Internet-fuelled extremism behind rise in ‘lone wolf’ terrorism, experts say after Bondi shooting

APPARENT LACK OF FOLLOW-UP ACTION

Rohan concurred that the Australian authorities should have reassessed Naveed after the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

He said the attack triggered many Islamic State and Al-Qaeda supporters and inspired them to act. 

“There’s huge radicalisation that has taken place after the Oct 7 attack and Israel’s overwhelming response … and the protests and the demonstrations that instigated people to go and do attacks,” Rohan added.

Greg Barton, rector and professor of global Islamic politics at Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia, similarly noted that it is unclear if Australian authorities carried out follow-up visits after investigating Naveed six years ago.

“It’s not clear that anyone knew that his father had been radicalised,” he told CNA’s Asia Tonight.

“That’s a reminder that these sorts of deep ideological convictions don’t fade away overnight, unless there’s some concerted effort to rehabilitate people.”

RADICALISED BY THE INTERNET

Meanwhile, experts pointed out that the digital space has made it much easier for lone wolves to be inspired by terrorism groups.

An organisation’s preachers or leaders can be neutralised, but governments will “always struggle to defeat and eradicate … the ideas that animate it”, said West.