Secret Service’s study finds mass attackers show red flags
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service has found that in almost every instance of terror attacks at schools, houses of worship or businesses nationwide last year, the attackers had made threatening or concerning communications that worried others before they struck.
The Secret Service studied 27 incidents where 91 people were killed and 107 more injured in public spaces in 2018. Among them: the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed and 17 others injured, and the fatal attack at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
In those episodes, onethird of the attackers had a history of serious domestic violence, and two-thirds had mental-health issues.
The report analyzed the timing, weapons, locations and stressors of the attacker, plus events that led up to the episode, in an effort to better understand how such attacks unfold and how to prevent them. Members of the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, which did the study, briefed police, public-safety and school officials at a seminar Tuesday.
“We want the community to know prevention is everyone’s responsibility,” said Lina Alathari, the center’s chief. “Not just law enforcement.”
Other attacks 2018 examined included a man who drove a truck into a Planned Parenthood clinic in New Jersey, injuring three, and a man who killed two people at a law firm, and then one at a psychologist’s office in June. To qualify for the study, the incidents must have involved three or more people injured in a public place.
Most attackers were male, ranging in age from 15 to 64. The domestic-violence history often included serious violence. While 67% had mental-health issues, only 44% had a diagnosis or known treatment.
Most of the attacks occurred midweek. Only one — the synagogue attack — was on a Saturday.
As for motive, more than half of the attackers had a grievance against a spouse or family member, or a personal or workplace dispute. Also, 22% had no known motive. In nearly half the cases, the attacker apparently selected the target in advance.
Alathari and her colleagues want communities to be aware of concerning behavior and these trends so officials have warning signs to look out for.
The Secret Service center researches, trains and provides information on the prevention of targeted violence, using the agency’s knowledge gleaned from years of watching possible targets who may or may not be out to assassinate the president.
Alathari said her team is working on a new report on school shootings and how to prevent them, and is investigating averted attacks to try to figure out why someone didn’t follow through.
“There is not a single solution,” Alathari said. “The more that we’re out there, training, the more we’re out there with the community … the more we share information … I think it will help really alleviate and hopefully prevent even one incident from happening. One is too many.”