“Jeffrey Simon’s nail-biting true drama about lone wolf Muharem Kurbegovic is not only a remarkable look into the disturbed mind of a single master of mayhem but a broader, compelling examination of what makes lone wolves the most concerning terrorist phenomenon we confront today. A must-read for all interested in the terrorist challenge ahead.
—Bennett Ramberg, nuclear terrorist expert and author of Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy
“A must-read for Americans wanting an understanding of the lone terrorist and for law enforcement officials seeking to further their education and training in the complexities of identifying and hunting down lone wolf serial bombers and preventing the tragedies they bring about. Simon brings to life Muharem Kurbegovic who terrorized Los Angeles during the summer of 1974, with multiple terrorist attacks, including the targeting of Los Angeles International Airport. Simon develops the character of Kurbegovic in such rich detail, and in tandem with the fast moving drama generated by his pursuers at the LAPD, so that it doesn’t take long for the reader to feel like he or she is in the middle of a current event inspired by today’s headlines. I only wish we would have had the benefit of Simon’s research and fact finding during the hunt for the Unabomber.”
—Terry D. Turchie, former deputy assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI
“Most lone wolf terrorists end up ‘one and done.’ Public attention quickly fades after reports about the atrocity, the culprit, and his death. The story of the notorious Alphabet Bomber is dramatically different. Simon’s book is a riveting and fascinating account of how an intelligent man perpetrated multiple attacks of increasing severity, used media outlets to relay threats of many more deaths if his demands were not met, taunted law enforcement trying to capture him, and after apprehension duped forensic psychiatrists, mocked everybody, and unleashed an arsenal of antics in a futile effort to sell that he was too crazy to be tried, found guilty, or punished.”
—Dinko Bozanich, retired Los Angeles County deputy district attorney and prosecutor of the Alphabet Bomber.
“The story of the prototype of “lone wolf” terrorism, decades before the term was coined. Simon (Lone Wolf Terrorism, 2013, etc.), the president of a security and terrorism research consulting company, delves into a fascinating, all-but-forgotten case. The August 1974 bombing at the Los Angeles International Airport, which occurred just two days before Richard Nixon’s resignation, was “the first time an airport had been bombed anywhere in the world.” It also remains “one of the deadliest incidents of terrorism in Los Angeles history,” leaving three dead and 35 injured. A group called “Aliens of America” took credit for the attack, which generated a host of copycat threats as well as explosions that were misattributed to that group. Since this was also during the period when the Symbionese Liberation Army was wreaking havoc, dominating headlines and law enforcement efforts, there was some confusion over who was doing what and influencing whom. The author makes a strong case that the bombing offered more to fear than the SLA, which was more specific in its targets, and also that the SLA’s media strategy influenced that of Aliens of America. There was, in fact, no such group, just Muharem Kurbegovic, a bright and creative and unbalanced immigrant from Yugoslavia, who had found his ambitions thwarted by an arrest for “lewd conduct.” Though he was acquitted on the charge, it prevented him from receiving a commercial license for a business, kept him unemployed for a year, and put his citizenship application on hold. So he schemed to take spectacular revenge, setting fire to the houses of a judge and then two of the police officials involved in the case and then bombing the airport (the “a” in the alphabet murders he planned to commit). The matter-of-fact account of the clues he left and the difficulties in prosecuting him—was he sane enough to stand trial?—has plenty of ramifications for threats faced today. A historical account of a unique form of terrorism that offers lessons for today.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“The Alphabet Bomber: A Lone Wolf Terrorist Ahead of His Time provides readers an in-depth, biographical picture of Muharem Kurbegovic, an immigrant who felt his adopted country had rejected him resulting in his turning against the government in order to change the political climate regarding immigration and sex laws. Simon provides an excellent historical account which is backed up by empirical works and relevant interviews leading to a book scholars and students of terrorism studies should include in their readings. The insights Simon provides help move the debate regarding lone wolves forward and adds relevant and timely information.”
—Keith Ludwick, CBRNE Central
