Oklahoma City Bombing Analysis

Prior to the 1993 bombing, the threat of international terrorism had never really hit home for most Americans, “It couldn’t happen here”. But it did. A group of Middle Eastern terrorists placed explosives in the back of a rented van and parked it in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center. The result was a large crater, over a thousand

On September 11, 2001, a series of terrorist attacks were directed for the United States by means of four hijacked planes. Two of which hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, and the fourth crashed in a field near Pittsburg after it was meant to hit the White House. The terror spread in the United States and brought concern and fear to the citizens. The impact of these terrorist attacks caused serious and detrimental damages within the country, and their result on the people were enormous; insecurity, helplessness, and susceptibility spread. Especially after the release of a videotape in which Osama Bin Laden, head of Al-Qaeda, admitted that he was responsible for the terrorist attacks. Hence, President George W, Bush declared the “war on terror” against all terrorists in the Arab world, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. In the following paper, we will be discussing how the war on terror was waged, its effects on the target countries, and how it was perceived by political thinkers, where some saw it as a conspiracy theory against the Arab countries, and others believed the USA was the victim.

Right-wing terrorism, also referred to as vigilante terrorism is defined as “Vigilante terrorism includes right-wing terrorism aimed at "restoring" the political relationships of an earlier time or realizing social objectives that are neglected or discounted in the contemporary world” (Professor Cadigan, 2015, Week 4 lecture). There is also left-wing terrorism, which is referred to as insurgent terrorism is explained as “forcing change through terrorist acts” (Professor Cadigan, 2015, Week 4 lecture). Left-wing terrorism has been around since the 1960s to 1970s.

On April 19, 1995 the world was thrown into shock. Terrorism was not a thing in the United States. It was even more of a shock to find out this terrorist was a resident of the United States. Not only did this tragedy effect the hundreds of people inside the Oklahoma City Murrah building, it also affected billions of rescue workers, families, and loved ones. All the different groups of people affected by this bomb copped in very different ways.

The 1990’s were the years that the U.S. would be forever changed in the way citizens lived, and the way Americans saw a certain kind of people, the Islamic peoples. On September 11, 2001, the United States encountered one of their deadliest terrorist attacks in US history. Over 3,000 lives were taken from multiple sites; Manhattan, New York; Washington, D.C.; and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. New York had the most casualties with over 2,750 people losing their lives in both World Trade Centers after the collapse of the towers. All the planes involved in the incidents were hijacked by Islamic Terrorists who flew into the towers in NY, the Pentagon in D.C., and an open field in Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. However, the events of 9/11 were not the first terroristic attacks on American citizens. The Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 is another incident of terroristic attacks on U.S. soil.

“All Muslims are now suspects” expressed Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. After 9/11 ethnic profiling was directed heavily toward people of Muslim or Arabic descent. Discrimination toward Muslims occurs in many settings and is often degrading and evil. The irrational fear and public mindset swing around the country was a huge consequence of 9/11. Politics, communities, and culture has shifted to where citizens do a double take on those who are Muslims because of the flashback they get when they remember where they were on 9/11. For some, just the sight of a Muslim in our country sends a shockwave though their mind. On September 11, 2001, the United States froze in fear as terrorist attacks

Although the threat posed by foreign terrorist organizations is often foremost in the public consciousness as a result of al-Qaeda's attack on September 11th, 2001, the threat from domestic terror groups remains a central concern of those responsible for homeland security. In fact, while the United States has not suffered from another foreign attack in the decade since 9/11, research by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, along with non-governmental organizations, has found that the number of domestic terror groups has increased, a trend only exacerbated by the economic recession (U.S. Department of Justice, 2009, Domestic Terrorism). While there are a wide variety of individual groups and ideologies, most domestic terror groups falls into one of three broad categories: religious extremism, white supremacy, and anti-government and separatists movements, including the militia movement. Examining these domestic terror groups in greater detail will aid in better understanding the full spectrum of threats considered by homeland security personnel.

Counter-terrorism expert Steve Emerson, senior advisor to the RAND Corporation Brian Jenkins, Ryan Mauro and the Clarion Project have documented and exposed the reality of radical Islam in the United States. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1, English Standard Version). Since the attacks on 9/11, the American public has settled into a false sense of security while the internet has enabled homegrown radicalization and enlarged the footprint of radical Islam inside the United States. “Many law enforcement officials fear that a new style of jihadist group is appearing, a hybrid of foreign and homegrown terrorists” (White,

There is a direct relationship between the decline of left wing terrorism in the United States and the fall of the Soviet Union. “When the Soviet Union fell, so did much of the secular left-wing terrorism it had sponsored. Logistical support, funding, and advice all stopped. Also, the intellectual, spiritual, and philosophical engine of leftist terror had become broken and powerless. Communism did not work; liberal democracy and capitalism had won. Marxism lost its inspirational impact without a superpower cheerleader and benefactor. The potential terrorists were no longer motivated by Marxism and crucially, neither were their supporters” (Lockwood, 2011). Although terrorism declined, it did not go away.

Any policy concerning homegrown radicalization needs to be consistent with America’s unique set of constitutional, political, and social laws. The search for policies and solutions concerning domestic radicalization and terrorism has been ongoing for nearly two decades. Constitutional freedom to express radical or extremist views creates unintended consequences in homeland security policies. One policy passed into law weeks after 9/11 was the 2001 Patriot Act. Policy makers believed that the act would be use to break barriers created between terrorist and counterterrorism, and law enforcement provisions. However, it created several unintended consequences.

It would not at all be surprising if this decade comes to be known as the decade of terrorism in years to come. Since the turn of the millennium, terrorism, maybe more than any other global issue or topic, has plagued the world stage with constant news and horror. It can be argued that terrorism is a problem with no solution and no end in sight. The Islamic militant group, Al-Qaeda, is the most well known terrorist organization in the world. Al-Qaeda has been held accountable for some of the most tragic and horrifying acts of terror in history. Still, many people do not fully understand what Al-Qaeda is, who is behind it, and why it exists. A fluid, agreed-upon definition does not exist for the extremist

In the United States, the fear of terrorism has increased since the attacks on the United States Embassy in 1998 and of the World Trade Center in September 11 of 2001. Because of recurring terrorist activity within the United States and other parts of the world, these violent attacks have been deemed illegal for one simple reason: they impose a massive threat to humanity. In addition, most members who participate in these attacks have been linked to the same organizations; furthermore, recent terrorist activity has been predominantly motivated by radical religious ideology, such as the Islamic radical group Isis. As a result, many people have developed what is known today as Islamophobia, or the fear of Islam or Muslims. As a result of Islamophobia,

It is necessary to examine the historical context of Muslim terrorism in the United States to understand the evolvement of Muslim extremism today. Juergensmeyer (2003) supports this stance by stating that contemporary acts of violence are influenced by historical violence perpetrated in the religious past. The assumption could be made that Muslim extremism in the United States is a more recent phenomenon; on the contrary, this is not true. By understanding history enlightens to where foundations and structures were built to support Muslim extremism and terrorism activities that exist in the United States today.

Crime statistics are normally used when Law Enforcement and Public safety organizations are thinking about the rate of crime in their area, policy making, or connects to home grown terrorists or terrorist acts period. The public safety field can benefit from a wealth of information on this system, but this system, but in the realm of research studies, it is very limited. This is good news for researchers, because the “lack of research is intriguing, and we have an advantages of examining terrorism from a criminological perspective are numerous, especially since 9/11” (Deflem, 2004; LaFree & Dugan 2004). The mere fact that terrorism is being discussed can be troublesome, because of the wide range of the different labeling of the terrorist or terrorist act. For example, terrorists that are considered domestic far-right tend to be arraigned under common type offenses, because “there are reasons to believe that far-right terrorism and common crimes share similar qualities within public safety and law enforcement organization” (Deflem, 2004; LaFree & Dugan 2004).

Its more than 15 years yet America is not, nor is the world the same as prior to September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Suspicions and distrust of “other”, fear of the unknown, and unease about the role and status of the United States of America permeates the air. Islamophobic attacks increase by 1,700% in 2001. Prior to 9/11, the FBI recorded just 28 hate crimes against Muslims. The following year it increased to 481. For visible Muslims, the threat of violence and abuse is even higher (especially for women). Another fact 9/11 or 7/7 were often labeled as conspiracy theories, but more in-depth investigations and analysis can bring out the truth behind each of these geopolitical events.