Extremist lone-wolf killers pose ‘more serious threat’ than Islamists, study claims

Nationalist ‘lone-wolf’ killers are much more deadly than terrorists acting alone with an Islamist agenda, according to a security think tank.

Far-right extremists pose a serious threat in Europe and should not be downplayed, a study by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) argues.

The authors of Countering Lone Actor Terrorism say that between 2000 and 2014, far-right attackers acting on their own initiative killed 94 people and injured 260.

By comparison, lone-wolf Islamists killed 16 and injured 65.

The report warns that “right-wing extremists represent a substantial aspect of the lone actor threat and must not be overlooked” and identifies 98 separate plots and 72 attacks in 30 European states over the period in question.

The RUSI study warns there is “too much focus” on Islamist-inspired attacks compared to other kinds of violence.

“The media, and consequently public attention, is largely focused on violent Islamist extremists; while this may reflect the broader threat, it is at odds with that from lone actor terrorism,” it says.

The study also found that lone-wolf attacks are the hardest to predict and counter.

It said the mode of attacks presents “acute challenges for law enforcement practitioners in detection and disruption”.

“By definition, they [lone-wolves] act without direct command and control from a wider network, and it is assumed that without such communications they may evade the ‘tripwires’ that would usually bring them to the attention of the authorities.”

The study adds: “It was established that 40 per cent of right-wing extremists were uncovered by an element of chance, as part of an investigation into other offences or because the perpetrator accidentally detonated a device, drawing attention to his or her activities.

“Although chance was also evident in some examples of religiously inspired terrorism, overall 88 per cent of interventions were intelligence-led, suggesting a clear disparity,” the report says.

The RUSI report is the result of detailed examination of terrorist plots and attacks across Europe and is being constantly updated.

They include the killing of 77 and injuring of 242 people in Norway by Anders Breivik in July 2011 in shooting and bomb attacks fuelled by his right-wing views and belief in the Islamisation of Europe.

While full details are as yet unknown, the alleged killer of Labour MP Jo Cox last week is thought to be a far-right extremist.

Thomas Mair, 52, who has links to neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, reportedly shouted “Britain first” while he allegedly repeatedly stabbed, shot and dragged Mrs Cox down the street by her hair.

It is not yet known whether he was referring to the far-right group of the same name — Britain First — which denounced the killer’s actions.

FACTFILE: LONE WOLF ATTACKS IN EUROPE

— During late 1991 and early 1992 in Sweden, right-wing Swiss-German immigrant John Ausonius shot eleven dark-skinned people, killing one.

— In February 1992, RUC Constable Allen Moore shot three Catholic men dead with a shotgun in the Belfast Sinn Féin head office on Falls Road. Moore committed suicide shortly afterwards before arrest.[22]

— Between 1993 and 1997 in Austria, Franz Fuchs engaged in a campaign against foreigners, and organisations and individuals he believed to be friendly to foreigners. He killed four people and injured 15, some seriously, using three improvised explosive devices and five waves of 25 mail bombs in total.

— In April 1999 in London, David Copeland targeted blacks, Asians and gays with nail bombs, killing three and injuring 129. His aim was to start a race war. He was sentenced to at least 50 years and is now in a secure mental hospital.

— On May 6, 2002, in the Netherlands, nine days before elections, Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was murdered by Volkert van der Graaf, who said that he killed the politician for his having exploited Muslims as “scapegoats”.

— On March 2, 2011, in Germany, Arid Uka shot and killed two United States soldiers and seriousl