Lone Wolf: Passing Fad or Terror Threat of the Future?

Although terror attacks conducted by individuals are not a new phenomenon, recent years have seen an alarming increase in these “lone-wolf“ incidents. The Islamic State, for instance, has been proactive in using its global tentacles to conscript individuals to carry out attacks in its name. Meanwhile, in Israel, solo operators unaffiliated with organized terror groups have taken to carrying out attacks with the weapons at hand—cars, knives, homemade. The question we face is whether such attacks indicate a growing trend or are simply another passing fad in the annals of terrorist activity. To discuss this phenomenon, The Washington Institute hosted a Policy Forum with Boaz Ganor, Bruce Hoffman, Marlene Mazel, and Matthew Levitt.