Chapter 13 Terrorism

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Chapter 13 Terrorism Terrorists
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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.

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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

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Chapter Summary

• Understand Al-Qaeda, the PLO, and Hizballah
• Discuss terrorism in the United States
• Explain the causes of terrorism
• Discuss law enforcements policy for combating
  terrorism

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Introduction

• Terrorism has a long history
• The term terrorism itself is believed to have
  originated with the French Revolution.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Figure 13.1 International Terrorist Attacks,
19822003
Source U.S. Department of State (2004). Patterns
of Global Terrorism, 2003.
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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

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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.

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Terrorism Common Crime

• Terrorist organizations must be financed.
• Funding may come from
• Governments sympathetic to the cause.
• Private sympathizers
• Common criminal activities
• Nongovernmental organizations

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Table 13.1 International Terrorist Attacks,
19822003
Year International Terrorism Deaths Homicides in the 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.
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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.

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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.

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Hizballah Party of God

• Hizballah is the best contemporary example of a
  state-sponsored terrorist organization.

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Hizballah

• It was organized by the Shiite religious leader
  Ayatollah Khomeini to fight the secular rule of
  the Shah of Iran.
• The more radical among modern Shiites view the
  existence of a Jewish state in an area they also
  consider holy to be an affront to Islam.

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Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Group Description Activities Ideology Strength Funding
Abu Sayyaf Philippine radical Islamic group motivated to gain an independent Islamic state in southern Philippines. Engages in kidnapping, bombing, and other criminal activities. Has strong links with al-Qaeda. Nationalist/ Islamic 200 to 500 Self-financed via criminal activity other Islamic groups.
Asbat al-Ansar Lebanon-based Sunni Islamic group that has assassinated Lebanese Shiite religious leaders and bombed symbols of Western decadence such as nightclubs and U.S. franchise restaurants. Islamic About 300 International Sunni networks and al-Qaeda
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) Founded in 1959 with the aim of creating an independent Basque homeland in northwest Spain and southwest France. Its activities have been aimed primarily at Spanish government officials and security forces, but French interests have also been attacked. Nationalist and weakly Marxist Unknown, but has many supporters in Basque regions Primarily via criminal activity has received training in Libya and Lebanon
Source Department of State (2004). Patterns of
Global Terrorism.
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Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Communist Party of Philippines/New Peoples Army Military wing of the Philippine Communist Party. Carries out assassinations and kidnappings of political figures and U.S. military personnel stationed in the Philippines. Maoist 1,000 Criminal activity, contributions, and revolutionary taxes extorted from businesses
Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) Pakistani group operating primarily against Indian troops and civilians in Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan. Has carried out airline hijackings and kidnapping of Westerners. HUM is aligned with al-Qaeda and signed bin Ladens 1998 fatwa calling for war on the United States. Islamic Several thousand Donations from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states also donations from individuals
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Coalition of a number of central Asian groups opposed to secular rule in Uzbekistan. Responsible for numerous bombing incidents and kidnapping of Westerners. Fought with the Taliban against U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan. Islamic About 1,000 Support from other Islamic groups and patrons in the Middle East
Source Department of State (2004). Patterns of
Global Terrorism.
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Table 13.2 Some Major Terrorist Groups
Jemaah Islamiya (JI) A Southeast Asian network with links to al-Qaeda that has the goal of creating a huge Islamic state composed of Indonesia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand. JI was responsible for the Bali bombing in 2002 that killed 200 and wounded 300 others. Islamic About 5,000 Middle Eastern and Asian supporters and al-Qaeda
Kurdistan Workers Party Composed of Turkish Kurds seeking an independent Kurdish state in Turkey. Has attacked Turkish diplomats in many countries and attempted to disrupt tourism in Turkey by bombing hotels, historical sites, and kidnapping tourists. Marxist 4,000 to 5,000 Syria, Iraq, Iran
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Composed of ethnic Tamils seeking an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka, primarily through the use of bombings and assassinations. The LTTE has refrained from targeting Western tourists for fear of drying up funds from overseas Tamils. Nationalism 10,000 Funds from Tamil communities overseas and some drug smuggling
Source Department of State (2004). Patterns of
Global Terrorism.
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Mujahedin-e Khalq Formed in the 1960s to counter the Westernization of Iran under the Shah. It supported the overthrow of the Shah but is presently fighting against Irans Islamic fundamentalist regime. Carries out attacks on Iranian diplomats and Iranian property. A mixture of Marxism and Islam Several thousand Contributions from Iranian expatriates
National Liberation Army Columbian Marxist group formed by urban intellectuals inspired by Fidel Castro and legendary terrorist Che Guevara. Engages in kidnapping, bombing, and extortion. Attacks foreigners and Columbian infrastructure. Marxist 3,000 to 5,000 Criminal activity (drug trafficking and extortion) and some aid from Cuba
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) Formed in late 1960s to destroy existing Peruvian institutions and replace them with a peasant revolutionary regime. Almost all Peruvian institutions have been brutally targeted in Peru and abroad. Marxist/ Maoist 2,000 Mostly drug trafficking and other forms of crime
Turkish Hizballah Kurdish Sunni Islamic group that arose in opposition to the Marxist Kurdish Workers Partys (KWPs) actions against Muslims. Fights against KWP and Turkish armed forces. Bombs any establishment considered anti-Islamic. Kidnapped, tortured, and murdered at least 70 businessmen and journalists in the 1990s. Islamic A few hundred several thousand supporters Unknown
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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Theories about the Causes of Terrorism

• Many Islamic terrorists are recruited from
  religious schools known as madrasas.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.