Lone Wolf Terrorism and the1996 Atlanta Olympic Bombing

Introduction

The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Bombing was the act of lone wolf terrorist Eric Rudolph, motivated by an ideological standpoint from which he opposed abortion, homosexuality, corporatism, and the US governments promotion of what he viewed as the values of global socialism (Rudolph, n.d.). Rudolph would eventually be captured in 2003 and convicted of the Atlanta bombing along with the bombings of two abortion clinics and a lesbian bar. Prior to his arrest, attention had been placed on security guard Richard Jewell, who discovered the backpack bomb at Centennial Olympic Park and alerted authorities just before its detonation. Jewell became a suspect, at least in the media, during an FBI investigation that included a raid on Jewells home. Jewells reputation never fully recovered from the suspicion placed upon him following his heroic efforts to save lives. Jewell went on to sue the Bureau and even to testify before Congress about the need for an investigative method that would better protect the rights of people like him. This paper will discuss the policy impact of the Atlanta Olympic Bombing, how Homeland Security should address investigative matters, and how DHS could mitigate the risk of future lone wolf terrorist attacks.

Policy Impact

Since the 1996 bombing, DHS has published several documents aimed at protecting the public, such as Mass Evacuations: Planning for Sports Venues, Christian Extremism as a Domestic Terror Threat, and Patterns of Radicalization: Identifying the Markers and Warning Signs of Domestic Lone Wolf Terrorists in Our Midst (Chapman, 2012). The last of these focused on the pattern of radicalization common to three of the most high-profile lone wolf terrorists in US historyTimothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski, and Eric Rudolph. The report sought to help law enforcement to prevent tragedies emerging from the identified population through psychological assistance, evaluation, training, or, in the worst case, detention (Springer, 2009, p. v). One of the key defining characteristics of the three terrorists was their experience of isolation, loneliness, and socio-cultural pressure from their familial environments to conform to strident ideologies (Springer, 2009).

In the more than 20 years that have passed since the Atlanta bombing, DHS has developed a strategy for combating lone wolf terrorism, most recently evidenced by its Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence(CTTV Framework) and a Public Action Plandesigned to identify emerging threats and promote information sharing. This strategic framework and the associated action plan rely heavily on digital information sharing tools that were not available in 1996 but that, thanks to the arrival of social media and the much more accessible Internet of the Digital Age, have made information sharing much easier.

While the value of monitoring for signs of lone wolf terrorism is indisputable, the problem that Jewell identified was the lack of professionalism in the leaking of his name to the press and his belief that the Justice Department does not hold itself accountable to the degree that it should given its service to the public (The Activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Part III, 1997). In that regard, further policy reform is needed. Issues of trust are important when it comes to federal agencies conducting investigations into terrorism, and if the public feelsas was certainly the case with Richard Jewellthat federal agencies lack the necessary ethical and professional standards to engage in investigations of this nature it will be less likely to assist in the kind of information sharing that the strategic framework and associated action plan of the DHS calls for and depends upon.

Addressing Investigative Matters

One of the important arguments about lone wolf terrorists is that they are never really alone....

…that they are being denied due process, civil liberties, or respect for autonomy and the right to self-determination. In a democratic society, people want to know that their voices are heard and that their government is accountable to them and not the other way around. When authoritarian leadership takes over in an environment where there is already a great deal of hostility towards its aims, it is like a powder keg ready to explode. The DHS must act swiftly in demonstrating a greater show of authentic leadership; it risks losing the support of the public, already so divided and dangerous, if it does not. If it does nothing, it can fully expect to face more and more Eric Rudolphs in the near future.

Conclusion

The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games bombing committed by lone wolf terrorist Eric Rudolph. The investigation into the bombing quickly put attention on Richard Jewell, an innocent man, who came to believe that his rights had been violated and that the FBI had acted unprofessionally and unethically. The ensuing lawsuits and Congressional testimony given by Jewell revealed a significant problem with the way federal agencies approach the investigative process. Today, DHS has focused on creating a strategic plan and policy of using the digital environment to share information and monitor the development of potential lone wolf terrorists. However, if DHS does not control the investigative process as well as surveillance procedures with authentic leadership and an ethical framework, it risks undermining the publics trust in its own practices and ability to hold itself as well as other agencies accountable for their actions. Without the establishment of trust, DHS risks creating an environment in which more lone wolfs proliferate. Already a great many people have experienced the necessary isolation and loneliness associated with lone wolf terrorism creation. For that reason, there…