Fully utilize the materials that have been provided to you in order to support your response. Responses should be a minimum of 250 words and include direct questions. You may challenge, support or supplement another student’s answer using the terms, concepts and theories from the required readings. Also, do not be afraid to respectfully disagree where you feel appropriate; as this should be part of your analysis process at this academic level.

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Respond to Troy:

This is a topic that is truly one of the scariest ones we have covered in this class. Unlike some of the other terror organizations that we have talked about the lone wolf category is by far the most difficult to understand and predict. Other groups such as the KKK, Isis, Neo Nazis, and so many others they tell what they want to have happen, the have marches and rallies and they make their presence know. This is not just a U.S. problem but a world one and the definition I found describing what the Lone Wolf is a term that was popularized in the late 1990s by white supremacists Tom Metzger and Alex Curtis as part of an encouragement to fellow racists to act alone for tactical security reasons when committing violent crimes. Other terms that have been used to describe similar or comparable forms of political violence include ‘leaderless resistance, individual terrorism and freelance terrorism (Bakker, 2001). On the world stage a massive attack took place that raised two very difficult questions which came about after the cold-blooded murder of 77 people in Oslo and Utoya Norway on 22 July 2011, the threat of lone wolf terrorism has quickly moved further up on the agenda of counter terrorism officials. Two questions were raised in the aftermath of the horrible killings by Anders Breivik, could it have been prevented? And, how to discover new plots, possibly by individuals who want to answer Breivik’s explicit call to follow his example (Bakker, 2011)?

Lone Wolfs are so difficult to detect because of their isolation from normal human contact. If they were an active member of an organization then they would be on the someone’s radar. But these individuals are not, which is why when they attack it is often when we least expect it and is devastating. This type of emerging terrorism is increasingly found among right-wing reactionaries and religiously radicalized jihadists. With increasingly effective security environments, leaderless resistance has emerged as a threat and tactic facilitated by the internet and other modern information outlets. The unabomber, Oklahoma City bomber, Fort Hood and Oslo assailants are examples of this new form of terrorist (Bates, 2012). All of these examples came out of know where because they were unexpected and there was no warning. Which is why it is so hard for law enforcement to track as well because there is no warning usually. After all is said a done and the curtain is pulled back it all makes since but before or in the immediate aftermath it doesn’t. There is usually a belief system that is found that the individual followed but wasn’t an active member of the group. Sometimes they leave behind a manifesto in hopes of inspiring followers after their actions. I truly don’t believe there is an answer to the lone wolf extremist because they are not known until they carry out their plan.

Bates, R. A. (2012). Dancing with wolves: Today’s lone wolf terrorists. The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology, 4(1), 1.

Bakker, E., & de Graaf, B. A. (2011). Preventing lone wolf terrorism: Some CT approaches addressed. Perspectives, 5, 8.