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Another attack on the Pentagon.  This time, an American armed with guns, ammunition, and a litany of complaints against the Federal government. 

 John Patrick Bedell seems to have filed his complaints against the government online.  Then, he allegedly opened fire on two police officers protecting an entrance to the Pentagon.  Are attacks like Bedell's the new terrorist concern?

We're taking a closer look at Bedell, his motives, and reaction to his attack from CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, L Magazine, and CBS News.

We start with CNN's Chris Lawrence who has a profile of Bedell's complaints against the government -- in a posting believed to be in Bedell's own words.

"In it he rails against the government, he talks about government control of the monetary system, about government control of the schools, and he also talks about some conspiracy ideas that he has.  Take a listen to what some of the audio recordings are:  'To prevent themselves from being enslaved, the powerful masters of our existing government use every means at their disposal, including bribery, theft and murder...'

Fox News' Caroline Shively points to another posting attributed to Bedell -- in which he outlines a 9/11 conspiracy.

"I want to read part of that to you.  It says 'This organization, like so many murderous governments throughout history, would see the sacrifice of thousands its citizens in an event such as the September 11th attacks as a small cost to perpetuate its control."

The New York Times reports Bedell's theories went beyond anti-government thoughts.  He was a staunch opponent of the government's War on Drugs.  The Times points out a man posting online under Bedell's name proposed using marijuana as a monetary exchange.

“In the Wikipedia entry, JPatrickBedell wrote: ‘One desired result of my effort is (will be) billions and billions of carefully cultivated, highly valuable cannabis plants growing throughout the United States with complete security of property."

So, is Bedell a terrorist? While Pentagon police say no, a writer for online the blog L Magazine disagrees.

“The thing is, I am feeling terror right now. Last night’s shooting, following so closely on Joe Stack flying his plane into an IRS building in Austin, has me concerned about incidents in which unhinged white men take their frustrations out on those institutions they perceive to be ruining their lives, and by extension, the country.”

CBS shifts the focus to the security measures already in place.  CBS News Security Analyst says security plans held up, but that prevention is difficult.  And he tries to answer the question if the government is doing enough to prevent the attacks in the first place.

"Do you think the government is doing enough to identify these people pre-emptively?  I think it is very hard to ferret these people out individually.  Lone wolves. (flash) (1:22-1:29)  And this, I think, puts a premium on family and friends to identify individuals who may be violent...may be trending toward violence."

Let us know your thoughts on this attack in our comments section.

Writer: Newsy Staff

Producer: Nathan Giannini