Technology on Trail of Lone-Wolf Terrorists

Israeli security officials may have found a way to combat the phenomenon of lone-wolf terrorists, who are difficult to track because they act on their own, not directed by terrorist organizations under surveillance.

They have decided to invest in technology that will enable them to identify potential “lone wolves” using anti-Israel social media which has become known as a main source of incitement for their attacks.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan explained on Wednesday at the Cybertech conference in Tel Aviv how they propose to pre-empt this new kind of terrorist:

“We learned that before the attacks they change profile pictures on social media, post their intentions and inform family and friends that they intend to attack. The Israeli government intends to invest more in the acquisition of resources and technologies that can help us reach the potential attackers,” Erdan said.

Also on Wednesday, the problem of the BDS movement was taken up at the conference.
Amos Yadlin, head of the Institute of National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, bemoaned the lack of government coordination, with six ministries all working separately.

There too, social media is a key battleground.
“The most dangerous country in the Middle East is the State of (social media),” Yadlin said, saying that it’s the equivalent of several armies arrayed against Israel.