BONG WENCESLAO:
Wenceslao tackles the nature of a ‘lone wolf’ after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez referred to the gunman at the Resorts World Manila as one. He cites an article from theguardian.com that emphasized that most “lone wolf” attacks in the world couldn’t be considered “lone wolf” cases in their purest sense. That one acts solely, engaging crowds in a shooting spree or rampaging on a truck in a public places, doesn’t mean that the person isn’t remotely instructed by a larger group or inspired to do so by a covert group.
Q: House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, talking about the recent Resorts World Manila incident, referred to the still unidentified attacker as a “lone wolf” whose act was similar to those who killed a number of people in other countries, such as the US and the United Kingdom. But can we really refer to the Resorts World attacker as a “lone wolf ” like what Alvarez insisted?
A: I read one theguardian.com article on “lone wolves” titled “The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist.” It’s a lengthy article and an interesting read. The article defines a “lone wolf” as one who strikes alone and is not affiliated with any larger group. By this definition, it is not enough that one acts alone to be described as a “lone wolf”; one must not be affiliated with a larger group (ex. The Islamic State or IS).
Based on what we have gathered from reports, the unidentified Resorts World attacker did act alone. But whether he was affiliated with a larger group or not we would only know once he is identified. And there was a crucial point where Alvarez erred. While the Resorts World attacker did carry a gun like other “lone wolf” killers in other parts of the world, he did not use it on people, which means his intention was not to kill. The high death toll (almost 40 people) was caused by suffocation from the fires he lit.
The theguardian.com article stressed that most “lone wolf” attacks in the world can’t be considered a “lone wolf” case in its purest sense. That one acts alone in, say, engaging in a shooting spree or even driving a truck into a crowded place to kill people, that does not mean he was not instructed to do so by a larger group or was not influenced to do so by the same larger group.
Every incident referred to as “lone wolf”-perpetrated should be investigated further via a deep background check. For all we know that “lone wolf” may actually have connections or have been influenced by terrorist groups either through personal contact or through the Internet. The goal is to go to the roots of why a lone killer would act that way.
Q: Is the Maute group a small organization? If it is small, how was it able to embarrass the Armed Forces of the Philippines?
The Maute group, which was founded six years ago by Middle East-educated brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute, may not actually be acting alone. The group may have been strengthened by alliances it forged, the connections it formed and even by strong family ties.
The group pledged allegiance to the IS in 2015 and linked up with other Islamic groups in Mindanao that also wanted to be identified with the IS. Proof of this is its link with Isnilon Hapilon, long identified with the Abu Sayyaf Group. Reports on the number of small armed groups that pledged allegiance to IS vary—as low as four to as high as 10.
A bbc.com report said that the Maute brothers have some connections with IS supporters in the Middle East where they stayed for a time and with some Southeast Asian militant groups. Also, the Mautes are from Lanao and are Maranaos. Their family ties extend to even big groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.