LAW ENFORCEMENT AND LAWMAKERS’ REACTIONS TO LONE WOLF TERRORISM
Open Access
- Author:
- Petras, Brandon Scott
- Area of Honors:
- Political Science (Behrend)
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Kilic B Kanat, Thesis Supervisor
Robert W. Speel, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- lone wolf terrorism
terrorism
domestic terrorism
Oklahoma City Bombing
Fort Hoot Shooting
Boston Marathon Bombing
Orlando Shooting
Anthrax
Unabomber
San Bernardino Shooting
law enforcement
Muslim ban
Global War on Terror - Abstract:
- In the years following the horrors of 9/11, radical Islamists have been singled out as the only perpetrators of terrorism in the world. While it is true that the current threat to U.S. national security largely comes from Muslim extremists, this has not always been the case, and it will likely change as the nature of terrorism evolves. Throughout its history, the U.S. has had scores of terrorist attacks on its soil, from far-left groups, white supremacists, and anarchists. What is seemingly a new phenomenon is the incidence of lone wolf attacks. While the actual number of organized terror attacks in the U.S. has gone down significantly, there is a rise in the number of high-fatality attacks committed by independent actors – Ft. Hood, Chattanooga, San Bernardino, Orlando, etc. This suggests that although counter-terrorism strategies in the U.S. have become highly effective at combatting organized terrorists and their affiliates, it is extremely difficult to pin-point lone wolf terrorists and stop them before they attack. The focus of this paper is to examine commonalities between lone wolf attacks and how law enforcement and lawmakers reacted to them, looking specifically at seven infamous cases in the United States, in order to determine why they are so difficult for law enforcement to prevent. This case study uses a variety of primary, secondary, and government sources as well as databases compiled by independent research groups. The ability for lone wolves to skirt law enforcement and “work the system” are also primary reasons for the increase in lone wolf terrorism, a constantly evolving dance between terrorists and law enforcement. In addition, this paper also offers some suggestions as to how law enforcement agencies and lawmakers can better detect and prevent lone wolf terrorism.