1
Mass victim attacks are surprise attacks to kill multiple innocent people simultaneously or at nearly the same time. These attacks are devastating, both for actual victims and their families. By means of recorded video and television coverage, we cringe repeatedly when we see events replayed. During these replays, we can imagine just how frightening it would be to be a victim. However, most people typically do not dwell on such horrible thoughts. First, we tend to avoid dwelling on painful events if we were not directly affected. Second, we know the chances of being a victim are extremely small. The result is that most simply are not prepared for such a low-probability event. But for those who were victims, probabilities didn’t matter—being a victim was a certainty.
We prepare for many events that have a small chance of happening. We follow road rules while driving and faithfully use our seat belts to avoid that fatal car accident. There is a 1 in 8,469 chance of being killed in an automobile accident. But we prepare. We take precautions, and we know what to look for if a bad driver is spotted. We drive defensively to stay as safe as possible through a variety of road and weather conditions.
There is a one in 2 million chance of being killed in an airline accident. There is also a one in 2 million chance of being killed by a terrorist within the United States. Although the chances are the same, we are far better prepared for airline trips. There is careful maintenance, strong safety standards, safety equipment, and a passenger briefing before every flight. There is sometimes an armed sky marshal on board, and pilot actions are monitored and recorded. Weather conditions are monitored closely, and emergency landings occur to avoid danger. We are prepared to fly as safely as possible.
Most of us do not know how to react if caught in a mass victim attack. Is the probability so low that we don’t need to worry? I don’t think so. As mentioned, the chance of being killed in an airline accident is about the same as being killed by a terrorist. But we are prepared for airline travel, regardless of how low the chances are of being killed. Mass victim attacks are very real, and I believe we need to be better prepared—just in case. If we add to terrorism the chance of being a victim of a mass victim attack from a mentally ill person, a copycat, self-radicalized person, or just someone filled with hate and bias, the probability is much higher. The world has changed; it is more dangerous and threatening. We need to think differently to increase our chance of survival.
Why are we better prepared for airline flights and auto trips? Because the auto and airline industries have learned from past events. For example, studies of how deaths occurred in past auto accidents resulted in required seat belts and airbags. The increased rates of survival in such accidents have been focused on the use of both.
In 1905 George Santayana remarked, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”1
I have taken the approach that we must study and learn from how people have survived mass victim attacks. This has led to strategies to be better able to survive attacks in the future. In the vast majority of cases, survival depended on what the victim did, not just on being saved by responding law enforcement or security. Yes, law enforcement has been effective, especially in preventing attacks from occurring. However, once an attack begins, it occurs rapidly before law enforcement personnel can respond, unless they are already present. As a general rule, you are primarily on your own. Rather than leave your safety to others, you need to be better prepared to ensure your own safety.
I have also taken a different approach to studying the past. Many works have focused on attack method or only on a single type of attack during past events. Instead, I have focused on victims and how they managed to survive across all forms of mass victim attacks. Analyzing survival in these attacks has led to commonalities that we can use defensively. Why are there commonalities?
A terrorist is very different from an attacker suffering from mental health issues—they have totally different motivations. Some attackers commit their act alone and others with accomplices. Some kill themselves, and some try to escape capture. However, the fact that many people are killed and injured at one time is a strong commonality. Mass victim attacks require a mass of people being together at the same time. This limits attacks to locations with many individuals present. When we add to this what motivates mass victim attackers, we can narrow the potential list of targets to an even smaller list.
If attack locations are studied, we can determine how survival occurred within these locations. We will cover this in detail, but just as an example, many locations that can house a considerable number of people have multiple exits, adjoining or additional rooms, restrooms, a kitchen if a restaurant, closets, and so on. These additional areas can be keys to survival if an attack begins.
To study the past, we first need to know what types of mass victim attacks have occurred. We also need to know something about the types of mass victim attackers. In my analysis, I have identified five classes of mass victim attackers, driven by totally different motivators. These are:
•International Terrorism
•Domestic Terrorism
•U.S. Self-Radicalized Terrorism
•Mental Health Issues
•Hate/Bias
There is much said about “lone wolf” attacks. This is not a “type” of attacker with a specific form of motivation but a method of attack. The term creates some confusion, and is used in different ways. Some describe any mass attack committed by a single person as a lone wolf attack. Others use the term synonymously with self-radicalized attacks committed by a single attacker. Any type of attacker could act alone. In addition, the line between acting alone or with others has become unclear. If a sole bomber is communicating with and getting instructions from an international terrorist organization, is that a lone wolf attack? Due to this confusion, I don’t use the term in this book. Instead, separating mass victim attacks by what serves as motivation provides clearer commonsense distinctions aiding understanding as to who, what, where, when, and how such attacks occur.
One of the more common points of confusion about mass victim attacks results from the absolute horror of the events themselves. Killing many innocent victims with semi-automatic weapons, bombs, or any other form of weapon leaves shocking events and horrific images. This leads to labeling such events as terrorism because of the terrorizing outcome associated with all mass victim attacks.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that there simply is not a single, universally accepted definition of terrorism. Attacks have received much attention from media, military, intelligence, public safety, and academicians. Studies and analyses have focused on weapons, targets, motivations, tactics, and message. Different perspectives have simply led to different definitions.
Although there is not a single accepted definition of terrorism, and experts point to their favorite definitions, there is a common thread across most definitions, regardless of the perspective taken. This common thread is the underlying need to deliver a political, religious, ideological, or anti-country (e.g., anti-U.S.) message. Attacks fueled by hatred of a specific type of target and attacks associated with mental health issues most likely are not associated with an ideological or politically inspired message. Adam Lanza, who had mental health issues, killed 20 children and 6 adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting after killing his mother. Why? We still are not totally sure. There was no message.
When studying past attacks, we see that weapon choice, targeting, and location choice for mass victim attacks flow from motivation. Studying attacks by type of attacker helps to determine how attacks have occurred and how victims have survived. In the following section we study the past, discussing five types of attacks and attackers in more detail.
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Definition: An international terrorism mass victim attack is committed by non-U.S. citizen(s) to violently kill multiple innocent and random people in a single or coordinated event with an objective of making a political, religious, ideological, or anti-U.S. statement. Perpetrators have the motivation, will, and resources to strike on a global basis (e.g., Al Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, airliner attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon).
International terrorism is likely recognized as the most significant threat to the United States and is noted by the backing of such organized groups as Al Qaeda and ISIS/ISIL. There is some confusion over the acronym used for the latter. Many terrorism experts and the media use the name ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Those in the Obama administration used the term ISIL for the same organization (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). The difference is the designation for a region. The word Levant covers a larger area. The Levant is an area from southern Turkey to Egypt, including Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, and Syria. The overall goal of this effort, regardless of the name, is to establish an Islamic state, known as a caliphate.
Certainly there are differences between Al Qaeda and ISIS. In fact, Al Qaeda has even denounced ISIS. Their methods are different. Al Qaeda, formerly led by Osama bin Laden, is focused on the United States as a target, as we saw in the 9/11 attack and the bombing of the USS Cole. They have been exceedingly careful in selecting members of their organization. There is little doubt that the successful raid on Osama bin Laden’s residence in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, resulting in his death had a significant and lasting effect on Al Qaeda. Additional U.S. military efforts have also resulted in the death of many former Al Qaeda leaders.
ISIS, not as selective, has been successful in recruiting those to assist their cause, including U.S. citizens. ISIS’s reach is much broader. Both Al Qaeda and ISIS organizations are brutal and intent on killing massive numbers of innocent victims. Differences aside, both groups represent Islamic radical fundamentalism with beliefs that stray from mainstream, more peace-seeking Islamic beliefs. In addition, ISIS has acted more like a military organization and not just as an international terrorist organization.
The ISIS caliphate is a term used for the ISIS state—a primary objective of ISIS. The caliphate had been growing over several years, but in 2017, U.S.-backed forces/allies basically crushed the caliphate that had been centered in Iraq with Raqqa as the capital. However, as a decentralized terrorist organization, ISIS can be and has been effective at providing propaganda useful for self-radicalization. Given the Internet and the ease with which information can be obtained, U.S. citizens with a tendency to embrace radical Islamism may easily locate like-minded people, documents to read, and instructions on how to attack on the Internet/social media.
DOMESTIC TERRORISM
Definition: A domestic terrorism mass victim attack is committed by U.S. citizen(s) to violently kill many innocent people in one event with an objective of making a statement about “getting back” or revenge for a perceived injustice; it is not associated or identified with an international terrorist organization.
As an example, on April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a truck filled with ANFO explosive in front of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building, left the scene, and then detonated the truck bomb, killing 168 and injuring approximately 700. ANFO is easily obtained ammonium nitrate fertilizer and diesel oil. The combination, when detonated with any small explosive device, can be devastating.
The damage caused by the truck bomb to the target was extensive. A significant part of the large structure was demolished, and damage was apparent to many buildings across a large 10-to 16-block area. The planners, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who had met in the U.S. Army, had become increasingly outraged over federal government actions.
The first incident was known as the Ruby Ridge incident, which was a 10-day standoff between Randy Weaver and his family and a large federal officer force. Weaver’s wife and son were killed in the incident, as was a federal officer. The second incident was known as the Waco siege. Beginning with an armed conflict between the Branch Davidian religious sect and government officers, six sect members and four federal officers were killed. The following 53-day siege ended in a law enforcement rush on the Branch Davidian compound. The result was that 76 additional sect members were killed in a massive fire, including David Koresh, the leader.
McVeigh detonated the truck bomb in front of the federal building on the second anniversary of the Branch Davidian incident. Driven by an enraged need for revenge, the bombing remains the largest instance of domestic terrorism in the United States.
U.S. SELF-RADICALIZED TERRORISM
Definition: U.S. self-radicalized terrorism is a mass victim attack to violently kill many innocent people in the same event, perpetrated by U.S. citizen(s) who embrace the ideology and often tactics of a radical Islamic international terrorist organization or group but is not officially a member of that organization. A primary objective is to seek recognition and acceptance as a “soldier” or member of that organization.
Self-radicalized terrorists emerging from within the United States who are sympathetic to Islamic radical fundamentalism is a growing problem. Self-radicalization can occur with or without actual communication with an international terrorist organization. Such self-radicalized terrorist attacks as the assault on Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016 (49 killed and 53 injured), and the attack on the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, on December 2, 2015 (14 killed and 23 injured), demonstrate the concern over this still-emerging form of terrorism.
The world has changed. International terrorist organizations now include experts in the use of social media to spread their message. The typical vulnerable U.S. citizen interested in such organizations tends to desire a sense of belonging. This can lead to recruitment, whether male or female, or what I would call “assumed recruitment.” The Internet has been indispensable for ISIS recruitment efforts, and they have made significant amounts of information available specifically for the purpose of enabling self-radicalization and with instructions on how to attack successfully.
In addition to assisting recruitment, the Internet has become a valuable tool for communication in which a “terrorist wannabe” can gain religious knowledge, tactics, and attack instructions. For example, the availability of the Al-Qaeda online magazine Inspire provided instructions for making a pressure cooker bomb. Brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev followed these instructions to make the bombs used at the Boston Marathon finish on April 15, 2013.2 The two bombs detonated 12 seconds apart, killing 3 and injuring almost 300 innocent people.
The Internet assists terrorists in a multitude of ways. To surveil a potential target for a mass victim attack, one can just view Internet images of potential targets to determine the layout of the location. The posted busiest times of some restaurants and other public places are available at a click. Even live webcams may be viewed up to the minute of an attack. Furthermore, there are many options for communicating covertly or in such a way that discovery would be difficult, at best.
I have worked in the area of counterterrorism for over 30 years. The changes have been dramatic. The Internet has become a tool used by the self-radicalized terrorist. Because they are U.S. citizens, or living comfortably within the United States, detection is difficult—they can be your next-door neighbor. However, to counter growing threat, law enforcement and intelligence experts have increased skills in Internet chat, social media, and how to track malicious content. They are becoming diligent in their monitoring efforts. Chapter 12 discusses the many successes of law enforcement in preventing mass victim attacks. Using monitoring methods, informants, and infiltrations, scores of attacks have been foiled.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Definition: A mass victim attacker with mental health issues is intent on violently killing many innocent people in the same event. He is typically a U.S. citizen operating alone, suffering from delusions and/or anger (e.g., December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut, when 20 children 6 to 7 years old and seven adults, including his mother, were killed).
There is a public perception that the mentally ill are violent and dangerous. This is not generally the case. However, there are exceptions. If committed to treatment for danger to others, there is a professional determination that the individual could harm others. In my years as director of treatment programs for the incarcerated and violent mentally ill, I was attacked, choked, and physically assaulted numerous times. But these were programs designed to treat the violent mentally ill, and violent individuals with diagnosed mental health issues were overrepresented—that is why they were there.
In our everyday public settings, violence with mental illness as a cause or contributing factor is rare. When a person is suffering from mental health issues with a tendency toward violence, repeated outbursts usually bring the person to the attention of law enforcement and the courts. However, some do slip through the cracks.
On July 20, 2012, 24-year-old James Holmes propped open the back door to an Aurora, Colorado, Century 16 movie theater and left, planning his quick return. The Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises was playing. Holmes was a fan of Batman. He returned in tactical clothing, hair dyed bright red (Joker’s hair was bright green), a donned gas mask, and well armed with shotgun, rifle, and handgun.
Holmes began his attack by tossing two tear gas containers. He then systematically produced a hail of gunfire without mercy, killing 12 people and wounding 70. Holmes was not a stranger to mental health services. He had been seen by three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado prior to the attack. A PhD student in neuroscience, Holmes was bright but troubled. He had started arming himself with weapons and ammunition after recently dropping out of school.
There were many warning signs prior to the incident. Holmes had come to the attention of the campus threat-detection professionals. There was concern. After the incident, the insanity defense was used. Although diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia and entering an insanity defense, the defense was rejected. In the presence of mental health professionals prior to the attack, Holmes had mentioned thoughts of killing others. However, it does not appear that much was done other than informing campus police of the homicidal thoughts.
There is little doubt that mental illness played a significant role in this shooting. Unfortunately, many warning signs were not acted on quickly enough. It is interesting to note that Holmes had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. In my work as a psychologist for the U.S. Secret Service, this diagnosis surfaced often with those who have threatened the president of the United States or other protectees.
The incidence of violence involving those diagnosed with schizophrenia is significantly higher than the incidence of violence in the general public.3 Just a decade ago, it was believed that this was not the case, and you can still find many professionals who say the incidence of violence perpetrated by people with this diagnosis is no higher than that of the general public. But new evidence indicates that we should be alert. For this reason, a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia making threats or mentioning thoughts of killing others should be taken very seriously—immediately.
I have mentioned that terrorism is associated with a political, religious, ideological, or anti-country message. Holmes kept a notebook of his thoughts. In that notebook he wrote that terrorism is not the message. He stated, “The message is, there is no message.”4 This makes this type of attack, regardless of the slaughter, very different from terrorism where there is an intended message. Yes, the attack was horrific and terrorizing, but technically not terrorism.
HATE/BIAS
Definition: A U.S. hate/bias-inspired mass victim attack to violently kill many innocent people in a single event is typically perpetrated by a single U.S. citizen who holds significant prejudice or bias and inordinately strong anger against a specific religious, racial, ethnic, or despised group.
A hate-inspired mass attack is the end result of hate/bias stemming from prejudice toward a group of individuals that is despised by the perpetrator. Hate is so strong that the perpetrator will risk all to kill multiple individuals of the hated group. It is difficult to hide such hate, and there are typically early signs of the underlying bias and anger.
On August 12, 2012, Wade Page killed six Sikh people and wounded four others at a Wisconsin Sikh temple. Page was known as a white supremacist with a hatred for those of the Sikh faith. Arriving on the scene of the attack, police shot Page in the stomach. In response, Page killed himself with a gunshot to the head. Hate clearly fueled this event. It was so strong that he ended his own life after achieving his goal of killing others he truly despised.
Hate is a powerful driver of repulsive attacks against any member of a hated target. We all know the history of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the United States. The hatred directed toward nonwhites is a sad chapter in U.S. history. However, hate is still alive and directed toward many groups of people. Page’s deadly assault against those of the Sikh faith at a temple is a very sad and prime example of the motivation that drives this form of mass victim attack.
We have recently witnessed many attacks against police officers in the United States. Some of the attacks are generated from a firm belief that police have targeted African Americans for shootings. This is the foundational belief behind the Black Lives Matter movement. As an example, on July 8, 2016, Micah Xavier Johnson interrupted a protest against police violence in Dallas, Texas, by shooting and killing five police officers and wounding seven. Using a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, Johnson turned his hate into an intense killing of numerous despised police officers. Although a veteran, his anger drove him to strike back against law enforcement. Johnson was killed when police, out of safety concerns, sent in a robot armed with explosives. When close to the perpetrator, the bomb was detonated, killing Johnson and ending the killing of his hated targets, police officers.
Although some might classify police killings as domestic terrorism, I consider this to be a combination of hate and domestic terrorism. Driven by hate, perpetrators want to kill any members of the despised group, but there is also an element of revenge and leaving a message. Domestic terrorism carries with it a specific message of revenge. As we saw with the Oklahoma domestic terrorism bombing, Timothy McVeigh sought revenge for the deaths arising from two specific incidents, the Ruby Ridge and Branch Davidians deaths.
In hate/bias-driven mass victim attacks, the target is simply random members of a despised group. We witnessed numerous examples of attacks directed at law enforcement during 2016 and 2017. Tactics may differ to some extent, but the hate that drives the killings is very clear as a prime motivator.
There are additional attacker types, but I consider them to be special cases of attacks or sub attacks that fit under the provided five types. First, there are copycat attackers. Mass victim attacks seem to motivate some to model these and follow with attacks of their own. There are those who are inspired by mass victim attacks and seek the opportunity for recognition. Attacks beget attacks. There is also much being made of “lone wolf” attacks. A lone wolf attack is one in which the attacker acts alone without any assistance from others. However, he may be influenced by others. Because copycats and lone wolf attackers can be subsumed across other categories, I will keep them under the motivational categories provided. In other words, a copycat attack could mirror any of the provided five types of attackers listed.
Notice that with the examples provided, methods vary. In this book, mass victim attacks can include any attack by any means in which three or more victims are killed at one time. For example, the worst attack in U.S. history was the 9/11 attack on September 11, 2001. Nineteen foreign terrorist attackers working together hijacked four airliners and used them as weapons to crash into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. One airliner did not reach its target thanks to brave passengers who challenged the terrorists in flight. That plane perished in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, with all being killed. Box cutters were used as the initial weapons to hijack the planes in flight prior to using the airliners themselves as weapons.
There have been many attacks with improvised weapons, even including homemade pressure-cooker bombs such as the two that exploded 12 seconds and one block apart at the finish of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and over 260 wounded. Self-radicalized brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were the perpetrators. Four days later, Tamerlan died in the hospital after being wounded in a police shootout and after being run over by either younger brother Dzhokhar or a police SUV. Later that evening fugitive Dzhokhar was wounded and apprehended. He was later convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Mass victim attacks are about killing as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time with any form of weapon. We have witnessed attacks using handguns, assault rifles, homemade bombs, vehicle run-downs, box cutters, biological agents such as anthrax, and knives. Weapons are not the focus of mass victim attacks. Rather, the types of attackers are different because of underlying motivations of the attackers. Understanding motivation is important because it is what fuels all the steps leading to the attack itself. Any method or device that can be used to take multiple lives is fair game for those who are intent on committing a mass victim attack.
THE ATTACK PROCESS
We tend to view a mass victim attack as the horrific event itself, and the many deaths and injuries resulting from the vicious assault. Through media coverage, which is often almost immediate, we see the location, we may see first responders, and we may see images of the casualties. We must keep in mind that the attack itself is the end step of a multistep process. This is one example of how we must think differently. There is much preparation required for mass victim attacks of any kind. Such preliminary work and planning could have taken days to weeks to more than a year. In the case of the 9/11 attacks, serious Al Qaeda planning began at least two to three years before the attacks. One just does not pick up guns or a bomb and then attack. Attacks require planning. Such planning can provide warning signs, if we are alert and report what we see.
Figure 1.1 displays the process that leads to an attack. Why is this important? The best way to survive a planned attack is to prevent it from happening. When mass victim attacks are analyzed, more often than not there are the presence of attack-preparation warning signs. Unfortunately, we are often not tuned in to recognize these signs, or are reluctant to act on warning signs when observed.
Motivation
The first step in the process of attack preparation is for the attacker(s) to develop the motivation that would drive the entire process of preparation. This includes all steps up to and including the actual attack. There is always underlying and driving motivation. There could be an intense disgust for the United States, in general, or specific U.S.-based actions. Delusion and need for recognition could motivate the person with mental health issues. In an attack motivated by hate and prejudice, the motivation may be to kill as many of the hated group as possible with a single attack. Motivation of a mass victim attacker is much like filling the gas tank in your car. The available fuel must be sufficient to drive the perpetrator through the process to the final destination—the attack.
Target Selection
Target selection is critical for the attacker. Terrorism carries with it the need to make a statement. Therefore, target selection is likely to be fueled by considerations of the kind of statement that would be left after an attack. International terrorism is interested in symbolic targets, meaning that the target represents something much larger. For example, in the 9/11 attack, the World Trade Center Twin Towers were symbolic of U.S. economic dominance globally. The same day, the Pentagon was attacked, with the structure being symbolic of the U.S. military.
In some cases, it is not clear why a specific target was selected, particularly if mental health issues are present. It is still not clear as to why Adam Lanza picked Sandy Hook Elementary School for his attack. It may have been as simple as the school being just five miles away from where he and his mother lived. Hate-fueled attacks are clearer. An attacker targets a specific group of people that is truly hated. This is true of Dylann Roof’s attack against African Americans during their worship service in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015. He stated during the shooting spree that he wanted to kill black people. So he attacked black worshippers during a religious service in church after sitting with them during the service.
Because it is important to the attacker to kill as many people as possible, we see attacks in locations where targeted people gather. What has changed over the past few decades within the United States is that no location is sacred. We have witnessed attacks in churches and temples, schools (including elementary, high schools, and colleges), nightclubs, workplace gatherings, restaurants, shopping malls, sporting events, and even military installations. This is very important because almost any location we visit where groups gather could be a target of some form of a mass victim attack. Therefore, we need to think differently when at any form of public gathering. The old saying “There is safety in numbers” is not true with mass victim attackers—numbers are part of target selection.
Should we stop going to public places? Absolutely not. But we need to know better how to survive if in a location that is attacked. As you will see in this book, details of how best to seek protection in locations visited will be highlighted.
Weapons
After developing motivation that will fuel the attack process and selection of a target, weapons choice becomes essential to the attacker. In some cases, target selection may occur after weapons choice, especially if the attacker already has weapons. Target selection and weapons choice go hand in hand. Although a weapon can be anything that can cause multiple deaths, we most often see two general types of weapons in mass victim attacks: bombs and semi-automatic guns. However, because of Al Qaeda and ISIS inspiration, we are witnessing more vehicle run-downs and stabbings with sharp objects.
The use of explosives takes many forms. An explosive device could be a homemade bomb, known as an improvised explosive device (IED). It could also mean using airliners with full fuel tanks to detonate when flying into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Don’t underestimate the creativity of mass attackers. The element of surprise is on the attacker’s side. Regardless of the form of explosive, the goal is the same: mass destruction and death.
To show the explosive power of homemade bombs, when I was in the U.S. Secret Service, we held a demonstration for White House staff. A car was placed in a field far away from the outside bleachers. The car trunk was loaded with common ammonium nitrate fertilizer soaked in diesel oil (ANFO). This form of easily obtained fertilizer when soaked in diesel oil is a very powerful explosive when ignited by a small explosive device. All that is left is to detonate it. In this demonstration, when detonated the car was blown at least 40 feet straight up into the air before landing in a flaming inferno. It would have been impossible to survive in or near the car. The truck bomb McVeigh used in the Oklahoma City bombing was very similar, except many times more powerful.
Semi-automatic guns, both handguns and assault rifles, are often weapons of choice. Their selection is obvious. They are small, can be concealed easily, and can shoot as fast as the trigger is pulled. Clips can be prefilled with extra ammunition to assist in rapid and continued firing. It is important to note that a semi-automatic weapon can shoot about two rounds of ammunition a second. With multiple weapons and not reloading, a single attacker could easily release well over 100 shots in the first minute of an attack.
Of course, a bomb explodes in a split second. It is frankly relatively easy to acquire materials to make IEDs and to purchase multiple semi-automatic weapons legally. Adam Lanza’s mother, who he murdered before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School to kill children, purchased the weapons used. She also accompanied him to the gun range to practice—and this in the presence of repeated warning signs. For example, if a family member increasingly isolates himself, becomes fascinated with mass victim attacks, keeps images of past mass killings, attempts to obtain semi-automatic weapons and/ or ammunition, expresses strong hate, expresses hate on social media, or is appearing to gather any materials that could be used for an explosive device, concern should be heightened and activities reported. There are numerous warning signs that will be presented throughout this book. Loved ones may want to deny the presence of warning signs, hoping beyond hope that a son, daughter, father, or mother could not possibly commit any horrible act.
It is essential that if you see something, you say something. This is a common saying, but we will break it down into needed specifics. Getting a loved one or a friend help as a preventative measure is far better than coping with a suicide or forced law enforcement killing after he or she commits a horrific act. We will cover what to look for and how to report it in later chapters. Also, bombs and semi-automatic weapons require different strategies for survival. These strategies will also be covered as we move through the book.
Preparation
Once motivation is locked in, target selection has occurred, and weapons have been acquired, final preparation occurs. IEDs may be constructed and determinations made as to how to hide them. A tremendous amount of energy is stored in an explosive device. An IED can be as small as a pipe bomb or pressure cooker, or it could be a truck bomb with the cargo container loaded with ANFO. If guns are the choice, there may be multiple visits to a gun range to practice. There could also be surveillance of the target location selected. For example, it has been reported that Omar Mateen visited the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, several times prior to his attack. On the last visit, he attacked.
We must also keep in mind that in today’s world of technology, it is very possible to surveil a target from home using the Internet. There are pictures of locations inside and out, times of heaviest use, and even aerial photographs and maps. As mentioned previously, there are even detailed instructions on how to build a bomb, and materials are easily obtained.
The Attack
The attack itself is important to consider for survival. Given that no one had detected or reported warning signs that could have prevented the attack, the first indication we have that an attack has started is an explosion, the sound of rapid gunfire, a vehicle running over pedestrians, multiple stabbings, or any other calamity that hits multiple people in a group at the same time when it is clear that it is not an accident.
A bomb explodes with most energy released at the site of the explosion. The explosive energy reaches out equally in all directions but diminishes with distance. This is why we see many deaths at the location of the bomb and injuries through blast effects and flying shrapnel at distances away from the bomb.
One problem with rapid gunfire starting is that it is not unusual for eyewitnesses who survive mass shootings to report that they were not sure at first what the sound was. Some report a popping sound, or what sounded like fireworks. In addition, it can take a few seconds to gather thoughts to determine what is going on in a surprise armed assault. However, there could be a minimum of at least 100 shots fired within the first minute while the unaware are trying to determine what is happening. Each bullet could hit a victim. This book will help increase awareness. Awareness can shorten valuable reaction time, which is required to survive.
There are multiple strategies for survival with both bombs and semi-automatic gun attacks. Given that you are at the blast-effects distance and not near the location of the bomb, it is important to note that there could be another bomb near the first center of detonation. The Boston Marathon bombing had two pressure cooker bombs explode 12 seconds apart and near a block apart. Here the key is survival. Take cover when an explosion is heard to make sure that there is not a second blast that could be even nearer—with more shrapnel.
It is also possible that a bomb is used to make people move in a specific direction only to find an attacker with semi-automatic weapons shooting those who flee from the bombing. Also, and very important advice for all, know first aid and CPR! It is amazing how many simply do not know first aid. For example, if wounded and bleeding severely, how do you preserve life and prevent death? Take a first aid course and know how to treat wounds. This can pay off not just with mass victim attacks but in any form of accident. You, family, friends, or just someone near you could be severely injured and your actions could make the difference.
As a quick anecdote, I know first aid—as all should. Once on my sailboat I was alone and was knocked to the floor by a huge wave onto a knife I was holding. The knife left a serious cut in my hand. Help was not nearby. I was able to control the blood flow using first aid techniques while nervously threading a regular needle with black sewing thread. I was able to close the wound with eight stitches and stop the bleeding. The point here is that we can do amazing things in an emergency that can surprise even ourselves.
In a crisis, we do what we can do. There are numerous instances of how people have helped victims of attacks, even if wounded personally. Bottom line, know first aid. Just search on the Internet for American first aid courses, with your location, to find out where you can be trained. Be prepared. It can make the difference between life and death.
A mass victim attack is not a death sentence for all. Given distant blast effects and the availability of strategies to escape death in mass shootings, you can survive. That is the purpose of this book. Why a book? Because there is just too much detail to cover in a simple write-up or short video. To escape the deer-in-the-headlights reaction that occurs when an actual attack occurs requires thought and preparation. During those first seconds, awareness and practice thinking about how to react can save your life. This book provides that awareness and practice.