killed two West Africans<\/a> in the Boston area in 2009 and was on his way to attack a synagogue when police stopped him.<\/p>\n\u201cNo one had ever heard of Keith Luke before,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter his arrest we discovered he had spent countless hours watching white supremacist videos on YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other lone wolves embrace the status because of its utility, Pitcavage said, noting that Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in bombings and shootings in and near Oslo on July 22, 2011, had assembled data showing that lone attacks were more successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more steps there are, the more people there are,\u201d the likelier it is that the plot will be leaked, Pitcavage said.<\/p>\n
Goldenberg, the Jewish security official, said it has become easier for potential assailants to surveil Jewish targets because of information that\u2019s easily accessed on the Internet. It\u2019s not clear what drew the assailant to the Greater Kansas City JCC, Goldenberg said, but it was notable that there were at least two events that had been publicized and were likely to draw crowds: a play and the singing audition.<\/p>\n
It was a tough balance, said Karen Aroesty, the ADL director in St. Louis, Mo., who was in touch with the Kansas City community and law enforcement in the wake of the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want communities to spread the word about the activities they are doing, balancing that with the kind of security that protects against\u201d potential assailants, she said. \u201cHow do they pitch security really strongly while being warm and welcoming? That\u2019s a tough balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goldenberg noted the importance of training members of the Jewish community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is empowering members of the Jewish community through education and knowledge, how to identify a suspicious person, how to face an active shooter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With the caveat that he was not yet fully apprised of how the JCC shooting went down, Goldenberg noted that the building immediately went into lockdown, that the assailant struck from the rear — away from security officers who would have been manning the front — and that he did not breach the back door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the best defense is a locked door,\u201d he said. \u201cThe best defense is having a plan for a lockdown and keeping the individual outside. The individual did not gain entry to the building, and that undoubtedly saved many lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jewish Federations of North America, a leader in obtaining Department of Homeland Security funding for security measures for Jewish buildings, said the Overland Park shootings underscored the need for the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe horrific shootings in Kansas City emphasize the fact that Jewish communal institutions have been the victim of an alarming number of threats and attacks,\u201d William Daroff, the Jewish Federations’ Washington director, wrote in an email. \u201cDue to those threats, the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program has provided millions of dollars to assist nonprofits in upgrading their security capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Obama, who in a statement said the attack was \u201cheartbreaking,\u201d pledged federal resources to the investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have asked my team to stay in close touch with our federal, state and local partners, and provide the necessary resources to support the ongoing investigation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/484640563-1024x694.jpg\" "\\"JCC_OverlandPark_KS\\"")