Lone Wolf Terrorism: Radicalization, Soft Targets, and Society

Introduction

Established in 1897 and traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday in April, the Boston Marathon is the oldest and one of the most popular annual marathon events in the world today. The annual celebration was disrupted on April 15, 2013, when two lone wolf terrorists — Chechen Kyrgyzstani-American brothers Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — detonated two homemade bombs, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others, including at least 14 limb amputations. This grisly chapter in the Boston Marathon's history underscores the potential for terrorist groups to recruit and radicalize new aspirants.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the recruitment and radicalization process of lone wolf terrorists and an explanation of why terrorists focus on soft targets. An analysis of the sociological and psychological impacts that these attacks have had on society is followed by a discussion of strategies that can be used to further strengthen the Internet and social media platforms against use for recruiting, promoting propaganda, and radicalizing terrorists. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the lone wolf Boston Marathon terrorist attack are presented in the conclusion.

Recruitment and Radicalization via the Internet and Social Media

Despite a strict interpretation, the term "lone wolf" refers to "the use or threat of violence by up to three people" (Feldman, 2013, p. 52), making the Boston Marathon perpetrators so-called "lone wolf" terrorists (Becker, 2016). The ubiquity of the Internet and social media platforms, combined with their growing popularity among consumers of all ages around the world, makes these resources especially powerful tools in the hands of terrorist organizations that seek to recruit and radicalize new members.

Indeed, the anonymity of Internet-mediated forums, their global reach, and their tolerance for even the most extreme speech and religious views make these platforms veritable breeding grounds for new terrorists who may have previously been undecided about joining such an organization (Miller, 2019). Terrorist organizations have historically favored soft targets for the reasons discussed below.

Why Terrorists Focus on Soft Targets

Terrorists are fanatics, but they are also pragmatists. Given the asymmetrical nature of their respective military capabilities, it makes strategic sense for terrorists to focus on high-profile targets that offer the greatest chance of causing the most damage possible, including large body counts regardless of whether the victims are civilians or belligerents (Yusuf, 2019). This also explains why terrorists use inexpensive and readily available cars and trucks in their attacks rather than sophisticated cruise missiles or armored vehicles; the bloody outcomes can be virtually identical irrespective of the weaponry employed, given the enormous challenges involved in protecting against suicide bombing attacks.

In sum, when people are willing — and even eager — to die for a cause, soft targets provide the greatest destructive impact for the least expenditure of resources.

Sociological and Psychological Impacts on Society

One of the most well-known lone wolf terrorist attacks on American soil took place in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, when Timothy McVeigh destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building with a rental truck full of explosives (Feldman, 2013). Americans were shocked, but life generally went on as normal. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, however, many observers noted that "nothing would ever be the same again," and in many ways those predictions proved correct. Given the chilling effect on civil liberties and the corresponding sociological and psychological impacts that these and other terrorist attacks have caused, it is reasonable to suggest that the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks succeeded in harming America beyond their wildest expectations.

An exhaustive investigation of the security lapses that facilitated those attacks resulted in a number of changes in American society, including most notably enhanced security procedures in the nation's airports, a bewildering color-coded threat meter, and the USA PATRIOT Act — all of which have affected the nation's consciousness to some degree and in some fashion.

Some salient examples of other terrorist attacks that have had an adverse effect on the country's collective psyche include one of the earliest such incidents, which occurred on September 16, 1920, when a terrorist used a car bomb to attack New York's Wall Street. That attack left 33 dead and hundreds injured, and the perpetrator was never apprehended (Feldman, 2013). Likewise, beginning on September 18, 2001 — following the plane crashes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — the U.S. mail system was used to send anthrax to a number of high-profile recipients, including Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Tom Daschle (Feldman, 2013).

Following each of these historic events, counterterrorism analysts conducted careful investigations to identify precipitating factors. The harsh reality that has emerged from these analyses, however, is that it is virtually impossible to completely defend the country against lone wolf attacks carried out by individuals who have been radicalized and believe that a higher power sanctions their actions.

Conclusion

The research was consistent in showing that it does not require a well-organized, well-funded, international terrorist organization to carry out extremely deadly attacks on United States interests at home and abroad. The research also showed that the Boston Marathon terrorist attack on April 15, 2013 was characterized as a lone wolf incident because there were three or fewer perpetrators involved — a definition that may be misleading but which nevertheless underscores the fact that it does not take many people to engage in a terrorism conspiracy that can have a profoundly adverse impact on the nation's already fragile psyche.

Finally, and most troubling of all, the review of the relevant literature indicated that defending against lone wolf terrorist attacks is especially difficult and even impossible depending on the circumstances. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that more research will be produced on lone wolf terrorism in the future without ever fully solving the underlying problems that fuel these attacks in the first place.

References

Becker, M. (2016). A response to 'key issues and research agendas in lone wolf terrorism.' Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 39(5), 472–476.

Chidiac, M., & Chidiac, E. H. (2019, June). Digital media and freedom of expression: Experiences, challenges, resolutions. Global Media Journal, 17(32), 1.

Feldman, M. (2013, May). Lone wolf terrorism: Understanding the growing threat. Times Higher Education, 2099, 52–55.

Meleagrou-Hitchens, A., Alexander, A., & Kaderbhai, N. (2017). The impact of digital communications technology on radicalization and recruitment. International Affairs, 93(5), 1233–1249.

Miller, G. D. (2019). Blurred lines: The new 'domestic' terrorism. Perspectives on Terrorism, 13(3), 63–75.

Yusuf, I. U. (2019, June). Countering Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism: Assessment of media campaigns. Global Media Journal, 17(32), 1.