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from stratfor.com
An Iranian-born University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate was charged over the weekend with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder after he said he intentionally drove an SUV through a crowd of people on campus to “avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.” The March 3 attack was not the first incident of Islamist extremism in North Carolina or of attempted lone-wolf attacks on university campuses.
Nine people were injured, though none seriously, when recent graduate Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar drove a rented Jeep Cherokee at lunchtime into a popular student gathering spot on campus known as The Pit. Taheri-azar then drove away from the scene, called 911 and turned himself in.
Despite his claim of avenging Islam, Taheri-azar’s intentions remain suspect. The attack does not fit the typical pattern for extremists, nor does it appear to have been well planned. It is equally plausible that Taheri-azar acted impulsively or is mentally disturbed, and used radical Islamism as an excuse. Recent international events such as the often-violent protests over the cartoon depiction of the Prophet Mohammed have been used to justify attacks against Western targets abroad.
Stratfor first noted the serious possibility of lone-wolf attacks by university students after a 21-year-old University of Oklahoma student blew himself up outside the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during a football game, with homemade explosives strapped to his body. Later reports indicated the student had attempted to enter the stadium.
To date, attacks of this nature at universities remain isolated and relatively ineffective. In the UNC and OU cases, the lack of planning and support from a dedicated militant organization prevented the attacks from yielding a high body count.
In past years North Carolina has seen increased instances of terrorist activity. Magdi el-Nashar, a chemist who had studied at North Carolina State University, was arrested in Cairo in connection with the July 7 London bombings. Other militants, such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his nephew Abd al-Karim Yousef, have been associated with universities in North Carolina.
This latest university attack reinforces the need for increased attention to security at institutions of higher education. In addition to the presence of security personnel, for example, universities can protect outdoor common areas from vehicle attack with trees, large concrete flower pots or other landscaping countermeasures.
U.S. colleges and universities have a long, successful history of welcoming foreign researchers and students, often from countries that are publicly at odds with Washington. Although Taheri-azar’s stated reason for his attack might have been an excuse, the current high tensions between the United States and the Islamic world could carry over into the university setting.
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