Terrorism is the offense of using or threatening serious violence against persons or property in order to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or international organization to act or refrain from acting, typically in furtherance of a political, religious, racial or ideological aim, a definitional combination of violent act, intent to intimidate or coerce, and underlying motive that distinguishes terrorism from ordinary violent crime committed for personal or financial reasons. There is no single definition of terrorism agreed upon across all legal systems and international bodies, and comparative criminal law identifies the precise scope of the motive and intimidation elements required as one of the most persistently contested points in how different jurisdictions define the offense, particularly around where legitimate political protest or armed conflict ends and terrorism begins. Most modern legal systems treat terrorism as an aggravated offense layered on top of the underlying violent act, so that an offense such as murder, bombing or hostage taking committed with terrorist intent is typically punished more severely, and often prosecuted under distinct procedural rules, than the same underlying act committed without that intent. Counter-terrorism has become a distinct specialty within law enforcement, intelligence and international cooperation, reflecting both the offense's frequently transnational character and states' particular interest in preventing an attack before it occurs rather than only prosecuting it afterward.
Facts
Classification CodeUnited States federal law classifies terrorism primarily by where the underlying act occurs: 18 U.S. Code section 2331 distinguishes international terrorism, occurring primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, from domestic terrorism, occurring primarily within it, and Congress has defined several related terms such as agroterrorist act and foreign terrorist organization separately again elsewhere in the US Code. 1 Typical PenaltyUnder 18 U.S. Code section 2332b, a federal terrorism offense transcending national boundaries is punished by death or life imprisonment when a killing results, life imprisonment for kidnapping, up to 35 years for maiming, up to 30 years for assault with a dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury, and up to 25 years for destroying or damaging property. 2 Elements of OffenseDomestic terrorism under United States federal law requires an act dangerous to human life that violates federal or state criminal law, an intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence government policy by intimidation or coercion, or affect government conduct by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping, occurring primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States; international terrorism requires the same intent element occurring primarily outside that jurisdiction. 1 Notable ExampleA widely cited illustration of terrorism's scale is the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, which typified the increased use of suicide attacks from the 1980s onward; the Global Terrorism Database maintained by the University of Maryland has recorded more than 61,000 incidents of non-state terrorism worldwide between 2000 and 2014, resulting in at least 140,000 deaths. 3 Jurisdiction VariationDefinitions of terrorism vary even within United States federal law itself: the Wex entry on the topic notes that other portions of the US Code define international terrorism and related terms differently across more than a dozen separate statutory provisions, in addition to the divergent definitions used by international bodies such as the United Nations and the European Union. 1 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Connections
Exemplified By Cases
Source Wikipedia: Ted Kaczynski
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Europe, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
Sources
1. Cornell LII Wex: Terrorism
Main definition paragraph
The word terrorism does not have a commonly agreed or legally adopted unique definition because defining its scope is politically complex, and its selective use is often the subject of controversy in and outside legal domestic and international arenas.
Wex entry, international/domestic terrorism distinction paragraph
The United States Congress tends to make distinctions between domestic terrorism and international terrorism. These distinctions are usually based on where the act occurs.
Wex entry, domestic terrorism definition paragraph
That same part of the US Code separately defines “domestic terrorism” as activities that: (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; (B) appear to be intended, (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population
Wex entry, note on differing US Code definitions
It should be noted that other portions of the US Code contain slightly different definitions for the same and similar terms.
View the Source2. 18 U.S. Code section 2332b (Cornell LII)
Cornell Law School, Legal Information InstituteSection 2332b(c)(1) penalties paragraphQuote, Section 2332b(c)(1) penalties paragraph
for a killing, or if death results to any person from any other conduct prohibited by this section, by death, or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life; (B) for kidnapping, by imprisonment for any term of years or for life; (C) for maiming, by imprisonment for not more than 35 years
3. Terrorism (Wikipedia)
lead section, third paragraphQuote, lead section, third paragraph
The increased use of suicide attacks from the 1980s onwards was typified by the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001. The Global Terrorism Database, maintained by the University of Maryland, College Park, has recorded more than 61,000 incidents of non-state terrorism, resulting in at least 140,000 deaths between 2000 and 2014.
Wikipedia: Ted Kaczynski
Exemplified By Cases: Unabomber Case, Main biographical sectionQuote, Exemplified By Cases: Unabomber Case, Main biographical section
was an American mathematician and domestic terrorist.
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