How the Boulder attack highlights the danger to soft targets

Yahoo

2 days ago

New Orleans, Harrisburg, Washington D.C., and now Boulder -- four attacks, all carried out by radicalized individuals targeting soft civilian locations. These tragedies have left communities grieving and the nation once again asking: why?
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the threat landscape in the U.S. has evolved dramatically. That coordinated attack involved complex planning, training and support networks.
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Nearly a quarter century later, terrorist groups have adapted. Instead of highly organized cells, they now often rely on so-called "lone wolves" -- people radicalized in isolation who require little to no external coordination. These actors can strike without warning, making prevention increasingly difficult.
The 2025 Department of Homeland Security Threat Analysis highlights this shift.
"Lone offenders and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat of carrying out attacks with little to no warning," it said. "Violent extremist responses to domestic sociopolitical developments -- especially the 2024 election cycle -- and international events are likely to inspire attacks in the Homeland."
This observation aligns with the findings of the 2015 study "Lone Wolf Terrorism in America," which defined lone wolf terrorism as politically motivated violence carried out independently, without direct command or ties to established groups.
The radicalization of these individuals, the study found, often follows a pattern: personal and political grievances, online affinity with extremist sympathizers, identification of an enabler, broadcasting of intent and a final triggering event.
In today's digital age, the radicalization process has been drastically accelerated by the internet and dark web. Radicalization is the key to perpetuating these attacks and the study validated a series of commonalities associated with pathways to radicalization for lone wolf terrorists.
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The radicalization model indicated that lone wolf terrorism begins with a combination of personal and political grievances which form the basis for an affinity with online sympathizers, which is what we have seen in large measure since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. This is followed by the identification of an enabler, followed by the broadcasting of terrorist intent.
The final commonality is a triggering event, or the catalyst for terrorism, as noted by the National Institute of Justice. It highlighted that terrorist organizations now have unprecedented access to vulnerable individuals, who can be radicalized and equipped with rudimentary tools of violence -- all with the click of a mouse.
A 2017 University of Maryland study drove the point home.
"Since 2006, 98% of all deaths from terrorism in the U.S. have resulted from attacks carried out by lone actors," it said.
Their preferred targets? Almost always soft ones -- unprotected public spaces where civilians gather freely.
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Combating this expanding threat requires focused action across three key areas: mindset, signatures and planning.
America must move from a place of denial to proactive vigilance. A security mindset involves proactively considering potential risks, vulnerabilities and taking steps to mitigate them. This includes thinking like an attacker and constantly being on the lookout for security flaws, which is best done with the coordination of local law enforcement.
Mindset for the public also includes accepting the "see something say something" mantra and ensuring that whenever anyone sees something strange or makes them uncomfortable, they report it to 911 or local law enforcement. That may mitigate a threat in itself.
Public participation is vital. Adopting a "see something, say something" approach and encouraging citizens to report suspicious activity to authorities can help thwart attacks before they happen.
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For law enforcement, prevention depends on recognizing key behavioral signatures:
Political or personal grievances.
Alignment with online extremist networks.
Public declarations of violent intent.
Association with enablers.
Recent triggering events.
Early identification of these markers can be crucial in stopping a threat before it materializes.
Public events and soft targets -- places like music festivals, sporting venues, shopping centers, houses of worship, or restaurants -- are attractive to attackers because of minimal security and maximum impact.
Security planning must become an essential part of every public gathering, regardless of size or location. This means:
Coordinating with local law enforcement.
Developing tailored incident response plans.
Training staff and volunteers on emergency procedures.
Creating systems to report and respond to concerns.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) emphasizes the importance of planning to secure public gatherings.
We must confront the reality that terrorism today often does not come from abroad or in large groups -- it comes from within, from individuals radicalized online and motivated by perceived injustice or ideological fervor. These lone actors, acting on grievance and enabled by the internet, present a formidable and evolving threat to American public life.
To keep communities safe, security must no longer be an afterthought. It must be integrated into every public event and venue -- supported by awareness, informed by intelligence and rooted in partnership between citizens and authorities. Only through collective vigilance and proactive planning can we hope to disrupt the next lone wolf before they strike.
Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service agent and regional field training instructor who served during two presidential transitions. He was also a police officer and served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Richard Frankel is an ABC News contributor and retired FBI special agent who was the special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark Division and prior to that, the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism TASK force.
The opinions expressed in this story are not those of ABC News.