The friends, family, and neighbors of would-be terrorists are more likely than the security services to know if something is amiss, so governments must gain their trust. Second, governments should build strong relationships between Muslim communities and law enforcement agencies. Terrorists are far more likely to succeed if they can coordinate with others, especially if they have the help of an organized group, such as ISIS. First, they should work to keep lone wolves isolated. In both the United States and Europe, they are fueling Islamophobia, isolating Muslim communities, and empowering populist demagogues.Īlthough lone-wolf attacks are hard to prevent, governments in the West can do several things to make them less likely and to prepare for those that do occur. And although lone wolves usually kill few people, they have an outsize political impact. And it won’t fall anytime soon: ISIS has embraced the tactic, and recent successes may well inspire copycats. Lone wolves are an old problem, but in recent decades, the number of attacks by them has grown. Nevertheless, the label is important: terrorists who act without external guidance pose a different threat, and call for a different policy response, than do those who are directed by an extremist group. In reality, few lone wolves truly act alone: Farook and Malik were a married couple, and some security officials believe that Bouhlel had been in contact with suspected extremists in his neighborhood. Analysts traditionally define a lone wolf as a terrorist who is not part of a group or directed by an outside organization.

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