A look at the challenges in preventing attacks from lone-wolf terrorists

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – How do you stop someone with intentions to commit terrorism when they’re a lone wolf?

RCMP believe Michael Zehaf Bibeau acted alone in the shootings at Parliament Hill yesterday.

When small cells of people or individuals set out to commit acts of terror, it can be incredibly difficult to track them down, according to security expert Martin Shadwick with York University.

“If it’s a lone wolf who has self-radicalized, particularly if it’s electronic self-radicalization over the Internet and so on, it’s much tougher for these folks to get onto the radar screen,” explains Shadwick.

He says the Internet has changed, letting terror groups reach people they never could before.

“Whether they’re lone wolves or in groupings, it’s very tough to monitor,” says Shadwick. “Once you get numbers that are say, 90 to 100, let alone numbers that are higher, trying to maintain anything approaching around-the-clock surveillance of them would become a nightmare.”

Shadwick says when it comes to those acting alone, if they’re not communicating with anybody else, it can be difficult to identify their radical motivations.

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