Lone Wolf Terrorist or Deranged Shooter? A Study of Ideological Active Shooter Events in the US, 1970-2014 (original) (raw)
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The current study comparatively examines homicide events perpetrated by far-right extremists and "average" homicide events in the United States. Recent violence has highlighted the threat that far-right extremists pose to public safety and national security. To date, however, little is known about how such events compare to more common forms of homicide. Drawing from research on homicide, "hate crimes," and domestic terrorism, this study addresses this gap in the research. Original open-source data on far-right extremist perpetrated homicide are integrated with traditional homicide data to overcome methodological and other substantive obstacles that have precluded the study of this form of violence. A number of similarities and differences across these forms of homicide demonstrate the heterogeneity in the nature of homicide in the United States. Implications for policy makers and law enforcement, as well as the broader study of homicide and domestic extremism, are discussed.
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Dissertation - George Mason University, 2016
“Lone wolf terrorism” represents an overused and clichéd phrase adding confusion to the research of political violence. In response, this dissertation introduces a new framework based on mental illness and group association which better describes terrorism conducted by Singular and Small Group Terrorists (SSGT). This new framework describes and analyzes three new categories of terrorists: Zealots, Opportunists, and Strategists. Based on this new framework, a review of current laws and policy show a significant gap and demonstrates how the SSGT framework helps impact policy development. This study then creates a new database of known SSGT providing a basis for offering five suggestions for incorporating this new framework into the activities of counter-terrorism practitioners and recommendations for future research.
This article is based on the idea that lone-wolf terrorists may have characteristics in common with two other types of lone-actor violent offenders: assassins and school attackers. We used data from U.S. Government-sponsored reports to compare the characteristics of these two groups. Despite obvious demographic differences, results indicate four characteristics common for both school attackers and assassins: perceived grievance, depression, a personal crisis ('unfreezing'), and history of weapons use outside the military. These characteristics may be useful in distinguishing lone-wolfs from group-based terrorists.
The Enigma of Lone Wolf Terrorism: An Assessment
Lone wolf terrorism remains an ambiguous and enigmatic phenomenon. The boundaries of lone wolf terrorism are inevitably fuzzy and arbitrary. This article aims to define and analyze the main features and patterns of lone wolf terrorism in fifteen countries. Lone wolf terrorism is shown to be more prevalent in the United States than in the other countries under study. The cross-national analysis suggests that in the United States lone wolf terrorism has increased markedly during the past three decades; a similar increase does not appear to have occurred in the other countries under study. The numbers of casualties resulting from lone wolf terrorism have been relatively limited, and there is no evidence that the lethality of lone wolf terrorism is on the increase. The rates of psychological disturbance and social ineptitude are found to be relatively high among lone wolf terrorists. Lone wolf terrorists tend to create their own ideologies that combine personal frustrations and aversion with broader political, social or religious aims. In this process, many lone-wolf terrorists draw on the communities of belief and ideologies of validation generated and transmitted by extremist movements.
Characteristics of Lone-Wolf Violent Offenders: a Comparison of Assassins and School Attackers
2013
This article is based on the idea that lone-wolf terrorists may have characteristics in common with two other types of lone-actor violent offenders: assassins and school attackers. We used data from U.S. Government-sponsored reports to compare the characteristics of these two groups. Despite obvious demographic differences, results indicate four characteristics common for both school attackers and assassins: perceived grievance, depression, a personal crisis (‘unfreezing’), and history of weapons use outside the military. These characteristics may be useful in distinguishing lone-wolfs from group-based terrorists.
Anatomy of Lone Wolf Terrorism: Special Emphasis on Countering Violent Extremism
Manekshaw Paper Number 69 , 2017
The proliferation of internet technology and consolidation of the global ummah narrative, whether literal or otherwise, has resulted in a spate of lone wolf attacks. These attacks, carried out by individuals acting alone, without the explicit sponsorship of any particular terror group, are a novel phenomenon. Initially limited to white supremacists such as Timothy McVeigh and Zionist terrorists such as Baruch Goldstein, today with the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) and Al Qaeda (AQ) competing against one another for gaining control of the radicalisation narrative, it is important to look at the roots of these lone wolf attacks. This paper looks at 22 cases of lone wolves and finds out that there is an astonishing divergence in the backgrounds, mental make-up and motivations of these terrorists who finally converge on the same end-result: the spread of terror
Cut from the same cloth? Lone Actor Terrorists versus Common Homicide Offenders
Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies
The term "lone actor" has been applied to a variety of violent individuals, including jihadists, right-wing extremists, school shooters, and others whose crimes were ideologically motivated and generated much societal impact. It may be argued, however, that such a classification of this rare subset of violent offenders is an artificial one, based on political perspectives rather than on empirical findings. In this study, we examine and compare characteristics of European single perpetrators or lone actor terrorists to a large sample of European 'common' homicide offenders. Bivariate analysis shows that lone actors are significantly younger, more single, and more educated than homicide offenders. In terms of event characteristics, however, the two groups differ more substantially. Lone actors are more likely to attack 'strangers' in public places and to use firearms, while homicide offenders tend to attack victims they know in private settings and to use more hands-on methods. These differences may be understood through the notion of instrumental versus expressive motivations. Our findings question the classification of lone actors as an entity fundamentally different from our sample of single homicide offenders and call for future in-depth assessments of possible differences in homicidal drive.
Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression
This article explores the link between radicalization patterns and modes of attack planning and preparation among lone-actor terrorists. Building on theorized patterns of lone-actor radicalization, we discuss and compare their modes of pre-attack behavior, including target and weapon choice, observance of operational security measures, likeliness of engaging in leakage behavior, and the overall amount of time devoted to these activities. This exploratory study builds upon a dataset of thirtythree lone-actor terrorist cases in North-America and Europe between 1986 and 2015. The analysis suggests that specific patterns of radicalization are linked to systematic differences in modes of attack planning and preparation. The results provide insights into the heterogeneity of terrorist involvement and tentatively suggest the potential importance for law-enforcement agencies in using case-specific knowledge on radicalization patterns to inform forecasts of likely pre-attack behaviors.