|  Gregory D. Lee Read Greg's bio and previous columns here
June 12, 2009
Lone Wolf Terrorists Are Impossible to Stop
This 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.
Last week’s 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.
Gregory D. Lee is a retired DEA Supervisory Special Agent who
worked in Pakistan and helped the FBI in the Mir Amal Kansi investigation.
He can be contacted at info@gregorydlee.com.
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