Chapter 13 Terrorism & Terrorists

Chapter Summary

 Chapter Thirteen is an overview of

domestic and international terrorism.
 The Chapter begins with a definition of
terrorism and the extent of terrorism
worldwide.
 Chapter Thirteen then outlines three
major terrorist groups throughout the
world.
 This is followed with a discussion of
terrorist groups within the borders of
the United States.
 Chapter Summary

 The Chapter concludes with possible

causes of terrorism and how law
enforcement is attempting to combat
terrorism.
After reading this chapter, students
should be able to:
 Define terrorism
 Explain the difference between
terrorists and freedom fighters
 Discuss the extent of terrorism
 Chapter Summary

 Understand Al-Qaeda, the PLO, and

Hizballah
 Discuss terrorism in the United States
 Explain the causes of terrorism
 Discuss law enforcement’s policy for
combating terrorism
 Introduction

 Terrorism has a long history

 The term terrorism itself is believed to have

originated with the French Revolution.
 Terrorism Defined

 Terrorism is highly organized and conducted

primarily for political or religious reasons.
 The FBI defines terrorism as: The unlawful
use of force or violence against persons or
property to intimate or coerce a
government, the civilian population, or any
segment thereof, in furtherance of political
or social goals.
 Why Terrorism?
 Terrorism is a tactic used to influence the
behavior of others through intimidation.
 Terrorists typically appeal to a higher moral
good.
 Terrorists strike at innocents because the
very essence of terrorism is public
intimidation.
 Terrorism has an ultimate purpose.
 Every time terrorists gain an objective they
have sought, the rationality of terrorism in
demonstrated along with its immorality.
 Is there a Difference between
Terrorists & Freedom Fighters?

 Freedom fighters are fighters in wars of

national liberation against foreign occupiers
or against oppressive domestic regimes they
seek to overthrow.
 Freedom fighter activity is typically confined
to third-world dictatorships or one-party
states, while terrorists operate mostly
against liberal Western democracies.
 Figure 13.1
International Terrorist Attacks, 1982–2003

Source: U.S. Department of State (2004). Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2003.

9
 The Extent of Terrorism

 Although terrorism has ancient roots, it

became far more prevalent, deadly, and
destructive from the late 1960s onward,
because:
 The instability experienced by many
countries following WWII
 The high point of conflict between the
superpowers
 Modern transportation
 Modern technology
 The Extent of Terrorism

 Of the 74 terrorist groups listed by the

U.S. Department of State (2003), only
three of the groups still active originated
before 1960.
 We are seeing fewer terrorists incidents
as counter terrorism becomes more
sophisticated.
 Although deaths and injuries caused by
terrorists are matters of grave concern,
the damage to a society as a whole is more
psychological than physical.
 Terrorism & Common Crime

 Terrorist organizations must be

financed.
Funding may come from:
 Governments sympathetic to the cause.
 Private sympathizers
 Common criminal activities
 Nongovernmental organizations
 Table 13.1
International Terrorist Attacks, 1982–2003

Year International Homicides in the

Terrorism Deaths United States
2000 409 15,586
2001 3,547 16,037
2002 725 16,204
2003 307 16,503
2004 1,907 16,137

Sources: 2000 - 2003 terrorism figures from U.S. Department of State (2004); the
2004 figure from the National Counterterrorism Center. Homicide figures from the
2001 through 2005 UCRs.

13
 Al-Qaeda

 Al-Qaeda is not a single terrorist group but rather

the base organization for a number of Sunni Muslim
terrorist groups.
 Al-Qaeda got its start under Osama bin Laden in
the late 1980s.
 Bin Laden and his organization are virulently anti-
West in general, and anti-American in particular.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)

 The PLO serves as an umbrella organization

for several groups serving a variety of
ideologies and agendas united by Palestinian
nationalism.
 The PLO was created at the first Arab
Summit meeting in Egypt in 1964 with the
aim of liberating Palestine from the
Israelis.
 Hizballah: Party of God

 Hizballah is the best contemporary example

of a state-sponsored terrorist organization.
 Hizballah

 It was organized by the Shi’ite religious

leader Ayatollah Khomeini to fight the
secular rule of the Shah of Iran.
 The more radical among modern Shi’ites
view the existence of a Jewish state in an
area they also consider holy to be an
affront to Islam.
 Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Group Description & Activities Ideology Strength Funding

Abu Sayyaf Philippine radical Islamic group Nationalist 200 to 500 Self-financed
motivated to gain an independent / via criminal
Islamic state in southern Philippines. Islamic activity +
Engages in kidnapping, bombing, and other Islamic
other criminal activities. Has strong groups.
links with al-Qaeda.
Asbat al-Ansar Islamic About 300 International
Lebanon-based Sunni Islamic group that Sunni networks
has assassinated Lebanese Shi’ite and al-Qaeda
religious leaders and bombed symbols of
Western “decadence” such as nightclubs
and U.S. franchise restaurants.

Basque Founded in 1959 with the aim of Nationalist Unknown, Primarily via
Fatherland and creating an independent Basque and weakly but has criminal
Liberty (ETA) homeland in northwest Spain and Marxist many activity; has
southwest France. Its activities have supporters received
been aimed primarily at Spanish in Basque training in
government officials and security regions Libya and
forces, but French interests have also Lebanon
been attacked.
18
Source: Department of State (2004). Patterns of Global Terrorism.
 Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Communist Military wing of the Philippine Maoist 1,000+ Criminal
Party of Communist Party. Carries out activity,
Philippines/New assassinations and kidnappings of contributions,
People’s Army political figures and U.S. military and
personnel stationed in the Philippines. “revolutionary
taxes”
extorted from
businesses
Harakat ul- Pakistani group operating primarily Islamic Several Donations from
Mujahidin against Indian troops and civilians in thousand Saudi Arabia
(HUM) Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and other
and Pakistan. Has carried out airline Islamic states;
hijackings and kidnapping of also donations
Westerners. HUM is aligned with al- from
Qaeda and signed bin Laden’s 1998 individuals
fatwa calling for war on the United
States.
Islamic Coalition of a number of central Asian Islamic About Support from
Movement of groups opposed to secular rule in 1,000 other Islamic
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan. Responsible for numerous groups and
bombing incidents and kidnapping of patrons in the
Westerners. Fought with the Taliban Middle East
against U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

19
Source: Department of State (2004). Patterns of Global Terrorism.
 Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Jemaah Islamiya A Southeast Asian network with links Islamic About Middle Eastern
(JI) to al-Qaeda that has the goal of 5,000 and Asian
creating a huge Islamic state composed supporters and
of Indonesia, Singapore, the southern al-Qaeda
Philippines, and southern Thailand. JI
was responsible for the Bali bombing in
2002 that killed 200 and wounded 300
others.

Kurdistan Composed of Turkish Kurds seeking an Marxist 4,000 to Syria, Iraq,

Workers Party independent Kurdish state in Turkey. 5,000 Iran
Has attacked Turkish diplomats in many
countries and attempted to disrupt
tourism in Turkey by bombing hotels,
historical sites, and kidnapping
tourists.

Liberation Composed of ethnic Tamils seeking an Nationalism 10,000 Funds from

Tigers of Tamil independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka, Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) primarily through the use of bombings communities
and assassinations. The LTTE has overseas and
refrained from targeting Western some drug
tourists for fear of drying up funds smuggling
from overseas Tamils.
20
Source: Department of State (2004). Patterns of Global Terrorism.
Mujahedin-e Formed in the 1960s to counter the A mixture Several Contributions
Khalq Westernization of Iran under the of thousand from Iranian
Shah. It supported the overthrow of Marxism expatriates
the Shah but is presently fighting and Islam
against Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist
regime. Carries out attacks on Iranian
diplomats and Iranian property.
National Columbian Marxist group formed by Marxist 3,000 to Criminal activity
Liberation Army urban intellectuals inspired by Fidel 5,000 (drug trafficking
Castro and legendary terrorist Che and extortion)
Guevara. Engages in kidnapping, and some aid
bombing, and extortion. Attacks from Cuba
foreigners and Columbian
infrastructure.
Sendero Formed in late 1960s to destroy Marxist/ 2,000+ Mostly drug
Luminoso (Shining existing Peruvian institutions and Maoist trafficking and
Path) replace them with a peasant other forms of
revolutionary regime. Almost all crime
Peruvian institutions have been brutally
targeted in Peru and abroad.
Turkish Hizballah Kurdish Sunni Islamic group that arose Islamic A few Unknown
in opposition to the Marxist Kurdish hundred +
Workers Party’s (KWP’s) actions several
against Muslims. Fights against KWP thousand
and Turkish armed forces. Bombs any supporters
establishment considered anti-Islamic.
Kidnapped, tortured, and murdered at
least 70 businessmen and journalists in 21
the 1990s.
 Terrorism in the United States

 Left-wing terrorism in the United States

became active during the turmoil of the 1960s.
 Some left-wing terrorist groups in the United
States:
 Weather Underground
 May 19 Communist Organization
 Revolutionary Armed Task Force
 Black Liberation Army
 Ideological: Right-Wing

 Most right-wing American groups characterized as

terrorist are extremist rather than terrorist groups in
that they hold views that are to the extreme right of
mainstream.
 Some right-wing terrorist groups in the United States:
Aryan Nations

23
Special-Issue Domestic Terrorism

 There are a number of groups in the

United States that employ terrorist
tactics that have no grand sociopolitical
agenda but rather seek to resolve special
issues:
 Animal Liberation Front
 Earth Liberation Front
 Anti-Abortion Groups
Theories about the Causes of Terrorism

 Terrorism cannot be understood

without understanding the specific
historical, social, political, and economic
conditions behind the emergence of
each terrorist group.
 The groups originated in response to
some perceived injustice.
Theories about the Causes of Terrorism

Many Islamic terrorists are recruited from

religious schools known as madrasas.
 Is there a Terrorist Personality?

 No study of terrorist psychology has ever

produced a psychological profile leading the
majority of terrorist experts to suspect that
there is any such thing as a terrorist
personality.
 Terrorist groups live on the fringes of the
host society & espouse a violently radical
vision of reality.
 We should look at what terrorist groups have
to offer if we want to understand why
individuals join them.
 Is there a Terrorist Personality?

 The terrorist group is made up of three

types of individuals.
 The charismatic leader is socially alienated,
narcissistic, arrogant, and intelligent.
 Antisocial individuals have opportunities in
terrorist groups to use force and violence
to further their own personal goals.
 The majority of terrorists are simple
followers who see the world purely in black
and white and have deep needs for
acceptance.
 Becoming a Terrorist
 The bulk of terrorists are probably better
characterized as crusaders convinced of the
moral rightness of their cause.
 The willingness to perform terrorist acts may
reflect a process of moral disengagement
more than a manifestation of pathological
and/or criminal traits the individual brings to
the terrorist group.
Law Enforcement Response & Government Policy

 There are a number of ways a democracy can

respond to terrorism, ranging from making
concessions to military intervention.
 Concessions are only likely when there is
moral substance to the terrorist cause, or
when such concessions are reasonable.
 Military intervention may be used when the
terrorist threat is too big for civilian
authorities to handle.
Law Enforcement Response & Government Policy

 The principle of international law obliges

countries to either extradite terrorists to
the country where their crimes were
committed or to punish them themselves.
 The mission of the Department of Homeland
Security is to detect, prevent, prepare for,
and recover from terrorist attacks within the
United States.
Law Enforcement Response & Government Policy

 The US Patriot Act grants federal agencies

greater authority to track & intercept private
communications, greater powers to the
treasury Department to combat corruption &
prevent money laundering, & creates new
crimes, penalties, and procedures for use
against domestic & foreign terrorists.