Page 169 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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144———Freelance Terrorism

important as, if not more important than, the particular
individuals killed or injured. Most terrorists view FREELANCE TERRORISM
themselves as freedom fighters, especially those who
are fighting for national liberation or some other wor- Freelance terrorism describes the actions of individ-
thy goal. However, while one might feel that the unifi- uals or small groups who take it upon themselves to act
cation of Ireland is a legitimate political objective, the against a target without the direct support of a terrorist
actions of the Irish Republican Army in targeting civil- organization. Their actions are largely the outcome
ians require that they be viewed as terrorists, not of their own rage, although they have usually been
freedom fighters. encouraged, subliminally or otherwise, by others har-
More than semantics is at stake. The distinction boring similar hatred. Such is the case when extremist
between the terms is important because these terms, animal rights and environmental groups invite individ-
especially when used by the media, can serve to uals visiting their Web sites or reading their literature
subtly legitimize particular groups. In other words, to join the cause and launch an attack on the objects of
describing a group as being made up of freedom fight- their incendiary rhetoric.
ers implies legitimate involvement with a struggle for Almost by definition, freelance terrorists, or “lone
national liberation or the like. However, the use of the wolves” as they are sometimes called, are not tied to
term freedom fighter by the media does not guarantee any traditional terrorist group—or any other group,
legitimacy of mission. For example, Hezbollah fight- for that matter. This is not to say that at one time they
ers, often referred to in the press as guerrilla fighters, might have been a card-carrying member of some type
ousted the Israeli Army from southern Lebanon end- of terrorist organization; they might even have
ing a 22-year occupation. Yet Hezbollah is character- obtained some financial support or training. In large
ized by many as a terrorist organization and so listed measure, however, they take solitary action with only
by the U.S. State Department. their conscience to guide them. The advice and coun-
It can be safely assumed that the terrorist/freedom sel of others, even those sympathetic to the cause, is
fighter paradox will continue to provide the back- for the most part absent during their freelance actions.
drop for debate about the legitimacy of individual and However, a concerned, tentative, or even frightened
group actions. For example, some news organizations comrade can often stop freelance terrorism from taking
in the United States inspired a heated controversy in place. This was most certainly the case in the summer
2001 when it was announced that they would not use of 1997 when someone approached an officer of the
the word terrorist when referring to the perpetrators 88th Precinct in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn,
of the September 11 attacks. Defenders of the deci- New York, and said, “My friend is going to kill people
sion argued that it was an attempt to remain neutral in the subway.” On July 31, Gazi Ibrahim Abu Maizar
by avoiding an emotionally loaded term. However, and Lafi Khalil were arrested in an explosive-laden
the vehemence of the reaction against this decision Brooklyn apartment before they could carry out a
demonstrates how much power a simple word can suicide attack on the subway. Abu Maizar and Khalil
wield. were later convicted and sentenced to long prison
See also YASIR ARAFAT; HEZBOLLAH; IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY; terms.
TERRORISM,DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF A lesson learned from this abortive suicide attempt
is that more than one freelancer makes a group of
Further Reading freelancers more vulnerable, because the actions of
one, impulsive or not, might compromise the mission
Clutterbuck, Richard. Terrorism in an Unstable World. of the group. An old saying attributed to organized
New York: Routledge, 1994. crime members applies here: “Two can keep a secret
Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia if one is dead.” Two, three, or more freelancers acting
University Press, 1998.
Kushner, Harvey W. Terrorism in America: A Structured in concert are, in theory, less dangerous than the soli-
Approach to Understanding the Terrorist Threat. tary freelancer acting alone, such as Mir Aimal Kasi.
Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, 1998. On the morning of January 25, 1993, freelancer Kasi,
O’Neill, Brad E. Insurgency & Terrorism: Inside Modern a 29-year-old Pakistani, using an AK-47 automatic
Revolutionary Warfare. New York: Brassey’s, 1990. rifle, shot five individuals as they sat in rush-hour