The term "lone wolf attack" refers to someone who commits a terrorist act on their own, without the assistance or encouragement of a government or terrorist organisation. Terrorism is one of humanity's most serious problems, and no modern culture has completely overcome it. Terrorism has developed over time with the creation of new terror groups, ideologies, methods, and techniques. The Institute for Economics and Peace's Global Terrorism Index 2019 states that while terrorism's intensity has decreased, its economic and social impact has not. According to the report, lone-wolf terrorists are on the rise. In this article, the term Lone Wolf and its concept is discussed for preparation for the UPSC Exam.

What is Lone Wolf Attack?

• The anarchists of 1880s Russia, the anti-colonial terrorists of the 1920s, the new left of the 1960s, and the religious wave of today are all examples of lone-wolf terrorism.
• Lone wolf terror acts are a serious concern, ranging from threats and intimidation to random shootings, car-rammings, stabbings, and suicide bombs. Until now, India has been largely safe from this type of terrorism, but security and law enforcement officials must remain vigilant.
• A terrorist or lone wolf is somebody who gets ready and submits fierce demonstrations alone, outside of any ordered structure and without material help from any gathering.
• They might be impacted or spurred by the philosophy and convictions of an outside bunch and may act on the side of such a gathering.
• A few instances of Lone wolf attacks are the stabbings near the UK Parliament, Truck ramming during Bastille day march on the crowd in Nice, France and Lindt hotel hostage situation in Sydney.

Emerging Trends

Five arising patterns in Lone wolf psychological warfare in North America and western Europe somewhere in the range of 1990 and 2013:

• An expansion in the number of nations focused on by solitary individuals from the 1990s to the 2000s.
• An expansion in the number of individuals harmed and killed by independent people.
• Expanded viability of regulation authorization and counter-illegal intimidation.
• Consistency in the dissemination of assaults by "entertainer types" (introverts, solitary individuals, and independent person packs).
• An expansion in the number of assaults against military faculty

Challenges For India

• Intelligence and Informers Network: Terrorist acts by lone wolves represent a significant threat to intelligence systems.
  • To confront the typical well-networked terror organisations and disrupt their sophisticated plots, intelligence and law enforcement authorities have devised formidable schemes.
  • Intelligence agencies have traditionally relied on informants or intercepted conversations between attackers and plotters to gather information about probable terror actions.
  • It is difficult to obtain information regarding the activities of lone-wolf terrorists. The motivation for these attacks, as well as their impact, differs.
• Purpose of terror Act: A well-planned terror attack aims to inflict a significant number of casualties, although today's lone-wolf attacks are usually carried out to instil psychological anxiety or terror in the public about their safety.
• Solitary Individuals: There have not been a lot of solitary individual assaults in India.
  • In any case, the current security situation represents an antagonistic condition.
  • This year high alert was given to security powers the nation over by focal knowledge offices, cautioning of conceivable 'solitary individual' assaults by Islamic State (IS) agents focusing on high-risk dignitaries in the approach the Republic Day festivities.
• Support of State and Non-State Actors: A correspondence given by the Ministry of Home Affairs to every one of the States expressed that the general security situation in the nation stayed a reason to worry because of the danger radiating from Pakistan and the Afghanistan-Pakistan belt.
  • Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) kept on giving infrastructural and other monetary/calculated help to fear gatherings, especially the Lashkar-e-Taibaand the Jaish-e-Mohammad, working in that country.
  • The detailed nexus between local fear outfits and Pakistan-based fanatic associations as far as acquisition of weapons, innovation and preparing has added another aspect to the dangerous situation.
• Radicalisation: Home undertakings alluded to the "achievement" of the IS in radicalizing a couple of Indian youths and drawing in specific areas of the neighbourhood populace/Indian diaspora to take part in its exercises or backing psychological oppressor bunches working in India, the alarm cautioned of a frantic individual turning to a few drastic actions.

Reasons for Low Lone Wolf Attacks in India

• Hurdles to procure arms: To begin with, due to India's tight rules, obtaining explosives, light weapons, and other ammunition is extremely tough. This is a clear deterrent against lone wolves.
• Indian Muslims' opposition to IS's radical ideology: Though India has the world's third-largest Muslim population, only a small percentage of the population has expressed interest in joining or sympathising with the Islamic State. As a result, the Indian Muslims' opposition to IS's radical ideology might be attributed to the country's cultural pluralism and democratic ideals.
• Security Infrastructure: The country's formidable security infrastructure, combined with counter-terrorism changes implemented in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is a big disincentive to 'lone wolves.'
• Intelligence and Informers network: Domestic terrorism, such as operations by the Indian Mujahideen or the SIMI, has been successfully curtailed in the country as a result of proactive actions taken by the authorities.

Vulnerabilities of India

• Law enforcement failures: Terrorist assaults in the past have shown that local police responses are still inadequate.
  • While this was evident during the 26/11 terror strike, which was a well-coordinated attack supported by Pakistan, subsequent terror incidents have not revealed the police capacities required to conduct clinical operations to limit possible damage.
• Easily available targets: A huge number of possible targets can be found in regions where there is a high concentration of people.
  • While some facilities have taken advantage of the limited protection provided by private security systems, many public spaces remain vulnerable.
• Rise of Social Media: A rapidly rising population, particularly youngsters with access to mass media and social media, creates endless opportunities for radical propaganda.
  • Given the unconfirmed yet strong platforms of messaging that offer escape from everyday problems of the youth in their places of work, in society, and across borders in conflict zones, this enhances the likelihood of subversion.
• Rise of communal violence/intolerance: While popular discourse suggests that intolerance is on the rise, the truth is quite different. The unchecked propaganda tends to cause concern, particularly among vulnerable groups and minorities, who may become fear-mongering victims.

Steps needed to curb Lone Wolf Attack

• Surveillance: Surveillance of anti-social groups and their known hideouts at airports, train stations, and bus stops with sufficient manpower.
• De-Radicalisation: The public authority and the security organizations need to adopt a multi-pronged methodology towards radicalisation, which is moored in human knowledge, solid binds with networks and local area pioneers and deradicalisation programs.
  • To help untangle the roots of radicalisation, big data analytics must be utilised to determine the amount of radicalisation of potential recruits, their networks and sources of information, finance, and leadership.
  • The police and intelligence services are unprepared and untrained to deal with the critical factor of reversing radicalization in society.
  • As part of the efforts of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) sponsored by the state, helplines should be built and manned by trained counsellors and psychologists who can help reverse the process.
• Institutional Framework: Utilizing innovative intercessions like National Cyber Crime Coordination focus.
  • The establishment of National Security Guard regional hubs in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks is a positive step toward preventing future terrorist attacks.
• Legal Reforms: The IS' legal experts appear to have methodically utilised existing loopholes and weaknesses in legal systems in order to continue spreading extreme beliefs across Europe.
  • This highlights the importance of law amendment and tightening on a regular basis to ensure that such an attempt cannot be made in India.
• Capacity Building and Training: Recent attacks, on the other hand, suggest that the time it takes to respond to a terror attack is critical in minimising casualties. As a result, every state will need to train and organise specialised police units to act as first responders.

Conclusion

Following the extensive use of social media, ‘do-it-yourself' and ‘lone wolf' terror strikes have become a big issue for the Indian security services, according to former Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in 2018. Various security and law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned of probable ‘lone wolf' attacks. Though India has been spared lone wolf terrorism, it must still take proactive efforts to combat this threat. While upgrading reconnaissance and security constructions could serve to a degree, they are just impermanent measures. The liberal democratic ethos requires a greater acceptance of various cultures.