Defining Terrorism

What is terrorism?

The U.S. government publishes its rules in a document called the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. In this legal guide, terrorism is defined as “premeditated, politically motivated violence . . . against noncombatant targets.” Premeditated means planned. Noncombatants are uninvolved civilians and other bystanders. Therefore, terrorism is the use of violence to reach political goals. Terrorism’s goal is to change the way the government is run by creating fear in the public.

Terrorist acts are committed “by subnational groups or clandestine agents.” Subnational means smaller than a country. Clandestine means secret or hidden. These words help show the difference between terrorism and war.

Domestic and International Terrorism Domestic terrorism is done by people or groups based within the country. An example in the United States is the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were U.S. Army veterans. They had become angry with the federal government. On April 19, 1995, McVeigh and Nichols set off a truck full of explosives at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosions destroyed the building. This attack killed 168 people and wounded many more.

Domestic terrorism is present in many countries. It is often done by groups in the country that want to form a separate, independent nation. For example, a group of ethnic Basques called the ETA lived in Spain. The Basques are a native people of Spain. Members of the ETA used violence to try to form a separate country in northeast Spain. In the United Kingdom, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) used terror to push for the return of Northern Ireland to Irish control.

International terrorism is terrorism that crosses national boundaries. International terrorism can target many different groups. This includes acts of terror that occur at public places, businesses, embassies, or military bases. International terrorists that want to attack the United States often choose targets outside U.S. territory that represent the United States in some way. International terrorism can also mean acts by terrorist groups that are found in many countries.

Some countries have sponsored international terrorist groups. In 1988, two Libyan government agents were responsible for the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The plane crashed over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland. As a result, 270 people were killed. Other countries that might host terrorist groups include Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Many people have heard of the radical Islamic group al-Qaeda. Since the 1990s, this group has been very active. The al-Qaeda group has been the main enemy of the United States since 2001.

Copyright © 2020 Discovery Education. All rights reserved. Discovery Education, Inc. Creation of and Support for al-Qaeda: What is al-Qaeda? Formation of al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden was the son of a rich Saudi Arabian businessman. He became very involved as a leader in the mujahideen. The mujahideen was the military group that fought against the Soviet Union when they tried to invade Afghanistan in 1979. Bin Laden thought the Soviets were trying to attack Islam itself. He used his own money to find Islamic men to fight the Soviets. The mujahideen also received support from the United States.

In 1988, bin Laden started a group he called al-Qaeda. The group was meant to help the mujahideen and supply them with more fighters. In English, al-Qaeda means “the Base.” When the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, bin Laden kept his al-Qaeda network going. He used it to help draw attention to the way he understood the religion of Islam. His understanding was extreme and political. To accomplish its goals, al-Qaeda used terrorism and political fear.

Goals of al-Qaeda One of al-Qaeda’s main goals was to overthrow governments in the Middle East that disagreed with its view of Islam. They wanted to remove Western ideas from Islamic countries. Al-Qaeda ran combat training camps for its recruits. Between 10,000 and over 100,000 men are believed to have trained at al-Qaeda camps in the 1990s.

Al-Qaeda targeted the United States for many reasons. First, the United States supported moderate Islamist governments. This included the Saudi Arabian government. Second, the United States had a strong economic and cultural presence in many Muslim countries. Finally, the United States was a strong supporter of Israel. Al-Qaeda wanted to destroy Israel.

Acts of International Terrorism Against the United States Al-Qaeda created a home base in Afghanistan sometime around 1996. They were supported by the Taliban. The Taliban was an extreme religious group. They took control of the government of Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal. Members of al-Qaeda led several acts of terrorism against the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s.

On August 7, 1998, al-Qaeda agents worked to attack several U.S. embassies at the same time. On the same day, they attacked in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. More than 200 people were killed in the bombings. Thousands were injured. Four al-Qaeda agents were sentenced to life in prison for the attacks.

Then, on October 12, 2000, terrorists bombed the Navy destroyer USS Cole. The ship was in a harbor in Yemen. Seventeen American sailors were killed. Many others were injured. In 2007, an al-Qaeda agent took credit for planning the bombing. It would not be al-Qaeda’s last or largest attack on the United States.