Homegrown terrorism
Encyclopedia
Homegrown terrorism is commonly associated with an international organization rather than being a ‘lone wolf’ act committed by isolated and disturbed individuals. It constitutes terrorist
attacks from within the target nation
, often Western. The controversial and failed Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
defines homegrown terrorism as the “use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States
or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” The Congressional Research Service
report “American Jihadist Terrorism: Combatting a Complex Threat” describes homegrown terrorism as a “terrorist activity or plots perpetuated within the United States or abroad by American citizens, permanent legal residents, or visitors radicalized largely within the United States.”
The definition of homegrown terrorism includes what is normally considered domestic terrorism, like the Oklahoma City bombing
, but at present is most commonly used in the context of Islamist terrorism perpetrated by Western-born citizens, or those who have spent a considerable part of their lives in the West, on other Western nations. Domestic terrorists have identical, or nearly so, means of militarily and ideologically carrying on their fight without necessarily having a centralized command structure regardless of whether the source of inspiration is domestic, foreign, or transnational.
, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq
, began posting beheading videos in 2003. A July 2009 document by the FBI estimated that there were roughly 15,000 websites and web forums that support terrorist activities, with around 10,000 of them actively maintained. 80% of these sites are on U.S.-based servers.
According to the Congressional Research Service’s study, “American Jihadist Terrorism: Combatting a Complex Threat,” between May 2009 and November 2010, law enforcement made arrests related to 22 homegrown jihadist-inspired terror plots by American citizens or legal residents of the U.S. This is a significant increase over the 21 plots caught in the seven interim years after the September 11, 2001 attacks
. During these seven years, two plots resulted in attacks, compared to the two attacks between May 2009 and November 2010, which resulted in 14 deaths. This spike post-May 2009 shows that some Americans are susceptible to ideologies that support a violent form of jihad. Roughly one-quarter of these plots are linked to major international terrorist groups but there is an increasing number of Americans holding high-level operational roles in these terrorist groups, especially al-Qaeda
and its affiliated groups. Perhaps for these reasons, former CIA
Director Michael Hayden called homegrown terrorism the more serious threat faced by American citizens today.
England, likewise, considers homegrown terrorism to be a considerable threat. On June 6, 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron
announced a wide-ranging strategy to prevent British citizens from being radicalized into becoming terrorists while at university. The strategy looks to prevent extremist speakers or groups from coming to universities.
recognizes the value of native citizens and led to an official tactical shift in operations toward homegrown terrorism, according to al-Qaeda’s U.S. born spokesperson, Adam Gadahn. This new strategy focuses on inspiring American-Muslims to become one-man terrorist cells.
Dispatching less experienced recruits decreases the amount of time that they have to be identified and detected by law enforcement. Some potential jihadists, like the perpetrators of the July 7, 2005 underground bombings in London, even stopped attending services at their mosques, as they were believed to be under surveillance.
Low-level members provide a low-cost option for terrorist organizations that are meant to consume the attention of law enforcement and intelligence organizations in the hope that one will succeed or a greater operation may go unnoticed. Additionally, democracies are challenged in handling internal dissent, such as terrorism. Hayden frames the problem facing democracies, "how do you build a security structure that guards you against American citizens who are beginning to change in their thinking up to a point where they become a threat to the security of other Americans? That’s a devil of a problem” because the next step that intelligence communities would take would be to infringe on the privacy of Americans.
Terrorism is a relatively inexpensive proposition for organizations. The minimal cost of orchestrating an operation means that foreign terrorist groups will likely continue to regard U.S. homeland operations as both desirable and a financially feasible option. Even failed plots, such as the Times Square bombing plot, can still pay vast dividends in terms of publicity and attention.
. Marc Sageman reveals in his book, Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century, that contrary to popular belief, radicalization into terrorism is not the product of poverty, various forms of brainwashing, youth, ignorance, lack of education, lack of employment, lack of social responsibility, criminality, or mental illness. Intermediaries and English-speaking imams, like Anwar al-Awlaki
, who are often found through the internet on forums, provide key roles in the radicalization
process. Social networks provided in forums support and build upon an individual’s radical beliefs. Prison systems are also a concern as a place of radicalization and jihadist recruiting as nearly three dozen ex-convicts who attended training camps in Yemen were believed to have been radicalized in prison. The only constant appears to be "a newfound hatred for their native or adopted country, a degree of dangerous malleability, and a religious fervor justifying or legitimizing violence that impels these very impressionable and perhaps easily influenced individuals toward potentially lethal acts of violence," according to Peter Bergen and Bruce Hoffman's September 2010 Bipartisan Policy Center paper.
Unlike the radicalization process in the Middle East, which is often triggered by oppression, suffering, a wish for revenge or desperation, Western radicalization is often triggered by a need for identity and path or cause towards which they may work as a means of strengthening their identity, giving them a sense of purpose and making their voice heard in a larger context, especially if they feel marginalized.
The first two catalysts are the most prevalent issues in Western Europe as second and third generation Muslims are not all well integrated into European society. Living between the society and practices of their country of origin and secular European society, while not belonging to either, individuals may create their identity by adopting a more radical form of Islam. Additionally, the internal conflict between Islam and secular Europe makes individuals vulnerable, thus providing a means for radical Islam to insinuate itself. Second and third generation Muslims in the U.S. are less susceptible to radical Islam as the U.S. is not as firm in its secularity. However, one’s religious roots and cultural identity sometimes takes precedence over assimilation into American society.
. This was the case with the Times Square plot
carried out by Faisal Shazad. Tehrik-i-Taliban or Pakistani Taliban (TPP) was on record as providing financing and four months of training for Shazad directly prior to his actions in Times Square. Shazad reportedly only received three to five days of training in bomb-making.
Some individuals go somewhere considered to be within the region containing extremism, predominantly Pakistan, but also Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, or Somalia. In the case of the London Underground bombers
, Mohammad Sidique Khan
, the operational leader of the cell, received military and explosives training at a camp in Malakand, Pakistan in July 2003 and later took Shezad Tanweer to Karachi, Pakistan, in late 2004 to February 2005 where they received training at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
Training and usage of recruits is varied. Some like Shazad received little training and ultimately failed in their intent. Others, like sleeper agent David Headley
’s reconnaissance efforts were essential towards Lashkar-e-Toiba
’s (LeT) success in November 2008 Mumbai attacks
. The lone wolf’s may achieve their objectives, like Abdulhakim Muhammad (née Carlos Bledsoe), who killed a U.S. military recruiter in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Nidal Malik Hasan, but the vast majority of individual operators fail in executing their plans because of lack of training and planning.
Somalian Al-Shabab
(“the youth”) recruits heavily in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The 30+ Somali-Americans receive training by senior al-Qaeda leaders in Somalia
. Hoffman believes this indicates that radicalization and recruitment is not an isolated, lone wolf phenomenon unique to Somali-Americans, but that there is terrorist recruitment infrastructure in the United States..
, leaving them still relatively isolated. Their operations are somewhat more ad-hoc and may lack comparable financial backing, training, support network, and specialized expertise that may be found in more centralized members of international organizations, as detailed in the previous section. These shortcomings may limit homegrown terrorists from successfully engaging in independent, large-scale attacks, preferring acts that require less preparation, such as Major Nidal Malik Hasan
’s November 5, 2009 shooting at Fort Hood Army Base
which killed 13 and wounded 30.
The internet acts as an enabler, providing the aspiring jihadist with a forum in which they may plan, share information on targets, weapons, and recruit others into their plans. Much of the resources needed to make weapons can be found on-line.
Inspire (magazine)
"Inspire" is an online English-language magazine published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Purported to be created by Samir Khan, a U.S. citizen and cyber-jihadist, the magazine uses American idioms and phrasing and does not appear to have British or South Asian influences in its language. Plagued by viruses, it began publication in June 2010 and is intended to educate Western readers on Islamic faith, jihad, bombmaking, among other subjects, and to inspire Muslims in the U.S. to launch small-scale attacks.
The magazine contains messages calling for western jihadists, like this one from AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi, to "to acquire weapons and learn methods of war. They are living in a place where they can cause great harm to the enemy and where they can support the Messenger of Allah... The means of harming them are many so seek assistance from Allah and do not be weak and you will find a way.”
STRATFOR suggests that the magazine is meant to help acquaint English-speaking individuals with what to expect when traveling to jihadist training camps in the Middle East. This is the result of reports of Westerners who have gone to these camps and have not had positive experiences during the process. These articles are also designed to decrease shock and depression that may occur and recommends bringing a friend to reduce the loneliness of the new environment and learning the local language.
Though the prosecution did not convict all men charged in Melbourne and Sydney, it forestalled a planned bombing attack.
England
Canada
Norway
A right-wing extremist who spoke against Islam and immigration, Anders Behring Breivik
was responsible for a car bomb explosion that killed 8 in Oslo and killing 69 at a summer camp on the island of Utøya.
Netherlands
Spain
United States
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attacks from within the target nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
, often Western. The controversial and failed Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 was a bill sponsored by Rep. Jane Harman in the 110th United States Congress...
defines homegrown terrorism as the “use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” The Congressional Research Service
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service , known as "Congress's think tank", is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a...
report “American Jihadist Terrorism: Combatting a Complex Threat” describes homegrown terrorism as a “terrorist activity or plots perpetuated within the United States or abroad by American citizens, permanent legal residents, or visitors radicalized largely within the United States.”
The definition of homegrown terrorism includes what is normally considered domestic terrorism, like the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, but at present is most commonly used in the context of Islamist terrorism perpetrated by Western-born citizens, or those who have spent a considerable part of their lives in the West, on other Western nations. Domestic terrorists have identical, or nearly so, means of militarily and ideologically carrying on their fight without necessarily having a centralized command structure regardless of whether the source of inspiration is domestic, foreign, or transnational.
Recent Trends
Homegrown or imported terrorism is not new to the United States or Europe. The United States has uncovered a number of alleged terrorist plots that have been successfully suppressed through domestic intelligence and law enforcement. The United States has begun to account for the threat of homegrown terrorism, as shown by increased volume of literature on the subject in recent years and increased number of terrorist sites since Abu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, began posting beheading videos in 2003. A July 2009 document by the FBI estimated that there were roughly 15,000 websites and web forums that support terrorist activities, with around 10,000 of them actively maintained. 80% of these sites are on U.S.-based servers.
According to the Congressional Research Service’s study, “American Jihadist Terrorism: Combatting a Complex Threat,” between May 2009 and November 2010, law enforcement made arrests related to 22 homegrown jihadist-inspired terror plots by American citizens or legal residents of the U.S. This is a significant increase over the 21 plots caught in the seven interim years after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. During these seven years, two plots resulted in attacks, compared to the two attacks between May 2009 and November 2010, which resulted in 14 deaths. This spike post-May 2009 shows that some Americans are susceptible to ideologies that support a violent form of jihad. Roughly one-quarter of these plots are linked to major international terrorist groups but there is an increasing number of Americans holding high-level operational roles in these terrorist groups, especially al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and its affiliated groups. Perhaps for these reasons, former CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Director Michael Hayden called homegrown terrorism the more serious threat faced by American citizens today.
England, likewise, considers homegrown terrorism to be a considerable threat. On June 6, 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
announced a wide-ranging strategy to prevent British citizens from being radicalized into becoming terrorists while at university. The strategy looks to prevent extremist speakers or groups from coming to universities.
Appeal for International Organizations
Homegrown terrorists have an advantage in that they face less logistical problems such as entering the target nation, as well as familiarity with society and customs, and greater ease in identifying targets. This makes them lucrative assets to international terrorist organizations. Al-QaedaAl-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
recognizes the value of native citizens and led to an official tactical shift in operations toward homegrown terrorism, according to al-Qaeda’s U.S. born spokesperson, Adam Gadahn. This new strategy focuses on inspiring American-Muslims to become one-man terrorist cells.
Dispatching less experienced recruits decreases the amount of time that they have to be identified and detected by law enforcement. Some potential jihadists, like the perpetrators of the July 7, 2005 underground bombings in London, even stopped attending services at their mosques, as they were believed to be under surveillance.
Low-level members provide a low-cost option for terrorist organizations that are meant to consume the attention of law enforcement and intelligence organizations in the hope that one will succeed or a greater operation may go unnoticed. Additionally, democracies are challenged in handling internal dissent, such as terrorism. Hayden frames the problem facing democracies, "how do you build a security structure that guards you against American citizens who are beginning to change in their thinking up to a point where they become a threat to the security of other Americans? That’s a devil of a problem” because the next step that intelligence communities would take would be to infringe on the privacy of Americans.
Terrorism is a relatively inexpensive proposition for organizations. The minimal cost of orchestrating an operation means that foreign terrorist groups will likely continue to regard U.S. homeland operations as both desirable and a financially feasible option. Even failed plots, such as the Times Square bombing plot, can still pay vast dividends in terms of publicity and attention.
Participants
There is no one path toward violence. Homegrown terrorists have been high school dropouts, college graduates, members of the military, and cover the range of financial situations. Some studied overseas and were exposed to radical Islamist thought while others took their inspiration from the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Marc Sageman reveals in his book, Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century, that contrary to popular belief, radicalization into terrorism is not the product of poverty, various forms of brainwashing, youth, ignorance, lack of education, lack of employment, lack of social responsibility, criminality, or mental illness. Intermediaries and English-speaking imams, like Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
, who are often found through the internet on forums, provide key roles in the radicalization
Radicalization
Radicalization is the process in which an individual changes from passiveness or activism to become more revolutionary, militant or extremist. Radicalization is often associated with youth, adversity, alienation, social exclusion, poverty, or the perception of injustice to self or others.-...
process. Social networks provided in forums support and build upon an individual’s radical beliefs. Prison systems are also a concern as a place of radicalization and jihadist recruiting as nearly three dozen ex-convicts who attended training camps in Yemen were believed to have been radicalized in prison. The only constant appears to be "a newfound hatred for their native or adopted country, a degree of dangerous malleability, and a religious fervor justifying or legitimizing violence that impels these very impressionable and perhaps easily influenced individuals toward potentially lethal acts of violence," according to Peter Bergen and Bruce Hoffman's September 2010 Bipartisan Policy Center paper.
Commonalities Shared
This does not account for all homegrown Islamist terrorists but many of the markers identified below are common to past homegrown terrorists:- Male Muslims
- While women are increasingly becoming involved with jihadi groups; to date, Western-based radicalized women have primarily acted in a support role
- Under the age of 35
- Local residents and citizens of Western liberal democracies
- Varied ethnic backgrounds but often are second or third generation of their home country.
- Middle class backgrounds; not economically destitute
- Educated; at least high school graduates, if not university students
- Recent converts to Islam are particularly vulnerable
- Do not begin as radical or even devout Muslims
- “Unremarkable” – having “ordinary” lives and jobs
- Little, if any, criminal history
Reasons for Radicalization
A number of studies assess the reasons for radicalization including the NYPD’s “Radicalization in the West: The Threat of Homegrown Terrorism” and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Laura Grossman’s Homegrown Terrorists in the U.S. and U.K.: An Empirical Examination of the Radicalization Process. Both identify four phases, which begins with pre-radicalization, the period prior to the individual showing any inclination toward extremist Islam. This is followed by the self-identification phase, during which time individuals are influenced by internal and external factors & begin exploring extremist sects of Islam (predominantly Salafi) and gravitate away from their old identity towards individuals with more extreme ideological beliefs as they adopt this ideology as their own. “The catalyst for this ‘religious seeking’ is a cognitive opening, or crisis, which shakes one’s certitude in previously held beliefs.” Indoctrination follows, during which time the individual focuses their time and attention on their faith and spend greater amounts of time with like-minded individuals as a means of strengthening their beliefs. Increased use of the internet is common to this phase as it provides a means to connect to others and learn more about Islam. The last stage, jihadization, begins an individual’s journey as self-professed mujahedeen. Operational planning and preparation go into planning the execution of their plot. A sign of an individual’s decision to commit jihad is their travelling abroad, most likely to a militant training camp. The leaders of the cells often goes to receive training somewhere considered to be within the region containing extremism, predominantly Pakistan, but also Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, or Somalia.Unlike the radicalization process in the Middle East, which is often triggered by oppression, suffering, a wish for revenge or desperation, Western radicalization is often triggered by a need for identity and path or cause towards which they may work as a means of strengthening their identity, giving them a sense of purpose and making their voice heard in a larger context, especially if they feel marginalized.
Radicalization Incubators
These catalysts include:- Economic- losing a job, blocked mobility
- Social- real or perceived alienation, discrimination, racism
- Political- international conflicts involving Muslims with which an individual relates and internalizes as a shared struggle
- Personal- death in the close family
The first two catalysts are the most prevalent issues in Western Europe as second and third generation Muslims are not all well integrated into European society. Living between the society and practices of their country of origin and secular European society, while not belonging to either, individuals may create their identity by adopting a more radical form of Islam. Additionally, the internal conflict between Islam and secular Europe makes individuals vulnerable, thus providing a means for radical Islam to insinuate itself. Second and third generation Muslims in the U.S. are less susceptible to radical Islam as the U.S. is not as firm in its secularity. However, one’s religious roots and cultural identity sometimes takes precedence over assimilation into American society.
Training
Training for potential homegrown terrorists is often very fast paced, even rushed, as some groups under attack by U.S. forces may feel the need to implement operations “more precipitously than they might otherwise occur,” according to Bruce HoffmanBruce Hoffman
Bruce Hoffman is the Director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service and a specialist in the study of terrorism and counter-insurgency...
. This was the case with the Times Square plot
2010 Times Square car bombing attempt
The attempted car bombing of Times Square on May 1, 2010, was a planned terrorist attack that was foiled when two street vendors discovered the car bomb and alerted a NYPD Patrolman to the car bomb threat after they spotted smoke coming from a vehicle...
carried out by Faisal Shazad. Tehrik-i-Taliban or Pakistani Taliban (TPP) was on record as providing financing and four months of training for Shazad directly prior to his actions in Times Square. Shazad reportedly only received three to five days of training in bomb-making.
Some individuals go somewhere considered to be within the region containing extremism, predominantly Pakistan, but also Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, or Somalia. In the case of the London Underground bombers
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
, Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan was the oldest of the four homegrown suicide bombers and believed to be the leader responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, in which bombs were detonated on three London Underground trains and one bus in central London suicide attacks, killing 52 people excluding the...
, the operational leader of the cell, received military and explosives training at a camp in Malakand, Pakistan in July 2003 and later took Shezad Tanweer to Karachi, Pakistan, in late 2004 to February 2005 where they received training at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
Training and usage of recruits is varied. Some like Shazad received little training and ultimately failed in their intent. Others, like sleeper agent David Headley
David Headley
David Coleman Headley, formerly known as Daood Sayed Gilani, is a Chicago-based Pakistani American,who conspired with Lashkar-e-Taibaand, he claims, Pakistani military officers...
’s reconnaissance efforts were essential towards Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
’s (LeT) success in November 2008 Mumbai attacks
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. The lone wolf’s may achieve their objectives, like Abdulhakim Muhammad (née Carlos Bledsoe), who killed a U.S. military recruiter in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Nidal Malik Hasan, but the vast majority of individual operators fail in executing their plans because of lack of training and planning.
Somalian Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab
Al-Shabab is a Saudi Arabian professional football club based in Riyadh. It was founded in 1947, and was named at first Shabab AlRiyadh, but later in 1967 was named Al Shabab. Al Shabab is well known in Saudi Arabia as one of the best in football...
(“the youth”) recruits heavily in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The 30+ Somali-Americans receive training by senior al-Qaeda leaders in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Hoffman believes this indicates that radicalization and recruitment is not an isolated, lone wolf phenomenon unique to Somali-Americans, but that there is terrorist recruitment infrastructure in the United States..
Disadvantages
Disadvantages faced by potential homegrown terrorists are related to their distance from the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, leaving them still relatively isolated. Their operations are somewhat more ad-hoc and may lack comparable financial backing, training, support network, and specialized expertise that may be found in more centralized members of international organizations, as detailed in the previous section. These shortcomings may limit homegrown terrorists from successfully engaging in independent, large-scale attacks, preferring acts that require less preparation, such as Major Nidal Malik Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan, USA is a United States Army officer and sole suspect in the November 5, 2009, Fort Hood shooting, which occurred less than a month before he would have deployed to Afghanistan....
’s November 5, 2009 shooting at Fort Hood Army Base
Fort Hood shooting
The Fort Hood shooting was a mass shooting that took place on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world, located just outside Killeen, Texas. In the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others...
which killed 13 and wounded 30.
Role of the Internet
The internet plays a large role in the radicalization process. The internet has a wide appeal as it provides an anonymous way for like-minded, conflicted individuals can meet, form virtual relations, and discuss the radical and extremist ideology they encounter. The virtual network created in message boards or private forums further radicalizes and cements the jihadi-Salafi message individuals have encountered as they build a community.The internet acts as an enabler, providing the aspiring jihadist with a forum in which they may plan, share information on targets, weapons, and recruit others into their plans. Much of the resources needed to make weapons can be found on-line.
Inspire (magazine)Inspire (magazine)Inspire is an English language online magazine reported to be published by the organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . The use of the magazine is to increase the availability of their message without challenges to their value system. The magazine is one of the many ways AQAP uses the...
"Inspire" is an online English-language magazine published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Purported to be created by Samir Khan, a U.S. citizen and cyber-jihadist, the magazine uses American idioms and phrasing and does not appear to have British or South Asian influences in its language. Plagued by viruses, it began publication in June 2010 and is intended to educate Western readers on Islamic faith, jihad, bombmaking, among other subjects, and to inspire Muslims in the U.S. to launch small-scale attacks.The magazine contains messages calling for western jihadists, like this one from AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi, to "to acquire weapons and learn methods of war. They are living in a place where they can cause great harm to the enemy and where they can support the Messenger of Allah... The means of harming them are many so seek assistance from Allah and do not be weak and you will find a way.”
STRATFOR suggests that the magazine is meant to help acquaint English-speaking individuals with what to expect when traveling to jihadist training camps in the Middle East. This is the result of reports of Westerners who have gone to these camps and have not had positive experiences during the process. These articles are also designed to decrease shock and depression that may occur and recommends bringing a friend to reduce the loneliness of the new environment and learning the local language.
Examples
Australia- Operation Pendennis: Melbourne & Sydney, November 2005.
Though the prosecution did not convict all men charged in Melbourne and Sydney, it forestalled a planned bombing attack.
England
- London Underground BombingAttacks on the London UndergroundThis is a list of deliberate attacks on the infrastructure, staff or passengers of the London Underground that have caused considerable damage, injury or death.-1885 Gower Street bombing:...
: July 2005
Canada
- Toronto 18 Plot: June 2006
Norway
- 2011 Norway attacks2011 Norway attacksThe 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
: July 22, 2011
A right-wing extremist who spoke against Islam and immigration, Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian terrorist, paranoid schizophrenic and the confessed perpetrator of the Norway attacks on 22 July 2011: the bombing of government buildings in Oslo that resulted in eight deaths, and the mass shooting at a camp of the Workers' Youth League of the Labour Party...
was responsible for a car bomb explosion that killed 8 in Oslo and killing 69 at a summer camp on the island of Utøya.
Netherlands
- Theo van GoghTheo van GoghTheo van Gogh is the name of:*Theo van Gogh , brother of the painter Vincent van Gogh*Theo van Gogh , great-grandson of the above...
murder by the Hofstad Group: Amsterdam, November 2004
Spain
- Madrid Train Bombings: March 2004
United States
- Buffalo SixBuffalo SixThe Buffalo Six is a group of six Yemeni-American childhood friends who were convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda, based on the fact they had attended an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan together in the Spring of 2001.They are:*Mukhtar Al-Bakri,*Sahim Alwan,*Faysal...
(aka Lackawanna Six): Lackawanna, NY, arrested in 2002 - José Padilla: detained 2002
- Portland Seven: Oregon: 6/7 arrested 2002
- Northern Virginia PaintballVirginia Jihad NetworkThe Virginia jihad network was a network of jihadists centered in Northern Virginia.Ali al-Timimi was convicted in 2005 of exhorting his followers to join the Taliban and fight US troops. The young men played paintball in 2000 and 2001 as a means of training for holy war around the globe...
: 8/11 arrested 2003 - Herald Square, New York City: August 2004
- Colleen LaRoseColleen LaRoseColleen Renee LaRose , also known as JihadJane and Fatima LaRose, is an American citizen charged with terrorism-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder and providing material support to terrorists. Most recently, she lived in the Philadelphia suburb of Pennsburg, in Montgomery...
, aka 'Jihad Jane,' Fatima LaRose: arrested October 2009, & Jamie Paulin-Ramirez: arrested March 2010, for recruiting individuals for violent jihadJihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
in the West and plotting to murder Swedish artist Lars VilksLars VilksLars Endel Roger Vilks is a Swedish artist. He is best known for his drawings of Muhammed, prophet of Islam.- Personal background :...
, for having made a drawing depicting the Prophet Muhammad's head on the body of a dog. - Little Rock recruiting office shooting2009 Little Rock recruiting office shootingThe 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
: Arkansas, June 2009 - Fort Hood ShootingFort Hood shootingThe Fort Hood shooting was a mass shooting that took place on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, the most populous U.S. military installation in the world, located just outside Killeen, Texas. In the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others...
: TX November 2009 - Farooque AhmedFarooque AhmedFarooque Ahmed is a Pakistani American from Ashburn, Virginia who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly plotting to bomb Washington Metro stations at Arlington cemetery, Pentagon City, Crystal City and Court House...
: arrested October 2010 for plotting to bomb the Washington, D.C. metro system stations at Arlington cemetery, Pentagon City, Crystal City and Court House.
Further reading
- Jerome P. Bjelopera and Mark A. Randol, American Jihadist Terrorism: Combating a Complex Threat, September 20, 2010.
- Paul Cruickshank and Nic RobertsonNic RobertsonNic Robertson is a Senior International Correspondent at CNN.Nic started his career in broadcasting in 1984 within the engineering arm of the UK's Independent Broadcasting Authority He then worked as an engineer with TV-AM until 1989.Nic began his career at CNN in 1989, starting as a satellite...
, The spread of U.S. homegrown terrorism, May 11, 2010 - National Counterterrorism Center
- Rick "Ozzie" Nelson,Terrorism Fact Sheet, January 22, 2010
- Islamic Extremism in the United StatesIslamic extremism in the United StatesIslamic extremism is a term used to describe adherence to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and can include the promotion of violence to achieve political goals . In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Islamic extremism became a central national security concern of the...