London Lone Wolf Attack

Why in news?

A lone wolf attack at a park in Reading, London killed three people.

What was British government’s move?

It has been declared as a terror incident
In November 2019, the British government reduced the official threat level from “severe” to “substantial”.
This reduction means attacks could happen but there was no intelligence of an immediate terror strike.
Since then, the country has seen three major incidents, including the recent Reading attack.
Lone wolf attacks are hard to detect and prevent.

Why does terrorist organisations use this tactic?

These are attacks in which extremist individuals translate their beliefs into violent actions.
In coordinated terror attacks, the chances of competent intelligence agencies detecting the perpetrators are much higher.
In these attacks, the attacker either used vehicles to run over people or launched knife attacks.
Terrorist organisations embraced this tactic to spread violence in countries where coordinated big attacks are impossible.
The territories the Islamic States controlled in Iraq and Syria started shrinking in the wake of counter-attacks in 2015 and 2016.
So, it urged its supporters first to launch attacks in western cities and then declare allegiance to the ‘Caliph’.
British authorities had foiled some knife attacks since the 2013 killing of a soldier in London.
But, lone wolf attacks continue to pose a security challenge to the public and the government.
In all the last three knife attacks, the attackers were known to the agencies.

What could be done?

The government and the security agencies need to adopt a multi-pronged approach towards radicalisation.
There needs to be intense deradicalisation programmes.
Enhancing surveillance and safety structures might help temporarily.
But, building a broader acceptance for other cultures is key to liberal democratic ethos.

Source: The Hindu