By Anas al-Bar | 2025-11-29

Faced with disintegration and a decline in its offensive capabilities, the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) is increasingly relying on lone wolves as a primary tactic.

On October 31, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest of three men in Michigan who were planning an ISIS-linked terrorist attack, after tracking online information.

A grand jury later indicted the three men, Mohmed Ali, Majed Mahmood, and Ayob Nasser, on terrorism charges.

Also in October, a British court sentenced a man named Abdullah Bellil, a British citizen of Algerian origin, to six years in prison for posting a series of videos on Instagram that endorsed or depicted terrorist killings.

The defendant admitted to supporting ISIS and distributing terrorist material between July 2023 and October 2024.

Online recruitment

"ISIS's reliance on lone wolves is a tactic centered on recruiting individuals with no prior terrorist or criminal history to carry out terrorist operations independently around the world," strategic analyst Tariq al-Shammari told Al-Fassel.

The recruitment of these individuals, he said, "often occurs online, targeting those who show an affinity for radical content or a strong emotional response to the religious hatred and calls for revenge amplified in the group's media coverage of wars and crises."

Sleeper cells

Al-Shammari noted that while ISIS uses short-term recruitment for surprise attacks, it also complements this by forming what are known as "sleeper cells."

"These are secret terrorist groups recruited and planted for extended periods of time in various locations. They adopt a lifestyle that doesn't appear to be religiously extremist or radical for camouflage and to evade security surveillance," he said.

In 2016, the group published a 62-page booklet known as the "Security and Safety Guidelines."

It offered advice to its global elements on how to evade detection, including instructions to shave their beards and wear modern clothing.

Despite these efforts, "ISIS's deceptive maneuvers run up against a massive barrier formed by international intelligence activity and operations," al-Shammari said.

Focused attacks

Led by the United States, multiple nations have cooperated for years to counter ISIS by targeting its operational activities and its essential recruitment, financing, and support networks.

Furthermore, focused attacks by counterterrorism forces in Iraq and Syria, backed by the international coalition, are resulting in the elimination of the group's senior leadership.

"The terrorists' effectiveness has declined, their ranks have been scattered, and they have been demoralized as a result of the elimination of all ISIS leaders," security expert Fadel Abu Raghif told Al-Fassel.

"Efforts to counter the group are constantly escalating, and the combination of intelligence and field operations has successfully eliminated their threat," he added.