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Lone Wolf Attack

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Introduction

A lone wolf is a lone fighter, lone-actor bomber, or an individual who plans and executes violent activities without the support of any group or command structure. They may be affected or inspired by an external group’s ideology and views, and they may act in support of that group. Even though a lone wolf acts to promote an extremist group’s intellectual or philosophical convictions, they do so on their own, with no outside order or instruction. 

  • In many circumstances, the lone wolf’s strategies and methods are devised and directed alone by them. 
  • The lone wolf never interacts with the group with whom they identify. As a result, gathering intelligence on lone wolves is far more difficult for counter-terrorism officials, as they may not encounter standard surveillance.
  • The revocation of special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Articles 370 and 35A, as well as the Indian Air Force’s “Surgical Strike” on non-military targets within Pakistan, have significantly increased the threat posed by these groups. 
  • Central intelligence services have issued a high alert to security personnel, warning of probable lone wolf strikes by Islamic State (IS) operatives targeting high-risk personalities. 
  • The caution warned of a frustrated individual turning to extreme measures due to the IS progress in radicalising a few Indian youths and enticing some sectors of the local population/Indian diaspora to join in its operations or fund terrorist groups operating in India.