Targeted act's of revenge based terrorism continue, what is next?

For those of you who follow me closely, you know that I have been writing and talking about the increases in targeted acts of revenge based terrorism and attacks. For those of you who might be new to this idea, here is an article I wrote for "The Journal of Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security International" a few months back.

Recently an attack took place in France in which a Chechen Terrorist targeted and brutally killed a Teacher who had shown images of a cartoon version of the Prophet Mohammad, which was referenced back the the Charlie Hebdo Magazine satirical version a few years back. SkyNew's is now indicating in a recent article that this attack on the teacher was based on revenge. According to the article, linked above, the "Investigators say the 18-year-old attacker, Abdullah Anzorov - who was shot dead by police - had been seeking to avenge his victim's use of the images." Several others are being charged in connection with this case including two students who helped identify the teacher for the terrorist. It is my guess at this point that these two students may have had a grievance against this teacher as well, time will tell. It should be noted that they appear to have been compensated by the terrorist for their help in identifying the teacher.

Earlier this year, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ADF forces targeted and killed eleven Christian Missionaries as retribution for past DRC Military actions against ADF forces. The Christian Missionaries had nothing to do with any DRC Military actions, yet they suffered as a result.

As we approach the 2020 US elections, now just 12 days away, all indications are that there will be no winner declared on or around the night of the election. What will this present our nation with? How will people react? What should we expect? There is no question, regardless of when we find out who wins, there will be millions of people who may not accept the results. Within those millions of people, how many will hold grievances? How many will not be able to deal with the results of their candidate losing? What actions will they take? Will those actions inflict harm?

Groups on the extreme right and the extreme left are both capable carrying out domestic terror attacks. Given the politically charged environment in which we live, acts of targeted violence are likely to be seen. The warning signs are out there right now, but who is looking for them? The warning signs are probably being shared on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media venues but would you know those warning signs you saw them? With whom would you share that information? No doubt our First Responders will be ready to respond as they are simply the best! As great as First Responders are, they need community members to help, they need First Preventors! They need people who see and know information regarding these warning signs and who able to share the right information with the right people.

As these targeted acts of revenge based terrorism continue throughout the world and here in the United States, we must be aware that this is occurring and that there are those among us who are eternally grieved and ready to act on that grievance. These attacks may be in the form of school or workplace violence, mass shootings in public spaces, vehicle borne attacks, misinformation and disinformation campaigns, street assaults against people, businesses or Politicians. These attacks will be planned and more than likely follow the Calhoun & Weston Model which walks through the pathway to violence (DHS Video).

I firmly believe that we are seeing the emergence of the Fifth wave of Terrorism, revenge based, and that we are migrating away from the religious aspects of terror based attacks. People can hold a grievance for a long time or they can be easily persuaded that they have been the victim of something and should therefore they should act on that with violence. It is easy to radicalize someone who feels they have been wronged, insulted, deprived or who is mentally incapable of processing perceived injustices.

We all must be prepared and ready to identify warning signs and emerging threats during htis election cycle and well into 2021 and beyond. My instinct tells me that more people are going to feel grieved and therefore seek some type of revenge against someone or some group. Whether that grievance is based on political ideology, hatred, racism, injustice or being passed over for a job promotion, a revenge based attack will be deadly and potentially far reaching.

I know our First Responders are prepared to respond if and when called upon. Are we, members of the community, prepared to help prevent if we happen to discover information that could potentially save lives? What will you do? Do you have a plan?

This is an opinion article and the views expressed are my own. I am more than happy to engage in a professional debate or discussion if anyone is so inclined. This is not a political piece, I am not taking any side, so please do not read any political aspects into this.

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Jason Destein

Owner | Director of Violence Prevention Strategies at Securable Alternatives