ABHA: Maher Al-Burdi, an academic and researcher in the field of terrorism, says that extremist groups are increasingly focusing on recruiting "lone wolves" after coming under pressure from international law enforcement agencies.
These groups have started to focus on the younger generation through brainwashing that precedes the final recruitment phase in “the making of lone wolves.”
“We find that extremist groups have resorted to achieve this goal through planting scattered small cells that may consist of one or two members in some cells in many countries in the world,” said Al-Burdi.
The groups also use social networking sites that narrate their reality, strength and alleged heroism in recruiting young men, playing the emotional card and appealing to religious sentiments.
Al-Burdi said many young people have negative tendencies due to their psychological and intellectual conditions, which are affected by family, social and educational factors. These factors contribute to their aggressive behavior that runs counter to the nature of the society in which they live.
Once the young man has a willingness and an already established predisposition toward savagery, extremist groups find it easy to recruit him as a lone wolf anywhere in the world. The man is ready to do the group’s bidding.
He indicates that the bombing of several mosques in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or even Brussels, Paris, and America, or the attacks that killed police officers and relatives were examples of these groups’ ability in creating as many lone wolves as possible anywhere in the world. These groups are able to fulfill their agendas and goals from a distance, saving them time, effort and money.
“We also find that these lone wolves, in turn, perform their part perfectly, right at home, without having to travel and take extra risks. These extremist groups have even issued a fatwa for these lone wolves to fight wherever they are, aiming to spread chaos and terror in the world, and prove how strong they are, and that they can reach anywhere they want without costing anything except pledging allegiance to the groups’ leader to become one of their loyal members,” he added.
To stop these men in their tracks, “we needs an international effort and security cooperation by monitoring and controlling social media sites, especially suspicious accounts through a system that helps to keep track of these accounts and their sources,” Al-Burdi said.
He emphasized the important role of the family through monitoring their sons’ accounts and fixing certain periods for them to surf the Internet and social networking sites. It is also important to hold educational sessions through seminars and lectures for families to become familiar with the ways and methods these groups use.
These groups have started to focus on the younger generation through brainwashing that precedes the final recruitment phase in “the making of lone wolves.”
“We find that extremist groups have resorted to achieve this goal through planting scattered small cells that may consist of one or two members in some cells in many countries in the world,” said Al-Burdi.
The groups also use social networking sites that narrate their reality, strength and alleged heroism in recruiting young men, playing the emotional card and appealing to religious sentiments.
Al-Burdi said many young people have negative tendencies due to their psychological and intellectual conditions, which are affected by family, social and educational factors. These factors contribute to their aggressive behavior that runs counter to the nature of the society in which they live.
Once the young man has a willingness and an already established predisposition toward savagery, extremist groups find it easy to recruit him as a lone wolf anywhere in the world. The man is ready to do the group’s bidding.
He indicates that the bombing of several mosques in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or even Brussels, Paris, and America, or the attacks that killed police officers and relatives were examples of these groups’ ability in creating as many lone wolves as possible anywhere in the world. These groups are able to fulfill their agendas and goals from a distance, saving them time, effort and money.
“We also find that these lone wolves, in turn, perform their part perfectly, right at home, without having to travel and take extra risks. These extremist groups have even issued a fatwa for these lone wolves to fight wherever they are, aiming to spread chaos and terror in the world, and prove how strong they are, and that they can reach anywhere they want without costing anything except pledging allegiance to the groups’ leader to become one of their loyal members,” he added.
To stop these men in their tracks, “we needs an international effort and security cooperation by monitoring and controlling social media sites, especially suspicious accounts through a system that helps to keep track of these accounts and their sources,” Al-Burdi said.
He emphasized the important role of the family through monitoring their sons’ accounts and fixing certain periods for them to surf the Internet and social networking sites. It is also important to hold educational sessions through seminars and lectures for families to become familiar with the ways and methods these groups use.
