It was only a matter of time. The Lone Wolf was bound to strike and he will probably not be the last. As long as radicals feel that only death and destruction will make change, we must be on guard.
Fanatics with radical beliefs or extreme views chose violence as a platform. The seemingly common and "safe" environments now become battlegrounds (or killing fields). Anders Behring Breivik has joined the infamous group of murderers that step from the darkness trying to change the world. In his actions, he affects many but accomplishes none of his goals. The change he sought will never happen, not as he planned it, but change is coming.
The Security professional now more then ever must be geared to anticipate and plan for such incidents. Again our Brothers and Sisters in blue are doing all that can be done but theirs is a mostly reactive role. Ever vigilant watchers must be on guard to help detect and report suspicious activity and hopefully stop such home grown terrorists before they can do damage.
Security awareness can not guarantee success in this fight against emotional or irrational individuals but it is a front line tool.
No doubt this attack will spawn more such Lone Wolf behavior, the media will fill the nightly news with the story of such mad men and we will know their faces, they are likely to have their own theme music and back story special. They will become stars, evil stars but stars none the less, recognised the word over even if only for a short time.
We are a nation of media junkies. Our televisions, lap tops and phones now stream images and information at the speed of light. Fame can be a powerful motivator. Copy cat attacks can be "crafted" by the Terrorists (or 3 C's. Criminals-Crazies-Crusaders) to suit their needs be it a political agenda or ego. Heaven help us.
Learn from the actions (or inaction's) of others, plan and pass on what you know. Make it your business to know what such people might do, and can do. Spread that knowledge to others in the field. Each of us is a mentor, a trainer or a sounding board. This is our business, we need to take notice and grow stronger professionally every time something like this happens. A new breed of fifth column troops is now planning war against us and the world. They would attack the most innocent among us, the children, they kill for the sake of hatred, politics, religion or fame. As much as it seems a violation of our right to free speech, we can never take for granted the statements, writings or actions of others, we need to take notice. Moreover although it is maddening to think we could detect the next attacker in a world full of potential attackers, we owe it to those we protect to try. This kind of terror knows no nationality, it has no color, race or religion. It is purely criminal to spite what name the attacker hangs on it.
I was walking the streets of Manhattan last week and found myself in the theater district, oh man did I feel like a number. How easy it would be for another such mad man to make a name for himself in such an environment. As I looked around, I saw at least twenty people that made my "spidie" sense tingle. What could I do? Nothing of course, nothing but take it in, nothing to actually stop an incident. However, maybe one of the twenty might be pulled out of a line up with my help, or identified on some fuzzy surveillance video and this might help with some investigative process. The fact is, I can still do something. Even if that something is being a witness before, during or after an incident. As a practised professional observer, my contributions could be invaluable, as are yours. This is a big part of what we do.
Every day we watch, hunting for the tell tale signs of human behaviour that make some people stand out. If we are lucky we act on it and change the outcome of an other wise tragic event.
What possesses a man to chose an act of violence instead of reasonable discourse and conversation? I'm sure I will never know. I only know I resent it and despise it with every fiber of my being. We do not live in a video game and children are not targets.
Those of us with children feel for the families of the victims in Norway. Any reasonable person would have compassion after the fact.
Have you ever watched a new mother with a child on the playground? How she hangs over her child almost like a Sheppard watching the flock, ready to pull the child back from any danger. Such is security work, be it on a different scale. We must adapt the same mentality, the old days of expecting harmony and understanding from strangers died with the likes of the fictitious Mayberry as I like to say. There are few such places like that anymore. Our world is not as safe as it once was. Our sheep must be watched with new vigor, wolves prowl our flock.
Grant them peace in Norway, our thoughts are with you.
RJ
