Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 12 - Año: 2018 - Págs.: 273 a 298 275 Enrique Arias Gil The future of nuclear terrorism in individual terrorist... INTRODUCTION At its 4956th meeting on 28 April 2004, the UN Security Council adopted Re-solution 1540 (2004), which states that ‘proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security’1. Gravely concerned by the threat of terrorism and the risk that non-State actors ‘may acquire, develop, traffic in or use nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery’2, the Council called for enhanced coordination of efforts on international levels in order to strengthen a global response to this serious challenge and threat to international security. In view of the terrorist strategy and tactics of individual players that have emerged since then, particularly right-wing extremists and Islamic fundamentalists, it seems logical to ask ourselves about the role of individual terrorists in the future of nuclear terrorism. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is to analyse the future of nuclear terrorism in individual terrorist strategy and tactics, hypothesising that, over the coming years, nuclear terrorism will spread to the realm of individual terrorism more easily than to conventional organised terrorism. POSSIBLE RISKS AND CASES Definition and magnitude of the threat a) A lone wolf is a self-radicalised individual that operates as a terrorist outside of an organisation and has no connection whatsoever with any organisation. In other words, someone whose actions are not influenced by a leader, who does not follow a plan, who devises their own agenda and, occasionally, their own ideology. And who, moreover, feeling rejected by society and even by terrorist organisations themselves, decides to operate completely on their own. They are therefore capable of self-activa-ting at any time and in any place in order to achieve their political, social or religious goals and their terrorist activities focus on threats, violence and sabotage3. b) In contrast, the individual terrorist operates alone and in isolation. Unlike the lone wolf, however, they may also act together with another individual or in small cells or terrorist networks. They belong, or claim to belong, to a terrorist group or network; 1 Resolution 1540 (2004), United Nations Security Council, 28 April 2004, 4 pp. 2 Ibid. 3 The author’s definition.
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