‘Lone wolf terrorist makes war on terror more dangerous’

TORONTO - The Christmas Day attempt to blow up an American airliner flight by an al-Qaeda-linked Nigerian Muslim opens a new and more dangerous front in the war against terrorism, security experts have warned.

A Canadian aviation security expert said Monday that Friday’s thwarted attempt to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight marks a new trend in terrorism: the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist.

“We are seeing something new: an individual totally unrelated to al-Qaeda who embraces the cause and ideology of al-Qaeda and decides themselves to launch an attack,” former Canadian spy agent Juneau-Katsuya said in a TV interview here.

“Ultimately, if that is the case, that would be the worst-case scenario for investigators,” he said.

He said it is relatively easy for security agencies to investigate a group like al-Qaeda because its members leave bigger “footprints” as they communicate with one another before planning attacks. But a single individual can quietly plan an attack using information on the Internet for building weaponry and will be very difficult to detect, he said.

The failed attack will definitely lead to a new approach to the war on terror, he said.

“We have been attacking it from a security point of view… but maybe it’s time to go to the real source of terrorism,” he said.

Yet another Canadian asecurity expert blamed lax security for the incident.

“Why wasn’t any of the 15-odd machines available at Amsterdam airport to detect the chemical PETN - carried by the Nigerian man- used? asked aviation expert Mark Miller.

He said since the chemical is easily detected, responsibility should be fixed as to why the Nigerian was not screened for it. He also pointed fingers at the American agencies for letting the man fly despite his father’s warning to the US authorities.