Christopher Hinn
Former Senior Advisor, Middle Eastern Affairs of the Department of Homeland Security
CEO/Managing Director, C-7 International, LLC
The Western world does not have an extensive history of dealing with suicide bomb attacks. As a result, few police and sheriffs’ departments have felt the need to develop policies and training programs specifically addressing the issues raised by such incidents. Yet, there have been several major incidents in the U.S., Britain and Spain over the last few years involving suicide bombers who inflicted mass casualties. Thus the constant threat of suicide bomb attacks in the West and specifically in the United States are unfortunately part of what Sir Ian Blair, Britain's Former Top Police Officer, refers to as the “New Normality.”
A 2006 survey of more than 100 foreign-policy experts, Republicans and Democrats alike, found that 91 percent said it is “likely or certain” that within the next decade, the United States will suffer an attack similar in scale to the July 2005 London bombings. Furthermore, when the experts were asked which two types of attacks are most likely, the common response was “suicide bombing attacks” followed closely by “attack on major infrastructure.” The concept that these "attacks" originate from the middle east or other foreign countries, while true, is being augmented dramatically by threats being developed within the United States.
Learning Objectives:
1. The Culture of the Suicide Bomber
2. Identifying the On-Going Threat of Suicide Bombers
3. The Growth of Homegrown Terrorism