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Source: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/gartenstein-ross-daveed-the-myth-of-lone-wolf-terrorism/
The Myth of Lone-Wolf Terrorism in Europe
(Foreign Affairs) Daveed Gartenstein-Ross - Analysts have been quick to label the recent terror attacks in Europe as perpetrated by lone wolves: individuals who lacked substantial connections to ISIS or other jihadist groups and who carried out their operations without the assistance of others. Yet the individuals labeled lone wolves are often later found to have been in communication with other militants. With the social media boom and the growth in encrypted communications, radicalization and operational planning can easily take place entirely online. The failure to identify common ties between supposed lone wolves and ISIS is part of a broader and long-standing pattern of underestimating the scope of jihadist networks in the West. Few of the jihadists labeled lone wolves truly fit that definition. The writer is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.