Terrorism in the United States
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| Terrorism in the United States | |
|---|---|
 Phoenix7777 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Name | Terrorism in the United States |
| Location | United States |
| First incident | 1838 Mormon War (disputed) |
| Largest attack | September 11 attacks |
| Perpetrators | Ku Klux Klan, Weather Underground, Unabomber, al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, FBI, ATF, Department of Homeland Security |
Terrorism in the United States describes politically motivated violence, intimidation, and sabotage carried out within the United States and against United States targets abroad by domestic and foreign actors. Debates over definitions involve statutory standards such as the USA PATRIOT Act and scholarly criteria used by institutions like the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and the Pew Research Center. Responses to incidents have engaged agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and state-level entities such as the California Department of Justice.
Overview and Definitions
Legal frameworks define terrorism under statutes like the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 and the USA PATRIOT Act, interpreted by courts such as the Supreme Court of the United States and lower federal circuits including the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Scholarly definitions derive from researchers at RAND Corporation, START, Harvard Kennedy School, Georgetown University, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University. Policy actors such as the National Security Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, and Department of Justice coordinate with international partners including Interpol, the United Nations, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization on definitions, threat assessment, and information sharing. Debates often contrast legal terms in statutes with operational definitions used by Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Counterterrorism Center, and civil liberties advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch.
Historical Incidents and Trends
Incidents span from 19th-century episodes like the Haymarket affair and New York Draft Riots through 20th-century events such as the Wall Street bombing (1920), actions by the Ku Klux Klan, the Black Panther Party, and bombings linked to the Weather Underground. The 1970s saw the Symbionese Liberation Army and the Manson Family, while the 1980s featured the 1983 United States embassy bombing in Beirut connections and domestic plots like the Liberty City Riots spillovers. The 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols marked pivotal shifts leading to laws like the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. Foreign-origin attacks culminated in the September 11 attacks by al-Qaeda, prompting the War on Terror and invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The early 21st century included the Boston Marathon bombing by Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting by Omar Mateen, and plots linked to ISIS affiliates including Anwar al-Awlaki-inspired cells. Trends show shifts from organized groups to lone actors studied by FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, New York Police Department Intelligence Bureau, and researchers at MIT and Stanford University.
Domestic Extremism and Terrorist Movements
Domestic movements include white supremacist networks such as Neo-Nazism, National Alliance (United States), Atomwaffen Division, and the Ku Klux Klan; anti-government militias like the Oath Keepers and Three Percenters; eco-terror groups such as Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front; and radical leftist groups like the Weather Underground and Black Liberation Army. Violent actors include individuals associated with Dylann Roof and the Charleston church shooting, as well as cells investigated in operations by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Academic centers including University of Maryland Global Campus and George Washington University study radicalization pathways alongside NGOs such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. State responses have involved prosecutions under statutes enforced by the United States Attorney's Office and oversight by panels like the 9/11 Commission.
Foreign-origin Terrorism and Plotting
Foreign-origin threats have included transnational networks such as al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, and conspirators linked to Hizballah and Al-Shabaab. Plots have involved operatives like Ramzi Yousef (World Trade Center 1993), conspiracies connected to Fazlullah-linked plots, and cells inspired by online propaganda from figures such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Responses have engaged agencies like the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, National Counterterrorism Center, and partnerships with allies such as United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, and Germany. Intelligence sharing under accords like the Five Eyes network and cooperative prosecutions prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice have targeted financing channels via investigations of money flows linked to Hawala-style networks and sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Legal Framework and Government Response
Key statutes include the USA PATRIOT Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, and provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act administered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Agencies coordinating counterterrorism include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and state fusion centers like the New York State Intelligence Center. Policy debates involve civil liberties advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation regarding surveillance, detention policies like at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, and prosecutions in federal courts including the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Legislative oversight has come from committees such as the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Impact on Society, Economy, and Policy
Major attacks have reshaped public opinion studies by Pew Research Center and altered sectors including aviation regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, finance overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and infrastructure protection guided by Department of Transportation and Federal Emergency Management Agency protocols. Economic impacts affected markets tracked by the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Reserve System monetary policy. Societal consequences include shifts in civil liberties debated by the American Civil Liberties Union, changes in immigration policy influenced by the Department of Homeland Security, and cultural responses reflected in works such as United 93 and Zero Dark Thirty. Policy outcomes include expanded counterterrorism budgets authorized by United States Congress and institutional reforms advocated by the 9/11 Commission and implemented across agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security.