Weaponizing People: Terrorist Group Inciting Lone-Wolf Threats
The year 2024 revealed that, while the global terrorism landscape in the United States has evolved since 9/11, the religious roots, deep-seated motivations, and radical ideology of Salafi Jihadism have dangerously adapted to artificial intelligence (AI)-driven online platforms, inciting its followers in the West to carry out lone-wolf attacks on critical infrastructures and crowds of civilians. The deadly vehicular attack by Shamsud-Din Jabbar during New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans not only represents a grim milestone in the resurgence of ISIS ideology, but also underscores the urgent need for U.S. counterterrorism authorities to devise innovative strategies for the early detection and prevention of such IS-inspired massacres.
It is highly probable that in 2025 the threat posed by domestic violent extremists (DVEs) and homegrown violent extremists (HVEs), radicalized within the U.S. and inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), will remain significant and continue to jeopardize U.S. national security. Consequently, the fight against global Sunni terrorist groups, such as ISIS, its Khorasan branch (ISKP or ISIS-K), and al-Qaeda will undoubtedly remain a top priority on the U.S. security agenda, as it represents an ongoing struggle against religious extremists who distort the surahs and ayahs of the Holy Quran to advance their goal of establishing a unified Islamic Caliphate governed by a purist (Salafi) interpretation of Sharia law, reminiscent of the era of the Prophet Muhammad
Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s background, radicalization trajectory, and methods of executing his deadly terror attack closely mirror those of Omar Mateen, who perpetrated the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 50 people and injuring 53 others. Both Jabbar and Mateen, individuals of Muslim heritage born, raised, and educated in the U.S., exhibit striking similarities in their personal trajectories. Both faced turbulent relationships and deep-seated personal grievances, including divorces, and during critical moments of vulnerability, turned to the online world in search of solace and psychological peace. This digital engagement made them susceptible to the influence of the Islamic State, ultimately transforming them into violent lone wolves responsible for heinous acts of terror.
An analysis of religiously motivated terrorism in the U.S. reveals that lone-wolf attacks by American citizens occur at a markedly higher rate than those committed by Muslim migrants from Central and Southeast Asia or the Arab nations of the Middle East. This disparity can likely be attributed to U.S. citizens’ easier access to firearms and explosives, as opposed to foreign migrants, who are subject to constant and rigorous surveillance by U.S. counterterrorism forces.
The expectation for 2025 is that the U.S., leveraging its position as a global leader in digital AI innovation and advanced technological development, has to spearhead the creation of sophisticated online mechanisms to disrupt ISIS’s highly adaptive radicalization and recruitment strategies. Consequently, preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) will remain a cornerstone in addressing the rise of a new generation of lone wolves and ISIS sympathizers intent on executing deadly attacks in the West and elsewhere, well into 2025 and beyond.
Jabbar’s recent act of mass violence underscores that, despite the collapse of its territorial “Caliphate” and the loss of four successive Caliphs, ISIS is undergoing a strategic metamorphosis, adapting ingeniously to global realities while stealthily propagating its militant Salafi ideology across the West. The internet now functions as ISIS’s virtual military camp, recruitment hub, and operational command center for orchestrating attacks.
As long as ISIS and Al Qaeda continue to operate online, we can expect more destructive lone-wolf attacks in both the near and distant future. Despite President Trump’s claim that ISIS has been destroyed 100 percent, the group’s Salafi-Jihadi ideology and propaganda remain firmly entrenched in the digital realm, fueling new waves of lone-wolf terrorism. Fighting an ideology rooted in faith and belief is far more complex and challenging than the physical elimination of a terrorist organization. In 2025, the struggle for the hearts and minds of susceptible individuals is likely to escalate, requiring innovative and relentless efforts to counter extremist narratives.
Source » hstoday.us
