The federal government on Tuesday released a study on the growing threat of terrorism: men calling themselves “anti-feminists” or “involuntary celibates” and drawing motivation for the violence from their inability to develop relationships with women. Since 2014, attacks inspired by the “incel movement” and spanning the US and Canada have left dozens dead.
According to the 26-page report, early intervention and behavioral threat assessments could be the difference between life and death for women targeted by the growing ideology. The report concluded that while “there is no single profile of a person planning or executing an act of targeted violence,” investigators should consider potential targets when seeking to thwart attacks. the suspects “routinely explore various targets during the planning process, before doing so.” your final selection “.
The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center took a deep dive into a series of red flags prior to a shooting at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Florida, to determine how early intervention could save lives in Tallahassee, Florida. the future. The NTAC routinely publishes research based on the assessment of the current threat environment.
In the case of gunman Scott Paul Bierele, 40, there were countless warning signs. The man who opened fire inside Hot Tallahassee Yoga (killing two women and injuring four others before committing suicide) had previously been fired from multiple teaching jobs, banned from bars and apartment buildings, and once wrote a 70,000-word revenge fantasy about a child turned serial. killer, according to the report.
“During his teens, the attacker was accused of harassing his classmates and wrote stories focused on violent issues,” Steve Driscoll, chief research specialist at NTAC, said in a briefing with reporters on Thursday. . “One of these stories was 81 pages long and involved the protagonist murdering several girls before committing suicide. names in your writing. ”
Steve Cannon / AP
He was arrested three times for incidents of throbbing women in public. His roommates called him Ted Bundy, though social media users often called him a “Nazi.” His parents said they had slept with the door closed and took him out of his niece’s birthday party after he touched girls.
On the day of filming, Bierele posted a self-written song titled “F *** ‘Me All,” which described his frustration with personal failures, on a public website for sharing music online. Before heading to the yoga studio, he left behind a note that said in part, “If I can’t find a decent woman to live with, I’ll find many indecent women to die with.”
According to the US Secret Service, Bierele was motivated to commit violence because of her inability to develop or maintain relationships with women. Although the origins of the “anti-feminist” and “incels” movements vary, the final crime of the shooter in 2018 is part of a series of attacks driven by gender ideology that call for violence against women.
The report also investigated other recent incidents of violence linked to misogynistic extremism. In July 2020, Roy Den Hollander, a self-proclaimed “anti-feminist” lawyer and a staunch advocate for human rights, killed the son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, motivated by the belief that “virility is in serious danger in America “. Subsequent records found by law enforcement, the 72-year-old man called for a “revolution.”
Salas told CBS News’ 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker that the FBI determined his son’s attacker had been chasing his family. “He obviously knew where I lived. He knew my routes to work. He knew the church we attended. He had Daniel’s school. He knew baseball games. Just a full job about me and my family.” Salas said in an interview last year.
The FBI also told Salas that the injuries Daniel suffered appear to indicate that he was trying to prevent Hollander from approaching her.
That same year, there were a handful of incidents related to “incel” terrorism: a shooting at an Arizona mall against couples, a machete attack on a Toronto massage parlor, and a 23-year-old Virginia man. that he blew his hand while playing with a bomb that federal authorities believe was aimed at a cheerful performance.
In the case of the 2014 Isla Vista killings, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others in a shooting, stabbing and vehicle crash near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. Three women were shot outside a fraternity home. Before executing his deadly attack, Rodger regretted not being able to find a girlfriend on social media, documenting his hatred for women, interracial couples, and planned resumption.
A 2018 van attack in Toronto left 10 dead and 16 injured, the deadliest incident related to the incel movement. Witnesses saw 28-year-old Alek Minassian, a 22- to 94-year-old, plow to pedestrians minutes after he posted on Facebook: “The incel rebellion has already begun.” The attacker, convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder, had a history of praising Elliot Rodger online.
While the U.S. Secret Service may be known for its protection of past and present presidents, the agency has long studied and implemented behavioral threat assessment programs designed to identify potentially dangerous or dangerous situations. violent who do not meet criminal thresholds. Tuesday’s report aims to identify the first warning signs of misogynist extremists, with the aim of early intervention.
“Traditionally, law enforcement and other public safety officials focus on crime,” said Dr. Lina Alathari, director of NTAC. “And so if there is no ‘direct threat’ or a violated criminal status, they often feel they can’t do anything. But what we know about the investigation and what we know about the communities that do it successfully is that if you have a professional who is trained in threat assessment, in identifying warning signs and in knowing what the right resources are available … that’s when you have success stories. ”
Behavioral threat assessment programs can be developed in any environment: workplaces, university campuses, state and local police. According to the U.S. Secret Service, recent success stories include comprehensive initiatives developed by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Pinellas County, Florida.
“It’s a growing field,” Driscoll said. “There is more work to be done, but there are success stories and programs are being implemented specifically to identify and evaluate and intervene with people like this,” he added, referring to Bierele.
NTAC trained more than 26,000 people in 2021, with the goal of expanding further next year. According to Alatari, participation in training has increased by 400% in the last four years.
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