Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents Volume 148 Lone Wolf Terrorists

Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents is a series that provides primary source documents and expert commentary on various topics relating to the worldwide effort to combat terrorism, as well as efforts by the United States and other nations to protect their national security interests. Volume 148, Lone Wolf Terrorists, examines the phenomenon of the solitary domestic terrorist, analyzes the distinction between such terrorists and mass murderers who are not deemed to be terrorists, considers the motivations of violent extremists, and examines the dilemmas faced by law enforcement in preventing solitary political extremists with violent ideologies from translating their beliefs into actions. The volume is divided into three sections, providing an overview of the topic, an examination of strategies for prevention of such attacks, and a consideration of the Internet's role in contributing to radicalization.

Documents included in this volume include a CRS report on domestic terrorism, a report examining violent radicalization from a criminal justice perspective, and a CRS report differentiating hate crimes from domestic terrorism, as well as other reports on the lone wolf terrorism phenomenon and strategies to prevent and/or counter it. The last document in the volume is a CRS report relating to the advocacy of terrorism on the Internet, especially including social media, and the ways in which law enforcement might be able to address the problem of dangerous online speech within the current U.S. legal structure.

Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr., is the Director of the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College. Earlier in his military career, he worked on national security directives. He holds an MBA degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a J.D. from Widener School of Law.

Introduction

A. OVERVIEW OF LONE WOLF TERRORISTS

Commentary by Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr.

DOCUMENT NO. 1: Domestic Terrorism: An Overview, CRS Report No. R44921, Jerome P. Bjelopera, August 21, 2017

DOCUMENT NO. 2: Across the Universe? A Comparative Analysis of Violent Behavior and Radicalization Across Three Offender Types with Implications for Criminal Justice Training and Education, National Criminal Justice Reference Series Document No. 249937, John G. Horgan et al., June 2016

DOCUMENT NO. 3: Sifting Domestic Terrorism from Hate Crime and Homegrown Violent Extremism, CRS Insight No. IN10299, Jerome P. Bjelopera, August 14, 2017

DOCUMENT NO. 4: Report: Lone Wolf Terrorism, Lydia Alfaro-Gonzales et al., Security Studies Program, Georgetown National Security Critical Issue Task Force (NSCITF), June 27, 2015

DOCUMENT NO. 5: Lone Wolf Terrorism in America: Using Knowledge of Radicalization Pathways to Forge Prevention Strategies, National Criminal Justice Reference Series Document No. 248691, Mark S. Hamm and Ramon Spaaij, February 2015

B. PREVENTING LONE WOLF TERRORISM

Commentary by Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr.

DOCUMENT NO. 6: Stafford Act Assistance and Acts of Terrorism, CRS Report No. R44801, Bruce R. Lindsay, June 2, 2017

DOCUMENT NO. 7: Preventing Another Boston Marathon Bombing: Reviewing the Lessons Learned from the 2013 Terror Attack, House Homeland Security Committee Report, April 2015

DOCUMENT NO. 8: Countering Violent Extremism: Actions Needed to Define Strategy and Assess Progress of Federal Efforts, Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters, Report No. GAO-17-300, April 2017

DOCUMENT NO. 9: The Terrorist Screening Database and Preventing Terrorist Travel, Jerome P. Bjelopera, Bart Elias, and Alison Siskin, CRS Report No. R44678, November 7, 2016

C. THE LONE WOLF AND THE INTERNET

Commentary by Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr.

DOCUMENT NO. 10: The Advocacy of Terrorism on the Internet: Freedom of Speech Issues and the Material Support Statutes, CRS Report No. R44626, Kathleen Ann Ruane, September 8, 2016