Domestic Terrorism : Terrorism And Terrorism

Today, domestic terrorism is one of the major threats to the national security of the US. Since 9/11, the US intelligence services and law enforcement agencies viewed international terrorism as the major threat to the public security of the US but the threat of domestic terrorism has been underestimated. At any rate, American law enforcement agencies conduct active campaigns to prevent international terrorism but domestic terrorism become a serious threat to the national security of the US. In such a way, the US needs to develop effective strategies to prevent the rise of domestic terrorism. Otherwise, the US may face a threat of the consistent growth of domestic terrorism as do some European countries, such as the UK, for instance. Therefore, law enforcement agencies should focus their attention on the prevention of domestic terrorism because, even though domestic terrorism is unseen, it may be even more dangerous than international terrorism. Domestic terrorists undermine the country from within, while international terrorists attack the US from the outside and the US can raise barriers to protect Americans from the foreign threat, while domestic terrorism needs effective work of law enforcement agencies nationwide. Therefore, domestic terrorism is a serious threat to the national security of the US and American law enforcement agencies along legislators and the public have to unite their efforts in the struggle against domestic terrorism.

Domestic terrorists are turning into such a bigger threat as there becomes more and more dangerous domestic terrorist groups. For instance, right-wing extremists are becoming more of a danger that we can’t ignore. As said by Kurt Eichenwald, “[Timothy] McVeigh, the infamous anti-government extremist, murdered 168 people in 1995 when he detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.”Like Timothy McVeigh, many U.S. citizens have had violent disagreements about rights and freedoms with government officials, which has caused many of these antigovernment extremist groups to form. According to Ron Nixon, “Mr. Ellison said, ‘Right-wing extremists have launched an average of 330 attacks a year and killed about 250 people between 2002 and 2011. These are dangerous people.’” Right-wing extremists are becoming a bigger threat to our country. They are attacking and killing more people every year and we need to find a

Terrorism, a word most people fear, but so often misinterpret. The textbook definition of terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. But how does that compare to domestic terrorism? Domestic terrorism or “homegrown terrorism” can be defined as “the committing of terrorist acts in the perpetrator’s own country against their fellow citizens”. Throughout the years, America as a nation has experienced quite a few occurrences of both types. An early example of homegrown terrorism would be the Haymarket Affair which occurred May 4, 1886 where in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, labor protesters detonated a bomb during a rally. Chicago police then responded by firing

Domestic Terrorism can be described as many things. The FBI describes domestic terrorism as, “Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” People who commit domestic terrorism crimes often have different motives such as: religion, political, and even race. A specific case that resembles this, is the shooting in Las Vegas which occurred on June 8, 2014.

The U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals have been cautioning for years that the right-wing extremist threat in the United States is on the rise, from September 12, 2001 to December 31, 2016, the right-wing terrorists were responsible for 47% of all deaths from violent extremism in the United States. Nonetheless, Far-right menace violence that includes racist sentiments of hate crimes can and will manifest to great domestic terrorism. Their acts of terrorism as well as the other attacks are a form of psychological warfare; they use their violence as propaganda to shape perceptions of political and social issues in their favor, which in turn sends a message to a broader target audience. Far-right individuals have become bolder on their acts, some individuals who preformed these violent attacks, would plan their attacks ahead of time, but now there is not a blueprint, attacks are now merely based on chance encounters that enrage the perpetrators which triggers these random attacks. Furthermore, with individuals who have this mindset that they have nothing to gain or lose in society, are the

Prior to the terror attacks of September 11th on the twin towers, life was far different than its current regime. The Unites States wasn’t officially involved in any wars, few Americans had ever heard of al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden, and ISIS was inexistent. We deported half the number of people we do today. Our surveillance state was a fraction of its current size and, astonishingly, you didn’t have to take your shoes off at the airport. The terror attacks prompted new attitudes and concerns about vigilance and safety, bringing forth new policies that prioritized national security and defence like the USA Patriot Act. These new attitudes have shaped the American people into a different state of mind, one that is constantly suspicious of someone of the muslim origin, leaving openings for the unsuspected people, the ones from home.

As a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, most Americans have a general knowledge about terrorism. The U.S. military has been at war for around a decade, continuing the concentration of the media and politicians on Middle Eastern countries and terrorist groups. Consequently, the focus of the nation tends to remain on international terrorist groups rather than domestic terrorist groups. There is a vast amount of terrorism groups in America, including the Army of God, the Aryan Nations, and the Animal Liberation Front, who possess extreme ideals and exist for different reasons. The fact that there are numerous terrorist groups that are composed of American citizens performing tremendous acts of violence within the U.S. seems to go somewhat unnoticed by the general public.

It is nearly impossible to go an entire day in the United States without hearing of some act of terrorism. Whether it be a shooting in a public place or threats against a group of people, this violent form of conflict is prevalent in every American’s life. These ruthless acts of cold-blooded murder demonstrate evil in its purest form, and leave death and mourning in their wake. The article “Homegrown Terrorism: Is There an Islamic Wave?” gives an overview of the rise of domestic terrorism since the tragedy of 9/11. Though it was written in 2011, the core message is the same today: terrorism in the United States still continues to grow at a sickening pace, with each new attack seeming more barbaric than the last.

International Terrorism has most of the attention when on the topic of terrorism but we should be paying more attention to Domestic Terrorism since they are here locally based and they already have access to the country. What most people don’t realise is that inside our own country is that domestic terrorism may pose a more dangerous and imminent threat compared to international terrorism. Even if we don’t pay attention to the serious danger domestic terrorism presents or identify it as an act of terrorism, we must be aware that not only the country but our lives are at stake. Both in the past and present terrorism has been a major issue but it seems that since it is such a common occurrence in today’s news we have become indifferent to the attacks..“Scott Stewart was a former agent for the US State Department and is

Terrorism, it’s a scary word. It might make people uneasy or maybe even a little frightened, but just because it’s there doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible to prevent the act. Acts as in 9/11, the Boston bombings, and the Paris attacks, those are more preventable and predictable with domestic surveillance. In an article about international security Keith Alexander, the director of the NSA, stated, “Information gathered from programs provided the government with critical leads to help prevent over 50 potential terrorist events in more than 20 countries around the world” (Cahall para. 1). This information states that the use of domestic surveillance has helped prevent potentially major attacks in different

Terrorism exists for centuries. Domestic terrorist groups and domestic terrorism are great problems. They have existed in the past and they will continue to exist in the future to spread fear and terror. Terrorism is the calculated use of violence, or the threat of violence, to intimidate, frighten, or coerce. Terrorism is a global problem affecting all social and economic classes. The fight against domestic terrorism is difficult as there have been many acts of domestic terrorism and many domestic terrorist groups operating in the United States. Terrorism can be executed or presented in a variety of forms. For example, bioterrorism, cyberterrorism, nuclear terrorism, domestic terrorism, etc. Domestic Terrorism has been the focus of attention since the events of September 11. The main and more significant mission of the Department of Homeland Security is to defend the United States from terrorism. Unfortunately, domestic terrorism is becoming increasingly common among

Domestic terrorists may not be the top federal counterterrorism priority, but they feature prominently among the concerns of some law enforcement officers. According to The Diane Rehm Show “investigators look into the

An interview with Lt. Colonel Jeff Daigle (a Military officer for almost 25 years) has opened some insight on some of the homegrown terrorism issues that occur. For example Narco Terrorism is a huge issue that allows drugs to be bought and that money then to be spent on guns for terroristic purposes. Groups like this aren’t the only home issue we have. “How does a person develop into a homegrown terrorist when countries like America are extremely privileged with things such as health care, food stamps, free education, etc.” That and with social media around you even if you are looking at ISIS propaganda there is American patriotism. In addition, he talks about racial profiling, which is something we do a lot. The American public talks

Terrorism and crime are positively linked according the Steven McCraw, Assistant Director of the Office of Intelligence with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. McCraw. gave testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington DC stating that International and Domestic Terrorism Organizations and those who support them, engage in a myriad of crimes to fund and facilitate terrorist activities. These crimes include numerous deviant acts such as extortion, kidnaping, robbery, corruption, document fraud, arms trafficking, cybercrime, white collar crime, smuggling of contraband, money laundering (McCraw, 2003). Money and financing from drug trafficking most certainly are at the root of all the crimes being plotted and commit by top terrorist

Have you ever had a fear for your family, your town, your country, or your world. How about the fear to have everything taken from you, destroyed, and not caring if it has hurt you or not? What about your fear and pain is, and can be someone else’s happiness? The fear of you being terrorized? That is terrorism. Someone else bringing fear and terrorizing you. That is a terrorist’s goal. Terrorism is common and is very difficult to stop. The government promises protection for the people, and their home, but they can not give that protection if they can not stop terrorism. Terrorism needs to stop to protect the live of the people, and their country.