On April 26th, 31-year-old software engineer Cole Tomas Allen allegedly attempted to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. Despite having no known history of violence and recently being named “Teacher of the Year” by his tutoring program, Allen reportedly charged toward Secret Service agents armed with multiple weapons before being stopped.

In this episode of The Threat, we examine the psychology, history, and evolution of the lone wolf assassin in America. From John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of President Lincoln to John Hinckley Jr.’s attempt on Ronald Reagan, what drives seemingly isolated individuals to commit acts of political violence? Are these attacks ideological, personal, or fueled by a deeper obsession with fame, power, and notoriety?

Host Jonathan Schanzer is joined by Program on Extremism colleague Jeffrey Parsons, a former federal prosecutor and counterterrorism expert who spent two decades investigating terrorism and political violence in the United States and abroad, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Together, they discuss the warning signs of lone wolf terrorism, the rise in domestic political violence, possible foreign influence operations, and how law enforcement distinguishes between dangerous rhetoric and credible threats. They also explore what more can be done to prevent political violence before it turns deadly.

Since the U.S. war on Iran broke out in late February, a rash of terrorist attacks have struck Europe and primarily targeted Jewish communities. Western intelligence agencies believe Iran is likely behind these operations. But London-based counter-terrorism expert, Roger Macmillan, tells The Threat that this network is nearly impossible to track. It’s recruitment and propagandizing takes place through social media channels. and most of its operatives are simply paid teenagers. This is the story of the HAYI terrorist network.

In this episode, we discuss with expert and journalist Hanin Ghaddar the threats posed by Hezbollah - a terrorist group, Iranian proxy, and organized crime syndicate based in Lebanon.

Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Her work primarily addresses Shia politics throughout the Levant . and she works closely on Hezbollah. She is the author of the book, "Hezbollahland - Mapping Dahiya and Lebanon's Shia Community," which explores the intricacies of Lebanon's Shia community. And before arriving at the Washington Institute, Hanin had a long history as a journalist based in Beirut.

What Hanin’s bio does not reveal, however, is that she herself is a Shia Lebanese woman from the South of Lebanon. And because of her work to expose Hezbollah’s nefarious behavior and criminal activity, Lebanon’s military court, which is influenced and controlled by Hezbollah, sentenced her in absentia, but was then forced to drop the sentence due to U.S. pressure. So, her case is now sitting somewhere in a civil court. And so, she has a unique and intimate understanding of this terror organization and the threats it poses - both within Lebanon and globally.

Read her book for free here: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/sites/default/files/pdf/PolicyFocus172Ghaddar_1.pdf

Read her testimony on Hezbollah here: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/targeting-hezbollahs-broader-ecosystem-power

This week on The Threat, Jay and Hagar sit down with Mohsen Sazegara, an Iranian dissident who, in his earlier life, helped create Iran’s most lethal military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a top aid to the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Sazegara described to us how the IRGC grew into a multi-headed “monster”; how Tehran oversees its terror cells in the West, and what he sees as the most effective way for the U.S. to help promote regime change in Tehran. Have a listen.

The Threat podcast will analyze and discuss the most pressing, yet not
always so visible, threats to global security and the movements and
ideologies that fuel extremism and terrorism.