Characteristics of Lone-Wolf Violent Offenders: a Comparison of Assassins and School Attackers

Abstract

<span><em>This article is based on the idea that lone-wolf terrorists may have characteristics in common with two other types of lone-actor violent offenders:&nbsp; assassins and school attackers.&nbsp; We used data from U.S. Government-sponsored reports to compare the characteristics of these two groups.&nbsp; Despite obvious demographic differences, results indicate four characteristics common for both school attackers and assassins: perceived grievance, depression, a personal crisis </em>(&lsquo;unfreezing&rsquo;),<em> and history of weapons use outside the military.&nbsp; These characteristics may be useful in distinguishing lone-wolfs from group-based terrorists.</em></span> <div><span><em><br /></em></span></div>