Lone Wolf Terrorists Are Impossible to Stop

Last week’s shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. is the latest example of a crime committed by what law enforcement officials describe as a “lone wolf” terrorist. The shooter, James W. Von Brunn, fits the profile perfectly. Desperate for money and addicted to hatred, he blames Jews for his plight. The week before, the attack on a Little Rock Arkansas Army recruiting station illustrates how Muslim terrorists perform Jihad, or Holy War, against Americans. Even though American Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad had recently traveled to Yemen on a forged Somali passport, he acted alone when he killed one soldier and seriously wounded another. Whether he is part of a larger conspiracy has yet to be determined. Once alerted to Muhammad’s arrest in Yemen, the FBI launched an investigation into his activities. Despite this, Muhammad managed to obtain several firearms and shoot the two young Army recruits who were acting as hometown recruiters. Like Muhammad, other Muslim fanatic lone wolves have sought their prey within this country. In my space restraints, I can only scratch the surface in making my point that these individuals are hard to detect, and almost impossible to stop. For example, in 1993, Pakistani National Mir Amal Kansi had heard enough on the news about what he perceived as mistreatment of fellow Muslims by Americans, and decided to take action. He purchased an AK-47 rifle from a Virginia gun dealer. One morning he laid in wait outside CIA headquarters and walked up to a line of stopped vehicles in a left turn lane that led into the secure complex. He opened fire on the occupants of the vehicles, killing two and wounding several others. Kansi reasoned that all were probably CIA employees, and he was right. He immediately fled to Pakistan, where he was finally arrested years later after an exhaustive FBI manhunt, and returned to Virginia to stand trial. He was found guilty and executed for his crimes. On July 4, 2002, an Egyptian Muslim immigrant, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, living in Irvine, California, also found himself in financial straits. His limousine service business was failing, he had family problems, and in general his life was in the toilet. After apparently having thoughts of suicide, he decided instead to become a Jihad warrior. He drove to the Tom Bradley international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport and calmly got in line at the El Al ticket counter, where he reasoned he’d find Israelis returning home. He pulled out a .45-caliber pistol and shot six people, killing two of them. An alert El Al security guard shot and killed Hadayet before he could do any more damage. Los Angeles political figures called it an “isolated incident,” and police authorities could not find a connection with al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization. I spoke with an Irvine Police detective I knew, who helped search Hadayet’s residence, and he told me there was nothing to indicate Hadayet was a member of any terrorist organization. When a Muslim fanatic wakes up in the morning and decides to perform Jihad, it is impossible for law enforcement to stop them. Lone wolves do not share their intentions, and they rarely engage in a larger conspiracy, making it improbable to learn their plot. I predict other lone wolves will emerge in the coming years. Most Muslim lone wolves do not have the wherewithal, time, money or intention to contact Osama bin Laden to seek his permission to do their deadly deeds. Surely Hadayet and Von Brunn did not expect to survive events at LAX and the Holocaust museum. (Von Brunn is in critical condition with a gunshot wound as of this writing.) Their actions are akin to suicide bombers detonating an explosive vest under their jacket in a crowded restaurant. Muslim lone wolves get their inspiration from al Qaeda and sick mullahs who fan the flames of hatred. Christian lone wolves are quick to blame government and Jews for their despair. These people serve as force multipliers for domestic and transnational terrorist organizations when their miserable lives turn them to violence against Americans.