Over the past few years the United States have become more vulnerable to terrorist
attacks. There have been newspaper headlines that described the World Trade Center
bombing, the Unabomber's arrest, and the bombings in Oklahoma City and Centennial Olympic
Park in Atlanta. Though investigators didn't find evidence that an explosion caused the
crash of TWA Flight 800 was a bomb, the airline security has risen drastically. While the
lawmakers debate which steps to take to prevent any future attacks, many Americans wonder
what they may have to sacrifice to stop or at least lower terrorist attacks. Are air
travelers going to be willing to wait longer in lines at the air port so they can use the
high sensitive equipment to check for explosives? Are they willing to pay extra prices for
the airline tickets so the new equipment can be bought? Are Americans willing to sacrifice
there freedom of movements as well as privacy?
Domestic Terrorism
Most of this is domestic terrorism. The FBI defines domestic terrorism as the
"unlawful use of force or violence, committed by a group(s) of two or more
individuals, against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the
civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives. The number of terrorist attacks in the 1990s have made American realize the
vulnerability among themselves. The World Trade Center Bombing. In February 1993, a bomb
exploded in the World Trade Center in New York City. The World Trade Center is the second
tallest building in the world, where more that 100,000 people work and visit ever day. The
bomb exploded in the parking area underneath the building, damaging the under lying base
and the subway tunnels. Smoke reached the top of the building in minutes. Six people were
killed; more than 1,000 were injured. The FBI joined the Joint Terrorist Task Force in the
investigation. They ended up putting 22 Islamic fundamentalist conspirators on trial. At
the end of the trial it revealed that they had major plans to ruin government facilities.
Identifying the Unabomber: A Possible Breakthrough. In April 1996, federal agents
arrested Theodore Kaczynski and charged him with crimes committed by what they called
"Unabomber". The Unabomber, who went after university scientists and airline
employees, and others, had been disrupting authorities for over 18 years. The FBI said the
suspect had killed three people and injured 23 others with packages bombs. The Unabomber
believed that new and more advanced technology had dehumanized society. That is why he
went after scientists to release his anger.
The Oklahoma City Bombing.
The bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995 killed
168 people and injured more than 500 others. The trial of the suspects Timothy McVeigh and
Terry Nichols, who are charged with murder and conspiracy began in the final months of
1996. The two were connected to the militia movement, which opposes the expanded powers of
the federal government and believes that their right to bear arms were threatened. The
Oklahoma City bombing occurred two years after federal troops stormed the Branch Dividian
compound outside Waco, Texas. Federal prosecutors believe that the reason they did it is
because of the governments murder of 78 Branch Davidian in Waco militia.
The Olympic Bombing.
During the Summer Olympic Games, in July 1996, less than two weeks after the TWA Flight
800 disaster, a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, killing
two people and injuring more than one hundred others. The FBI said it looked like it was
homemade with nails and screws attached to it. They suspected it was domestic terrorists,
and some members of local militia groups, and they were questioned without any results.
The FBI named a suspect Richard Jewell, a security guard who found the bomb. His name was
given to the press as the main suspect and appeared in newspapers and magazines around the
world. Recently a $500,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of those responsible.
Anti-Terrorism Act
Congress passed, and Clinton signed into law, the 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act, which grants
the federal authorities __BODY__ billion combat terrorism. Airlines are a major concern to the
government and a gold mine to terrorist attacks. On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded
in the air off the coast of Long Island, shortly after taking off from New York's Kennedy
International Airport. The explosion killed all 229 passengers and crew. People began to
wonder whether it was caused by a technical failure or a bomb. Airline security has
received a great amount of money since the crash, even though no evidence was found that
the explosion was a result of a bomb. Lawmakers have tried to respond to the fear that
America is becoming more vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The many attacks have resulted
of great disappointment to the government. It has showed them where a giant flaw in the
laws have occurred. I feel that we need to pass more laws and enforce laws that have
already been made.
Highlights of 1996 Anti-Terrorism Act
Creates a federal death penalty for terrorist murders
Strengthens penalties for crimes committed against federal employees while performing
their official duties
makes such crimes a federal offense
Authorizes a study on the potential for tagging explosive materials for detection and
identification purposes
Requires plastic explosives to carry such detection agents Increases penalties for
conspiracies involving explosives
Expands penalties for possession of nuclear materials
Criminalizes the use of chemical weapons within the United States, or against Americans
outside the United States
Directs the Attorney General to issue a public report on whether literature or other
material on making bombs or weapons of mass destruction is protected by the First
Amendment
Authorizes the Secretary of State to designate groups as terrorist organizations and
prohibit the from fundraising in the United States
also authorizes the Secretary of Treasury to freeze the assets of such organizations
in addition, forbids U.S. citizens, nationals, residents, etc. from having financial
transactions with known terrorist states
Prohibits U.S. government financial assistance to nations sponsoring terrorism
Allows the Attorney General to deny asylum to suspected terrorists
Denies entry into the United States to any person who is a representative or member of a
designated terrorist organization
Provides that INS border officers, rather than immigration judges, can decide the asylum
claims of people who claim to be fleeing persecution and who arrive without travel
documents
Expands deportation procedures for criminal aliens; in particular establishes special
courts of review to handle deportation hearings against suspected alien terrorists
Allows state and local law enforcement officials to arrest and detain illegal aliens who
have previously been deported for criminal behavior until they can be taken into federal
custody by the INS
Limits appeals of state court death penalty sentences in the federal courts(Habeas
Corpus) by setting a one-year limit on an application for habeas writ
Authorizes more than __BODY__ billion over five years for various federal, state, and local
government programs to prevent, combat, or deal with terrorism in the United States and
abroad; in particular, authorizes $468 million for the FBI counterterrorism and
counterintelligence efforts, and authorizes $20 million for the INS to deport criminal
aliens
Timeline of Domestic Terrorism
1950 Assassination attempt on President Truman. Puerto Rican
nationalist kill one District of Columbia policeman during an attempted assassination of
President Harry S. Truman outside of Blair House in Washington, D.C.
1954 Shooting in the U.S. House of Representatives. Five members of
Congress are wounded by gunfire during an attack by Puerto Rican nationalist on the U.S.
House of Representatives.
1972 Fraunces Tavern Bombing. Four people die in this bombing at a
historic tavern in downtown New York City. The Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN is
blamed for the attack, one of the 49 bombings in New York attributed to them between 1974
and 1977
1975 LaGuardia Airport Bombing. Eleven are killed, 75 are injured in
this attack by Croatian nationalists at this New York City Airport.
1976 Letelier Assassination. Orlando Letelier, the former Chilean
ambassador to the United States, is killed by a car bomb in Washington, D.C. The bomb,
planted by Chile's Pinochet government, also kills one of Letelier's associates while
injuring another.
1981 Kennedy Airport Bombing. One man is killed when a bomb planted by
a group calling itself the Puerto Rican Armed Resistance goes off in a men's bathroom at
New York City's international airport.
1983 U.S. Senate Bombing. A bomb goes off in the cloak room next to
U.S. Senate in the Capitol Building. Two left-wing radicals plead guilty to the attack.
