Many 'lone-wolf' attacks are coached from afar, study claims

WASHINGTON: Increasingly unable to mount centrally planned, big-impact attacks, the Islamic State group now relies on "virtual entrepreneurs" who work independently from the jihadist leadership to cultivate smaller lone-wolf attacks, researchers say.

According to researchers at George Washington University's Program on Extremism, evidence now shows that many so-called lone-wolves are in reality encouraged and directed by IS operatives to undertake attacks for which the group can then claim credit.