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Although this report was commissioned for Canadian government sources, the threat is similar in the U.S. and Europe.

A newly declassified Canadian intelligence report is warning about the emerging threat posed by “lone wolf” Islamist terrorists who operate completely on their own.

Terrorists inspired by al-Qaeda have, in the past, tended to work in cells, but the report says they are beginning to use the solo strategy once associated with the militant far right.

“Lone wolves motivated by Islamist extremism are a recent development,” it says. “Islamist terrorist strategists are now advocating that Muslims take action at a grassroots level, without waiting for instructions.”

It adds that lone wolf Islamist extremist attacks and conspiracies “seem to be on the increase” and that “several such cases have been recorded since 9/11″ although the list of examples appears to have been censored from the report.

The report, “Lone-Wolf Attacks: A Developing Islamist Extremist Strategy?” was written by the Canadian government’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre. A copy of the intelligence assessment was obtained by the National Post under the Access to Information Act, but parts of it were cut out by government officials.

A lone wolf is inspired by a terrorist cause but takes action independently. Lone wolves are difficult to identify because they do not join terrorist groups or associate with other known extremists.

The phenomenon is being linked to the Internet. “The Internet has become an important catalyst for homegrown extremists, including lone wolves, by providing ideological motivation, encouragement, justification, target information and instruction on techniques, all in an anonymous environment,” the report says.

The change in strategy may be a result of successful counterterrorism efforts: As more plots are being detected by security agencies, terrorists are being forced to operate in greater isolation.

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