror attacks is one of the historical and fatal events that changed the United States of America forever, especially in relation to terrorists and terrorism. While these concepts were on the minds of very few people in America's population before the attacks, the 9/11 incident made terrorism to become one of the major concerns for the whole nation. This is despite of the fact that they were carried out in New York City, Washington, and parts of Pennsylvania. Since it was a major concern, the terror attacks dominated all kinds of media and contributed to increased security measures for average Americans. Moreover, terrorism currently provides a major threat to global security that any time in American and global history (Dyson, 2001, p.3). As a result, it has become a fundamental aspect for law enforcement agencies and their initiatives, particularly with the rapid technological advancements.

Terrorism has created a virtual “new frontier” for the United States prominently since the 9-11 attacks) on September 11th,

Prior to 9/11there had been various terrorist attacks on Americans around the world and on American soil. However the events of September 11 intensely changed the United States Government’s approach towards terrorism. After September 11, the Bush Administration changed the previous American approach, which had primarily employed the combined tools of diplomatic cooperation, economic sanctions, and internationally coordinated law enforcement measures (Lee 2007: 137). Instead, the President declared in the aftermath of September 11 that the United States was engaged in a war on terrorism. In this war all terrorists who plotted against the United States and those who supported them were subject to American justice. This new

The attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 were the direct result of the failure of US agencies, ranging from the White House to airport security, to recognize vulnerabilities present in the various symptoms. The reason why these vulnerabilities were not acknowledged and repaired is that these various agencies were trapped in a cognitive dissonance cycle of thinking. After the Cold War, terrorism was seen as a regional problem (9/11 Commission, 92). The majority of terrorist groups were either groups sponsored by governments or militants trying to create governments (i.e. Palestine Liberation Organization). As a result, the tactics used for fighting terrorism were centralized mostly in the Middle East and were restricted to

Lone wolf terrorism has been defined as an act of terror carried out by a terrorist who is not part of a group of directed by an outside organization. Lone wolf terrorism is not a new problem, however, the number of attacks carried out by lone wolfs has increased in recent years. Attacks carried out by lone wolfs usually kill fewer people than large scale terror attacks. However, lone wolf attacks have huge impacts and have been cited as fueling Islamophobia, have contributed to isolating Muslim communities, and empowering radicalists. IS has embraced lone wolfs and have used these attacks to their advantage. These attacks have allowed IS to spread their message in the West without sending fighters to different locations in the West. These

On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attack the United States which shocked the entire world. This concealment, great destructive power terrorist action catches intense attention in the globe. Thence, the term of “lone wolf” terrorism had become an enthusiastically in academic research, and people put huge resources to take precautions. Lone wolf terrorism is a type of terrorist attack that people who support groups, movements, or ideologies throughout the violence to promote their belief. Because of the lack of contact between such terrorists and other organizations, the various preparatory activities are carried out on their own, making it even more difficult for society to prevent or detect their actions. However, the violent attack had been planned, executed, and act independently without any order. In addition, the lone wolf is an independent terrorist-minded person who can recruit and train through the Internet, receive radical education, inculcate extremist ideas, or have anti-human tendencies by their own path. The lone wolf terrorist usually has no different with ordinary people because they only expose their cruel nature at the last moment. Creating a panic in public is the primary concerned of lone wolf terrorism, therefore it can help achieve not only the political,

On September 11 2001, an attack was made on United States. Four systematic terrorist attacks were pulled off by the group al-Qaeda simultaneously bringing down the World Trade Centre in New York and damaging the Pentagon in Washington D.C. As extensive and in depth as the cause for the attack may have been, September 11 is an event that has undoubtedly left its mark in American history. A turning point, as some would call it, of the political, social, and economic systems of the United States. Quickly following the terrorist attack on 9/11, President George W. Bush called for a “war against terrorism.” Instead, what truly occurred was an act of counter terrorism. After 9/11, the political system of America took a turn for the worst;

In today’s day and age, the fear of terrorism is not only a common sentiment, but is also a rising subject of debate. In order to keep troops out of harm’s way, the United States has looked for alternate means of combatting terrorist organizations. Since September 11, 2001 the United States has relied heavily on its men and women in uniform to prevent terrorism abroad. Technology of today and the use of intelligence offer the United States alternate means of addressing terrorism. For instance, drone strikes were called by former US CIA director Leon Panetta, “the only game in town in term of confronting or trying to disrupt the Al Qaeda leadership” (ODLE, 2013). With the use of typology, socioeconomic assistance, drones, diplomatic engagement and enhanced airline security services, the use of military force is not the only way to prevent terrorism.

Although, it did not take long before America realized that the Al Qaeda group was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. In addition, the organization was led by Osama bin Laden. Besides, the Al Qaeda group had declared war openly on the States of America (Capone, 2011). As a result, the group was ready to terminate lives of innocents’ lives in America and the entire world. Therefore, America started war against Al Qaeda with the aim of protecting the citizens, friends as well as allies. However, after 10 years of the heroic and tireless effort of American military with the tireless support of the counter-terrorism professionals American had yielded some fruits. In addition, America had strengthened its homeland defense and disrupted attacks by the

As a direct consequence of September 11, a number of substantial challenges lie ahead in the area of counter-terrorism..   The most prominent of these is the changing nature of the terrorism phenomenon.  In past years, when terrorism was largely the product of direct state sponsorship, policymakers were able to diminish prospects for the United States becoming a target using a combination of diplomatic and military instruments to deter potential state sponsors.  Today, however, many terrorist organizations and individuals act independently from former and present state sponsors, shifting to other sources of support, including the development of transnational networks.

Ever since the beginning of the terrorist attacks on American soil, the War on Terror has been involved in the lives of Americans and nations near us. The War on Terror’s background originated through conflicts between warring countries in the Middle East; U.S. involvement started when a terrorist guided plane crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 in New York City. The attack was suspected to be the work of the middle-eastern terrorist group Al-Qaeda. The U.S. military, under the leadership of then commander-in-chief George W. Bush, declared a “War on Terror” on the terrorist group and the fighting began.

What are the key attributes of the “lone wolf” threat vector? What can law enforcement and national security/national intelligence agencies do to address this issue? Is this an attack vector that you really can’t see coming?

Existing for centuries, terrorism has plagued humanity consistently; however this phenomenon had remained dormant from the international spotlight until the events of September eleventh. In the years after the tragedy, the international community generated a comprehensive global procedure designed to identify high-risk areas in order to isolate, infiltrate and suppress the threat within vulnerable states. The assertion regarding Islamic extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda is that they emerge in primarily weak states which provide the pristine environment for their operations. For example, countries such as Somalia, Sudan, and Afghanistan are countries used as a “launching pad,” for international operations specifically in Afghanistan