John R. Houk
© April 26, 2018
Alek Minassian is the Toronto Massacre perpetrator of the
April 23 crime that killed 10 and harmed at least 13 others when he ran a
rented van through a crowd of people.
Many Conservatives and Counterjihad pundits speculated
Minassian’s motive looked awfully like Islamic Terrorism because the act itself
had all the fingerprints of past Islamic attacks against non-Muslims globally.
BUT it appears Minassian is of an Armenian descent and
Armenians in their own republic are like 96% (or more) Christian. Also, a
perusal of Minassian’s history indicates a bit of mental illness connected to
autism or Asperger’s disease which witnesses would tell you they noticed odd
behavior from childhood, secondary school and in time at a college and even a
short stint in the Canadian army. (A good source on this break down is the National Post which I will cross post later)
Minassian’s murder motive may have been related to a
movement he joined that congregates a group of dissatisfied men who can’t
satisfy their lust with women. Those dissatisfied men call themselves a part of
the “Incel” Movement or Rebellion – Incel as in “Involuntary Celibacy”. The Incel topic is something I’ll address in
a later post.
Due the immense similarity to Islamic Terrorism it is worth
cross posting some insights by Paul Sutliff about the Islamic Terrorist tactic
of motor vehicle mass murder. A tactic that Minassian may have caused some
Islamic jealousy and a probable uptick perpetrated by Muslim terrorists.
JRH 4/26/18
******************************
Why are Jihadi Vehicle Attacks Growing?
By Paul Sutliff
April 23, 2018
Introduction
This article comes from a paper I wrote as part of my
studies at Henley-Putnam University. Because of today's attack in Toronto,
Canada, I am publishing parts of the paper here in hopes law enforcement and others
will make use of it.
1. Islamic Speeches
that can be deemed contributory towards an attack
MEMRI.org posted a video and transcript 6473 of a February
2, 2018 sermon given by Imam Mohamed Moussa gave a sermon at the North Hudson
Islamic Center in New Jersey that called on Islamic teachers to be mindful of
what they say in sermons and schools that could be deemed incitement to
violence[1].
According to his biography on the Graduate Theological Foundation Mohamad
Moussa is the President of the Tri-State Imams Council, and is the Secretary
General of Manara Institute. The importance of this call by Dr. Mohamad Moussa,
is that it is a public recognition that a problem exists in mosques across the
United States of Imams using rhetoric that can be deemed as inciting to
violence. Dr. Mohamad Moussa is not alone in his recognition of this. MEMRI
published a video and transcript in 2015 of Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri who
addressed the most recent terror attack in Paris as he spoke in the Brooklyn
Oulel-Albab Mosque on January 9th of 2015. In this sermon
Yousef states:
Let us admit, without lying to
ourselves, that we, the Muslims, are time bombs. When I say “we, the Muslims,”
I do not mean every single Muslim, but Muslims of the religious sector are time
bombs. When a sinner repents, the first thing he does is make a bomb. He blows
it up and kills people. We must admit this. We cannot become immune if we do
not admit this.[2]
While Yousef was not inciting violence he was recognizing
that it does exist in mosques around the world including in the USA. Further on
in the sermon, Yousef recognized who he believed were the scholars behind the
violent rhetoric being spouted in mosques. This was an attempt to place a
finger of blame against certain Islamic scholars while recognizing that a
problem exists that needs to be addressed.
2. Terrorist
Propaganda of Vehicle Attacks
Dr. Ahmet S. Yayla (2017) wrote of the Islamic State’s “Lone
Wolf’s Handbook” and its possibility for cultivating terrorist actions within
the USA. Dr. Yayla shared that the fourth chapter of this handbook was entitled
“The Ultimate Human Lawn Mower.” Yayla then reminded the reader that ISIS had
released a music video on the use of vehicles to kill in January of 2016. Yayla
noted that this chapter advised the following:
a. To
get a large 4X4 truck and to weld knife-like metal blades on bumpers and around
headlights to increase the causalities.
b. Choose
the most crowded places and drive over people as fast as possible to exact the
most damage.
c. Drivers
are not to stop after the first hit and to keep driving over as many victims as
possible.
d. Choose
the routes appropriately to ensure that there would be many other victims after
the initial hit.
e. These
kinds of attacks should be considered as suicide missions.
f. Driver
assassins are advised to have weapons if possible and fight back until the very
end.
Of special note here is the recommendation to acquire a
larger vehicle to inflict maximum damage. Notable here is that this would
likely require actors to rent vehicles. In Western society, a truck with knives
protruding would likely be a target of law enforcement before any damage could
be inflicted, this may account for a lack of reports of such vehicles in terror
attacks.
a. Historical
Usage of Vehicle Attacks
When I originally was working on this article as a paper for
Henley-Putnam University, an attack occurred in Germany. O'Donoghue (2018,
April 07) wrote in the Daily Star that in Münster a vehicle attack was carried
out resulting in the immediate death of three persons and the injuries of at
least 30 others. O’Donoghue notes with as little information that she has
at present, that the attack seemed to have similarities with an attack in
Berlin in December of 2016 in which 12 people were killed and 48 others were
injured. Traynor and Hickson (2016) described this as the attack on the Berlin
Christmas Market. This attack utilized a stolen lorry. A lorry being a
commercial type truck used to transport goods.
Helsel (2016, August 4) wrote of a vehicle attack
in France on Bastille Day, July 14. The attack claimed the lives of 85 people.
The terrorist was killed. In this incident investigations revealed what that
the terrorist selected his route than did what was called test runs in
preparation.
Prokupecz, Levenson, and Gingras, B. (2017, November 06) wrote
of a truck attack in New York City on October 31, 2017, which claimed the lives
of 6 people with 11 being injured before the terrorist was shot but not killed.
The truck was rented and a note was found near the truck giving ISIS credit for
the attack.
Counter-Extremism Project (2018, March 16) recognized
that there has been a series of vehicular terrorist related attacks documenting
36 cases since 2006, “collectively resulting in the deaths of at least 196
people and the injury of at least 1,050 others”[4].
Add in the statistics for this week and the number dead exceeds 200 while the
number injured rises close to 1,100.
Counter-Extremism Project (CEP), documents individual terror
acts. Noting the country of origin of the actors which never appears to be from
within the country where the attack takes place. CEP notes that in some cases
such as the attack at the Glasgow Airport on June 30, 2007 that vehicular mass
was not enough and actors placed propane canisters for an intended maximum
effect. This action has been seen multiple times, some of them in failed
attempts, some of them seen in accidental explosions such as are described
by Birnbaum, Booth, and Branigin (2017, August 17) after the Barcelona
truck attack in June 2017.
The FBI saw truck attacks becoming a serious concern by
2010 and published “Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics” (2010, December 13). Of
special note are the indicators of a possible terror actor provided in this
release. The FBI indicators are tempered with the very real possibility that “a
ramming attack can be conducted with little to no warning”[5].
However, they indicators of a possible actor are only present when one or
multiple indicators are given. Among the indicators shown are:
·
“Unusual modifications to
commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, passenger cars, and sports utility
vehicles (SUVs), such as homemade attempts to reinforce the front of the
vehicle with metal plates.
·
The purchase, rental, or
theft of large or heavy-duty vehicles or equipment, such as SUVs, trucks, or
commercial motor vehicles, if accompanied by typical indicators such as
nervousness during the purchase, paying in cash, or lack of familiarity with
the vehicle’s operations.
·
Commercial motor vehicles
or heavy equipment being operated erratically, at unusual times, or in unusual
locations, particularly in heavy pedestrian areas.
·
Attempts to infiltrate
closed areas where traffic usually moves, but where crowds are gathered, such
as for street festivals or farmers’ markets.
·
A vehicle operator’s
apparent unfamiliarity with commercial motor vehicle or heavy equipment
operation (unable to back up; trouble with shifting; poor lane tracking;
unfamiliarity with basic vehicle mechanics such as air brake operations, slack
adjusters, fifth wheel operations, Jake brakes, engine type, or location of
fire extinguishers and other emergency equipment)”.[6]
Of interest is the fourth indicator which speaks of
observations of a vehicle in operation at unusual locations particularly heavy pedestrian
zones. This behavior has been discovered after reviewing truck terror attacks
that were committed. Celona, Fenton and Fears (2017, November 01)
revealed that in the case of the New York City truck attack on October
31, 2017, security camera coverage revealed what could have been a test run and
may have been multiple test runs.
3. Why are Vehicle Attacks
happening more often?
Vehicle attacks are more likely to occur because:
·
No affiliation with a
terror group is required.
·
No specialized training is
needed.
·
Planning can be brief.
·
Trucks and Vans are easy to
rent or steal.
·
Little to no financial
investment required.
·
Propaganda from the Islamic
State and Al Qaeda encourage such acts.
·
No collaboration or
consulting is required to achieve the terror attack.
·
Almost impossible for law
enforcement to detect and prevent.
·
Death while committing the
act requires no jail time.
While it is stated that it is almost impossible to detect,
humans are communicative by nature. They write notes to themselves, talk to
others and share what is on their mind. It is still possible that somehow,
something could be known about a possible vehicle attack. Counterterrorism
experts have a near impossible task to prevent all such acts.
END NOTES
[1] MEMRI.
(2018, February 2). NJ Imam Mohamed Moussa: We Have Started a Workshop Training
U.S. Imams How to Avoid Incitement and Hate Speech. Retrieved April 07, 2018,
from https://www.memri.org/tv/nj-imam-mohamed-moussa-workshop-training-american-imams-to-avoid-incitement/transcript.
[2] MEMRI. (2015). Brooklyn Imam Tareq
Yousef Al-Masri on Paris Terror Attacks: We Muslims Must Admit That We Are Time
Bombs and We Hate Christians. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/brooklyn-imam-tareq-yousef-al-masri-paris-terror-attacks-we-muslims-must-admit-we-are-time-bombs.
[3] Yayla, A. S. (2017, July 29). ISIS
Tries to Activate Amateur Attackers in the West. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2017/07/29/isis-tries-to-activate-amateur-attackers-in-the-west/..
[4] Counter-Extremism Project. (2018, March
16). Vehicles as Weapons of Terror. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.counterextremism.com/vehicles-as-weapons-of-terror.
[5] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(2010, December 13). Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics. Retrieved
April 07, 2018, from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS-TerroristRamming.pdf.
[6] Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(2010, December 13). Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics. Retrieved
April 07, 2018, from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS-TerroristRamming.pdf.
REFERENCES
Anderson, J. W. (2006, January 31). Cartoons of Prophet Met
With Outrage. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001316.html.
Birnbaum, M., Booth, W., & Branigin, W. (2017, August
17). Van plows into crowd in Barcelona, killing 13; second, related attempt is
thwarted. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/van-swerves-into-crowds-in-barcelonas-popular-las-ramblas-district/2017/08/17/01556ed2-8365-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html?utm_term=.1965ad5dad7b.
Celona, L., Fenton, R., & Fears, D. (2017, November
01). Probers believe terror suspect made dry runs before NYC attack. Retrieved
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Prison for Foiled Plot to Bomb Shopping Mall During Holiday Season. Retrieved
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Fernandez, M., Pérez-Peña, R., & Santos, F. (2015, May
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GTF. (2017). Shaykh Mohamed Moussa, Ph.D. Retrieved April
07, 2018, from https://www.gtfeducation.org/faculty-staff/Moussa.cfm.
Helsel, P. (2016, August 4). Injured Man Dies Three Weeks
After France Truck Attack, Bringing Toll to 85. Retrieved April 07, 2018,
from https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/france-truck-attack/injured-man-dies-three-weeks-after-france-truck-attack-bringing-n623231.
Jolly, B., Trayner, D., & Hickson, A. (2016, December
20). Lorry terror nut kills 12 and injures 50 by driving truck into crowd at
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MEMRI. (2015). Brooklyn Imam Tareq Yousef Al-Masri on
Paris Terror Attacks: We Muslims Must Admit That We Are Time Bombs and We Hate
Christians. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/brooklyn-imam-tareq-yousef-al-masri-paris-terror-attacks-we-muslims-must-admit-we-are-time-bombs.
MEMRI. (2018, February 2). NJ Imam Mohamed Moussa: We Have
Started a Workshop Training U.S. Imams How to Avoid Incitement and Hate Speech.
Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.memri.org/tv/nj-imam-mohamed-moussa-workshop-training-american-imams-to-avoid-incitement/transcript.
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Prokupecz, S., Levenson, E., & Gingras, B. (2017,
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Islamic world over new Muhammad cartoons in Charlie Hebdo. Retrieved April 07,
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Yayla, A. S. (2017, July 29). ISIS Tries to Activate
Amateur Attackers in the West. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2017/07/29/isis-tries-to-activate-amateur-attackers-in-the-west/.
_________________
Minassian Not an Islamic
Terrorist but an Incel Terrorist?
John R. Houk
© April 26, 2018
___________________
Why are Jihadi Vehicle
Attacks Growing?
BA Religion and Philosophy
from Roberts Wesleyan College, MSED from Nazareth College of Rochester,
currently a post-graduate student at Henley-Putnam University.
If you want a copy of my
book, contact me on LinkedIn or here and I will send you one for $15 plus
shipping.
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