Historical Aspects and Evolution of Lone-Actor Violence

Scholars offer differing views on the origins of lone-actor terrorism, variously tracing its roots to anarchist loners of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, idiosyncratic loners of the post-World War II period, radical right-wing loners of the 1980s, or jihadist loners of the post-9/11 era. Key aspects of each historical explanation are considered in this chapter, along with a discussion of how lone-actor terrorism has evolved over time. The analysis suggests that lone-actor terrorists are motivated by the martyring of other lone terrorists, the copycatting of lone terrorists from the past, and ideological belonging within extremist movements—all of which evolves in a remarkably uniform fashion across time and space, cultures, and mass media technologies. Special attention is given to idiosyncratic loners who evince a tendency to broadcast their intent to commit terrorism in the weeks, days, hours, and even minutes before an attack. Broadcasting intent has important implications for prevention: if lone-actor terrorists typically announce their intentions to commit violence beforehand, then presumably steps can be taken to stop them.