- MUST READS
- PRODUCTS
- RESOURCES
- MULTIMEDIA
- ENFACTLOPEDIA
- FSM AUTHORS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
- FSM BLOG
- DONATE
- PRESS COVERAGE
SEARCH FSM
- IN THIS SECTION
November 6, 2009
Exclusive: Terrorism at Fort Hood: More Attacks to Come
Yesterday a tragedy occurred on U.S. soil. Fort Hood was attacked. Suspect Major Nidal Malik Hasan was a psychiatrist getting ready to be deployed overseas. He had recently been moved from Walter Reed Hospital to Fort Hood Texas (Castro and Barrett, 2009). Federal law enforcement knew of Hasan due to some inflammatory postings made using his name several months before the shootings. In the postings, it was said that Hasan spoke positively of suicide bombings (Blackledge, 2009). At this point, all the facts are not in, but clearly, something went terribly wrong at Fort Hood.
Police and Military are prized targets in terrorism. Just one day before this shooting, five British soldiers were gunned down by an Afghan police officer at a checkpoint (Partlow, 2009). He was a terror member who had infiltrated for the sole purpose of killing infidels, according to the Taliban. This tactic of infiltration is not new. Notorious terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri has always spoken of infiltrating the enemy’s military, knowing that doing so would inflict horrific damage (Schurman-Kauflin, 2008).
This is something that will be seen within the U.S. more often. Whether an individual betrays his country and turns his loyalties while serving in the armed forces, or whether the mole intentionally joins law enforcement or the military with the intent to cause destruction, attacking a military post or police department is a major victory for terrorists. Because military and police represent strength and protection, to attack at these locales sends a message that your protectors cannot protect themselves. It is meant to frighten and degrade.
Just like Imad Mugniyah’s vision and completion of the U.S. Marine barracks attack in Lebanon, many terrorists specifically attempt to hit military targets. In the last several years, U.S. law enforcement has uncovered numerous plots to attack our military. One was bound to succeed. And radicals will not stop here. Now that there has been a successful attack, others will be emboldened and follow. However, military installations are not the only ones at risk. Police departments are assuredly hot targets, especially from car bomb attacks.
When examining terror patterns worldwide, one finds devastating impacts when military bases, police stations, and checkpoints are attacked. In 2003, Dilnoza Holmuradova killed forty seven people, including ten police officers. Holmuradova came from a middle class home and was well educated. Speaking several languages, she even had attended the police academy. On January 7, 2004, a female Tamil Tiger LTTE entered the Sri Lanka Police Station and detonated herself killing five and injuring eleven. On June 5, 2004, extremists disguised as police entered the Musayyib Police Station and killed seven people. On June 9, 2004, Islamic radicals put a bomb under a police car which resulted in the deaths of three people. On January 2, 2008 extremists bombed an Algeria police department killing five (Schurman-Kauflin, 2008).
These are straight forward attacks carried out by outsiders, but the damage is much higher when it comes from within. That is why infiltration is so damning. In my book Disturbed: Terrorist Behavioral Profiles, I discuss how moles maneuver into sensitive jobs as well as their behaviors in those jobs. Infiltrators try very hard not to show their proclivities, yet in reality, they cannot help but leak their intentions. They will speak positively about a terror group or attacks. They come to the defense and justify attacks caused by the group with which they sympathize. They will ‘feel out’ potential allies by asking them how they view the terror group. If the person is agreeable, then the moles look to that person to get information or access to that which they may not normally have.
Usually they work very hard to be good workers/soldiers/police officers. They do not want to draw too much attention to themselves if they can help it, and so they try very diligently to be good at what they do. However, there is a tendency to be less than stellar in their roles due to the excessive amount of time spent spying. Basically, if someone is so busy sneaking around and gathering data, it becomes nearly impossible to get all required work done. Work piles up, and the mole attempts to deflect suspicion by offering to work late or pick up extra hours on the weekend.
Amazingly, infiltrators will outright use their employers’ resources to assist their preferred terror group. There have been cases where moles have used the employers’ copy machines to create terror manuals for the group. It is not uncommon for them to be caught doing this, yet the events either are not officially reported or no action is taken against the offenders.
Why did federal investigators not take action before the attack? Time will tell why this event slipped under the radar. As previously mentioned, it is not uncommon for infiltrators to slip up and show their true intentions. Yet time after time, they are ignored. Overwhelmed and understaffed law enforcement can have great difficulty keeping up with all threats, and moles usually are not at the top of the threat list. However, their roles are critical. Whether they pass information or actually carry out an attack, once moles have infiltrated they become extremely dangerous.
Is it possible that the Fort Hood shooter was not working with a large terror group? Of course. One does not have to be a member of a large organization to be a terrorist. If the actions further the cause of the terror group and the actions are meant to further the cause, those who carry out those attacks are terrorists. To dismiss this attack as the act of one crazy gunman would be perilous. Small cells have plotted to hit U.S. Military targets with increasing numbers. And there are more waiting in the wings. Look for police stations to be hit in the future.
What we can learn from this attack is that mass killers can strike anywhere and at any time. But there are warning signs. These alarms are invariably raised before an attack, yet they can be subtle. Knowing infiltrator characteristics can be one way of zeroing in on an offender before he kills his victims. Understanding that we live in a difficult time in which psychopathic predators will do anything to inflict damage makes one open to many possible attack scenarios. Education, investigative diligence, and watchfulness can help in the effort to avoid future massacres.
References:
Blackledge, Brett J. (2009). “Troubling portrait emerges of Fort Hood suspect,” Associated Press, Thursday November 5, 2009, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fort_hood_shooting_suspect
Castro, April and Barrett, Delvin, (2009). “Army: 12 dead, 31 hurt in attack at Fort Hood,” Associated Press, Thursday November 5, 2009, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fort_hood_shooting
Partlow, Joshua, (2009). “5 British soldiers slain by Afghan Policeman,” Washington Post Foreign Service, Thursday November 5, 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110400208.html?wprss=rss_world
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, Ph.D., heads the Violent Crimes Institute, and is author of The New Predator, Vulture and Disturbed: Terrorist Behavioral Profiles.
Reader Comments: Submit Your Comment (2)
I would suggest the Beltway Snipers as a perfect example of what armed terrorist can do in our country. With few resources and supplies, they put an entire region in terror.
Also, I think Hasan chose his target[Soldier Readiness Center] for a more pyschology aspect than pure numbers. As a psychiatrist, he knew the doubt he would create in departing soldiers, who they could 'trust' when deployed.
If our government cannot recognize and deal with a terrorist in their midst, we have serious problems. this guy was walking around in Muslim clothing in the store, spouting his treason around the military compound, and evidently making threatening comments on the internet. The Army better check out these Muslims in the service, especially if they are spouting treason. Muslims are true to Allah, not the US of A.
| Print This E-mail This |
|
