Running head: RESEARCH PAPER
RESEARCH PAPER
Pre 9/11 and Post 9/11 Terrorism
Terrorism throughout the World has been affecting we as a society for many years.
Terrorism can be dated back to the assassination of our 15
th
President Abraham Lincoln, who was
shot and killed by a right-wing activist John Wilkes Booth on April 14
th
1865. (Johnston, R. Wm)
There has not been a single accepted definition of terrorism however, “terrorism may be defined
as violent, criminal behavior designed primarily to generate fear in the community, or a
substantial segment of it, for political reasons.” (Poland, J. M, P. 8) Terrorism is used uses
threats, use of force and violence to attain political goals.
For example I am going to be comparing and contrasting two events one that took place
prior to the attack on 9/11 and another after 9/11. In this comparison I will discuss the different
methods that were used, different motives, intents, to what extent they would go to in order to
complete the mission. Prior to 9/11 the attack on the Federal Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms (BATF) building in Oklahoma City showed what weakness the United States had in
security. Timothy McVeigh and an accomplice placed a Ryder moving truck outside of a Federal
building packed with explosives. After 9/11 the attack in Paris at the Bataclan stadium and other
areas around Paris resulted in mass shootings and suicide bombers. If you look at the complexity
of each attack, you can tell a lot of thought and planning went into both, however the great length
the attackers in Paris went to “succeed” is far greater. In the new age of terrorism society sees a
lot of suicide bombers, mass shootings, and social media. Whereas pre-9/11 they were bombs,
few mass shootings no social media to hype up their agenda.
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RESEARCH PAPER
The Oklahoma City Bombing
On April 19
th
, 1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols killed 168 people and injured
more than 680 others. This attack took place at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in
Oklahoma City, OK. The blast was so large that it damaged upwards of 324 buildings causing an
estimated $652 Million dollars worth of damage. (OMICS International, 2014, par. 1) The
morning of April 19
th
was just as any other day for everyone working in the area, but Timothy
McVeigh had other plans. At 8:45 AM McVeigh and Nichols stopped for directions to the
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) building in which at that time he had planned on blowing up.
Just shortly before arriving on site, McVeigh lite the fuses on two bombs that he had made
himself and stored in the back of a rented Ryder moving truck. Upon arrival, he parked in a
handicap spot just outside the building, locked the vehicle, and walked away in a hurry. At 09:02
AM his bomb detonated sending off a blast wave so large that it killed 168 innocent lives, and
injuring more than 600 others. This attack was the largest case of domestic terrorism in United
States history. (Linder, 2006)
Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and
Michael Fortier were all survivalist who disagreed
with the way certain cases were handled. They were motivated by the way the Federal
