Criminal justice class: [class title] terrorism & homeland security--assignment: defining terrorism

Criminal Justice class: [class title] Terrorism & Homeland Security–Assignment: Defining Terrorism

Terrorism Terrorism Boston Marathon Bombing of April 15, The Boston Marathon bombing claimed three lives and injured above one hundred and eighty people. The blast happened at 2: 49 and different media picked it up airing different perceptions about it. Elements of a terrorist attack qualify this incident as an act of terrorism. The assailant’s selection of Boston was strategic because of the marathon, which attracted many people (CNN, 2013). A second element is the detection and exploitation of vulnerabilities, which Tsarnaev and his associates noted in the security of the day. A third thing is the general plan that included where the criminals hid from security and put together all that they needed to carry out the bombing. The criminals put their guns and cars ready for takeoff after the blast as the fourth element. The fifth element is the actual blasts that caused confusion as people took time to understand what had happened (McPhee, 2014).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation classified this bombing as a domestic terrorist attack. This is because there was the unlawful use of violence that killed and injured many. The bombing was carried out by a group, which planned, and executed it within the United States. There was no evidence of people from without the United States directing the planning or execution of the attack. The attack was directed toward persons and property and was meant to intimidate the civilian population that was taking place in the marathon race. I believe that the attack was a terrorist attack. This is because, besides fulfilling Federal Investigation Bureau’s definition, the explosives demonstrate that it was premeditated (Horgan & Braddock, 2012).
Attempted Blast by a Nigerian Man on December 25, 2009
A Nigerian man was caught attempting to set off an explosive that was hidden in his undergarments while flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. This incident fulfilled a number of criteria that can be used to assess whether it was a terrorist attack (Nacos, 2012). The target of the attack was the plane in which the attacker was travelling in and this could have been caused by a drive to instigate fear on the American population and invite the attention of both the media and the government. The second criterion is the concealing of the explosive to ensure that it is not detected at the airport before taking off, and inside the plane by the security. This was made possible by carrying powdered and liquefied materials that would later be combined while one board in order to make the explosive. The assailant claimed he had been instructed by Al-Qaeda and this fulfils the criterion that there was communication between the parties involved. The attempt to set off the explosive could have a fulfillment of the criterion of dry runs that could have preceded the actual blast (Burke 2013).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation termed it as an international terrorism attempt because a person alien to the United States perpetrated it hence it transcended national boundaries. The carriage of an explosive by an unlicensed civilian amongst the population violates criminal laws and its detonation would have been dangerous to human life (The New York Times, 2012). Finally, I think this was an international terrorist attempt because it had links with the terrorist group of Al-Qaeda.

References
Burke, J. (2013). Is Terrorism now international or domestic? The Guardian, Monday 22, April 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014 from http://www. theguardian. com/world/2013/apr/22/is-terrorism-international-or-domestic
CNN. (2013). CNN’s Complete Coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombings. CNN News Room, April 15, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014 from http://cnnpressroom. blogs. cnn. com/2013/04/15/cnn-coverage-of-deadly-blasts-near-the-boston-marathon-finish-line/
Horgan, J. & Braddock, K. (2012). Terrorism Studies: A Reader. New York, NY: Routledge.
McPhee, M. (2014). Trial Date Set for Accused Boston Marathon Bomber. ABC NEWS, February 12, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014 from http://abcnews. go. com/Blotter/trial-date-set-accused-boston-marathon-bomber/story? id= 22478389
Nacos, B. L. (2012). Terrorism & Counterterrorism, 4th Edition. New York, NY: Longman.
The New York Times. (2012). Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The New York Times, February 11, 2012. Retrieved from July 1, 2014 from http://topics. nytimes. com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/umar_farouk_abdulmutallab/index. html