What is terrorism??
Definitions of Terrorism in the U.S. Code
18 U.S.C. § 2331 defines "international terrorism" and "domestic terrorism" for purposes of Chapter 113B of the Code, entitled "Terrorism”:
"International terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:
- Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
- Appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
- Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.*
"Domestic terrorism" means activities with the following three characteristics:
- Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
- Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and
- Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.
18 U.S.C. § 2332b defines the term "federal crime of terrorism" as an offense that:
- Is calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct; and
- Is a violation of one of several listed statutes, including § 930(c) (relating to killing or attempted killing during an attack on a federal facility with a dangerous weapon); and § 1114 (relating to killing or attempted killing of officers and employees of the U.S.).
* FISA defines "international terrorism" in a nearly identical way, replacing "primarily" outside the U.S. with "totally" outside the U.S. 50 U.S.C. § 1801(c).
FBI — Terrorism Definition
Terrorism is not just an mass attack on any civilian, terrorism and mass killing is two different thing, a killer (Serial Killer) can go on a killing spree and kill 90 people just to satisfy whatever of his or her twisted need. But a Terrorist can kill only one people or sometime none to perform a terrorist attack. The different is in his motive.
According to 18 USC the condition of becoming a terrorist attack are defined by one cause.
Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and
The core of terrorist attack based on an attack which intend to alter or influence the policy of government by intimidation or coercion.
Now, if you look at the definition, you need to know not just an organisation but individual can perform a terrorist attack on US or on US interest overseas. The main point being an attack was aim to influence the policy of government.
Now, is hate crime belong to terrorist attack? It does and it doesn't, again, depend on if the person who committed the attack if their aim is to influence the policy of US government, bear in mind hate crime can be a very board spectrum, it does not just defined between race and religion, but also many factor are involved, hatred of humanity, hatred of authority, hatred of gender, hatred of relationship. The problem you have to ask is, odes the Charleston shooting is just some guy who hate a group of people and shoot the heck out of that group? Then it will not be an terrorist attacks, or if that guy aim to change the US policy by carrying out an attacks? Then it would be terrorism.
Mind you, in the history of United States, there are about 120 declared terrorist attack in US or with US interest overseas, Muslim and black only contributed some 30% of those attack as those were peaked between 60s to 2000s, most labelled terrorist are white.
Loved the Pathan one!!!!
