On February 12, Solejman Talovic opened fire in the Trolley Square shopping mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, killing five people and wounding four others. The teenager was armed with a shotgun, a pistol, and several rounds of ammunition concealed inside a backpack. According to witnesses, Talovic, an 18 year-old Bosnian Muslim immigrant, appeared determined to kill as many people as possible. Talovic calmly moved throughout the mall until he was eventually cornered and killed by police.
The media has continued to speculate about possible motives for the attack, primarily highlighting Talovic’s past as a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre of approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war. Following the incident, authorities quickly stated that there was no reason to believe the shooting was connected to terrorism. However, as police are unable to determine a motive for the attack, the possibility remains that the mall shooting may have been a lone attack inspired by the jihadist ideology.
Previous Lone Wolf Attacks
The United States has previously experienced several instances of possible jihadist-inspired lone wolf attacks:
On October 1, 2005, a bomb exploded outside the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium of Oklahoma University. Joel Henry Hinrichs III, a student at the university, blew himself up on a park bench approximately 30 yards from the entrance. According to witnesses, Hinrichs made several attempts to enter the stadium however, he was denied entry for refusing to allow guards to search his backpack. Upon a search of Hinrichs’ apartment, authorities discovered bomb-making materials, downloaded information on weapons and explosives, and notes indicating his intention to harm others.
On March 3, 2006, an Iranian man drove a Jeep Cherokee into a crowd of students at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (Terrorist Attack). Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, a graduate of the university, called 911 a few minutes after the incident to surrender. Taheri-azar told authorities that he wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims and punish the US government for its actions. He later sent a letter from prison to ABC11 Eyewitness News declaring his motivation for the attack, stating “Allah gives permission in the Koran for the followers of Allah to attack those who have waged war against them…”
On June 16, 2006, Mujtaba Rabbani Jabbar shot and killed Jewish-American Paul Schrum at a movie theater in Owings Mills, Maryland.
In each of these instances, authorities have downplayed the significance of the event due to the lack of a direct connection to a terrorist organization or have attributed the attack to mental illness.
The Lone Jihad Tactic
Al-Qaeda and other militant groups have long advocated the idea of lone-wolf attacks. Leaders of such groups have continuously preached to their followers that the Jihad against the Zionist-Crusader alliance is up to the them, as part of an effort to provoke individuals to carry out attacks within their reach. Militants have posted instructional guides on the Internet that encourage individual extremists to carry out attacks, suggesting the use of simple tactics, to include stabbing with a knife and running over someone with a car (TWW).
Thus, sympathizers without a direct connection to a terrorist organization may be inspired by such groups and their ideology to carry out an attack. These lone individuals pose a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies, as they are difficult to identify and track. While only a few instances of such lone attacks have occurred in the US, successful attacks may prompt others to engage in similar acts, thus increasing the threat posed to the country.