Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Objective • Relevant • Rigorous | May 2017 • Volume 10, Issue 5 FEATURE ARTICLE A VIEW FROM THE CT FOXHOLE Responding to the James Next Attack Gagliano Learning from the police response in Orlando and San Bernardino Former FBI Hostage Rescue Team Frank Straub, Jennifer Zeunik, and Ben Gorban Counterterrorist Operator FEATURE ARTICLE Editor in Chief 1 Lessons Learned from the Police Response to the San Bernardino and Orlando Terrorist Attacks Paul Cruickshank Frank Straub, Jennifer Zeunik, and Ben Gorban Managing Editor INTERVIEW Kristina Hummel 8 A View from the CT Foxhole: James A. Gagliano, Former FBI Hostage Rescue EDITORIAL BOARD Team Counterterrorist Operator Paul Cruickshank Colonel Suzanne Nielsen, Ph.D. Department Head ANALYSIS Dept. of Social Sciences (West Point) 13 A New Age of Terror? Older Fighters in the Caliphate Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Price, Ph.D. John Horgan, Mia Bloom, Chelsea Daymon, Wojciech Kaczkowski, Director, CTC and Hicham Tiflati 20 The Terror Threat to Italy: How Italian Exceptionalism is Rapidly Brian Dodwell Diminishing Deputy Director, CTC Michele Groppi 29 Iranian Kurdish Militias: Terrorist-Insurgents, Ethno Freedom Fighters, or CONTACT Knights on the Regional Chessboard? Combating Terrorism Center Franc Milburn U.S. Military Academy 607 Cullum Road, Lincoln Hall In the early hours of June 12, 2016, an Islamic State-inspired gunman car- West Point, NY 10996 ried out the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, shooting dead 49 people in an Orlando nightclub. The attacker was finally killed after a Phone: (845) 938-8495 three-hour hostage standof, leading to questions raised in the media over the police response. One Email: [email protected] year later, Frank Straub, Jennifer Zeunik, and Ben Gorban look at the lessons learned from the police response to the Orlando and San Bernardino terrorist attacks based on critical incident reviews they Web: www.ctc.usma.edu/sentinel/ conducted for the Police Foundation. In our cover article, they outline how regular police units who were first to respond to the attacks were faced with chaos and “unimaginable devastation … with SUBSMISSIONS victims begging for help, people dying, and others who were already deceased” as well as adversaries armed with powerful weapons with explosives or making threats to use them against hostages. The The CTC Sentinel welcomes submissions. authors argue that with the Islamic State calling for attacks in all 50 U.S. states, police forces across Please contact us at [email protected]. the country need to adapt their training and equipment to prepare for IED, suicide bombing, and hostage situations. Their review found that while Orlando police followed current best practices de- signed to avoid the deaths of hostages and unreasonable danger to police, new protocols may be The views expressed in this report are necessary for terrorist hostage attacks. In our interview this month, James Gagliano, a former coun- those of the authors and not of the U.S. terterrorist operator for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, argues that with Islamic State-inspired hos- tage-takers seeking to kill as many as possible before being killed themselves, the new guidance in Military Academy, the Department of the these cases should be for law enforcement to more quickly or immediately implement rescue plans to Army, or any other agency of the U.S. save as many hostages as possible. Government. John Horgan, Mia Bloom, Chelsea Daymon, Wojciech Kaczkowski, and Hicham Tiflati examine the Islamic State’s older fighters. As the group finds it increasingly difcult to replace its fighters, preliminary evidence documented by the Georgia State University researchers suggests an emerging Cover: Local San Bernardino SWAT Team and increasingly aggressive role for older adults, especially as suicide bombers. Michele Groppi warns members storm a school after shooters the terrorist threat to Italy may come to resemble that in France because of growing societal tensions. engaged the police less than block away. Franc Milburn provides an overview of Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups, who he argues may emerge as significant players in the region. Paul Cruickshank, Editor in Chief (Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images) MAY 2017 CTC SENTINEL 1 Lessons Learned from the Police Response to the San Bernardino and Orlando Terrorist Atacks By Frank Straub, Jennifer Zeunik, and Ben Gorban enforcement agencies to ensure their training, tactics, and opera- In the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and Orlando, tional procedures evolve efectively in order to confront ofenders the first responders were patrol and traffic officers, who kill and seriously injure defenseless civilians at movie theaters,a investigators, and command personnel, not tactical schools,b churches,c conference rooms,d nightclubs,e and iconic units. This is also likely to be the case in future attacks. sporting eventsf as well as in mobile active shootings throughout g In both cases, the local law enforcement response a community. h required judgment calls in extremely volatile and difcult This article focuses on the local law enforcement response to two acts of mass public violence— the terrorist attacks at the Inland circumstances. While well-defined, well-developed, Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, and the Pulse night- and practiced protocols equipped responding officers club in Orlando, Florida. These two events, perpetrated by individ- to perform effectively during these tragic events, vital uals inspired by Islamist extremist ideology, claimed the lives of 63 lessons have also been learned, including how to confront innocent people and injured 75 others, shocking law enforcement attackers armed or claiming to be armed with high- ofcials and communities across the country.i In both instances, pa- powered weapons and explosive devices. Some traditional trol and trafc ofcers, investigators, and command personnel—not practices need to be realigned and enhanced to improve the tactical teams—were the first law enforcement personnel to arrive survivability of victims and the safety of first responders on scene. The situations they encountered were marked by chaos in an increasingly complicated threat environment. and unimaginable devastation, with overwhelming sights, sounds, and smells of human tragedy—victims begging for help, people dy- ing, and others who were already deceased. uring the last decade, individuals motivated by a In both incidents, the terrorists targeted first responders with range of ideological beliefs and individual factors secondary devices or the threat thereof. Law enforcement person- have engaged in horrific acts of mass violence tar- nel were challenged by the possibility that the perpetrators were geting innocent civilians in communities across the wearing suicide vests and/or had placed them on hostages. Both United States. These attacks, according to a report incidents ended in a barrage of gunfire as ofcers put themselves by the Congressional Research Service in 2015, have increased in in harm’s way, confronting heavily armed suspects who fought until D 1 frequency as well as lethality. This new reality has challenged law they were neutralized. The San Bernardino and Pulse nightclub terrorist attacks were committed by “homegrown jihadis” inspired by the Islamic State, who planned and prepared their brutal attacks hidden from the Frank Straub is Director of Strategic Studies at the Police community and law enforcement. Their chief asset was that their Foundation, a non-profit organization that studies ways to improve policing in the United States. Dr. Straub is a 30-year veteran of federal and local law enforcement, having served as the a Aurora Century 16 Theater, Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012. Police Chief in Spokane, Washington; the Public Safety Director in Indianapolis; the Public Safety Commissioner in White Plains, b Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newton, Connecticut, December 14, 2012. New York; and the New York City Police Department’s Deputy c Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina, Commissioner of Training. He also served as a member of the FBI- June 17, 2015. NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. d Inland Regional Center, San Bernardino, California, December 2, 2015. e Pulse nightclub, Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016. Jennifer Zeunik is Director of Programs at the Police Foundation. f Boston Marathon Bombings, Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2013. She has 20 years of experience working with public safety and g Meadows apartment complex, Seelye Kia dealership, and Cracker Barrel non-profit organizations on law enforcement policy and practice. restaurant, Kalamazoo, Michigan, February 20, 2016. In her current role, Ms. Zeunik oversees the Police Foundation’s h The Police Foundation's critical incident reviews of the San Bernardino and Critical Incident Review Technical Assistance projects as well as Orlando Pulse nightclub attacks were funded by the U.S. Department of programs that provide training and technical assistance to law Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). enforcement agencies across the country. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Department of Justice and/or the COPS Office. Ben Gorban is Policy Analyst for the Police Foundation’s Critical i Fourteen individuals were killed and 22 wounded in the San Bernardino Incident Review Technical Assistance projects, including the