World Trade Center Attack Research Paper
Within the previous 25 years, the United States has experienced violent attacks targeting civilians. On February 26, 1993, a bomb detonated in the parking lot of the Vista Hotel in 2 World Trade Center. Six people were killed and nearly 1,000 more injured. The suspects responsible claimed to belong to a radical Islamic sect. On April 19, 1995, anti-government anarchist Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The attack killed 168 people and injured 700. McVeigh cited the government’s handling of the Ruby Ridge standoff and Waco siege as his motive. In 1996, Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, was arrested after nearly 20 years of mail bombings, which killed three and wounded 23. Also, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, far-right radical Eric Rudolph, bombed Centennial Olympic Park killing one person and injuring 111. Rudolph also bombed two abortion clinics and a lesbian bar between 1997-1998.
Perhaps the most infamous terrorist attack on American soil occurred on September 11, 2001. Nineteen al Qaeda operatives’ hijacked four aircrafts flew two in the World Trade Center complex in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the final plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. At the World Trade Center site, 2,753 people were killed; 184 perished at the Pentagon; and 40 died in the Pennsylvania …show more content…
crash. During the week after the 9/11 attacks, an anthrax attack against government officials and media personnel left 5 dead and 17 injured. The most recent terrorist attack on American soil occurred near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev denoted two bombs at the marathon, which killed 3 and injured 264. Dzhokhar cited the US’ involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as the motive for the attack.
The Middle East The Middle East has served as both a region where terror cells train their operatives to commit acts of terror and as a region most negatively affected by terrorism. Of the top ten nations most affected by terrorism, four are located in this region. In October 2000, radical Islamic organization Al-Qaeda conducted a bombing on the USS Cole. The naval destroyer was harbored in the Port of Aden in Yemen when Al-Qaeda operatives struck it. In total, 17 U.S. sailors were killed and 39 were injured. During the War of Terror, the Middle East saw a spike in violent terrorist acts in response the U.S. involvement in the region.
However, the recent rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the most current challenge for Middle Eastern states. ISIS began as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but was soon abandoned by its parent organization for its brutal methods. ISIS governs itself as a state or caliphate with a network of over 200,000 claimed fighters inside Syria and Iraq. The Central Intelligence Agency actually believes numbers hovers between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns ISIS and believes it has “nothing to do with Islam.” Currently, there is a US-led coalition aimed at eliminating ISIS.
Africa
Of the top ten nations most affected by terrorism, two are found on the African continent. In August 1998, the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were bombed within minutes of each other. The explosion killed 264 Kenyan and Tanzanian nationals and twelve Americans. Within the last two years, Kenya has faced various acts of terrorism. First in 2013, the Westgate shopping complex was targeting in an attack that killed 67 people and wounded 175. In April 2015, non-Muslim Kenyans were attacked at Garissa University College. This attack left 148 students dead. In Somalia, the militant group al-Shabab, linked to al-Qaeda is believed to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters. Although Somali and Ethiopian forces defeated the group in 2007, al-Shabab has continued its campaigns in southern and central Somalia. The group has used guerrilla warfare against peacekeepers and nongovernmental aid organizations. In 2010, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Kampla, Uganda that killed 70 people. Most recently, the organization was responsible for the attack on Kenyan civilians in the northeastern region of the nation. 14 people were killed in the attack.
In the Sub-Saharan region, Boko Haram is the most significant terror cell in the region.
The radical sect of Nigerian Muslims has caused havoc in Nigeria for over a decade. Boko Haram’s ideology is one that forbids Muslims to partake in any activities associated with Western culture. Boko Haram launched its violent campaigns in 2009, attacking schools, churches, and homes. In 2014, Boko Haram made news after it kidnapped 276 girls from a school in northeast Nigeria. Although some of the girls escaped, over 200 hostages remain. Boko Haram claims responsibility for attacks not only in Nigeria, but also in Cameroon, Chad, and
Niger.
Asia
In 1995, the doomsday movement, Arun Shinrikyo, released sarin gas into the Tokyo subway. The attack killed 12 people and injured 1,050. Southeast Asian jihadist groups are mobilizing in solidarity with ISIS and other terror cells. In the Philippines and Malaysia, Abu Sayyaf, a fundamentalists group, is undergoing a revival as a result of the recent gains of ISIS. The organization was responsible for the Philippines worst terrorist attack in 2004 that killed 116 people. Another organization, Jemaah Islamiah carried out an attack in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002 which killed 202 people. The following August, Jemaah Islamiah took responsibility for the bombing of the JW Marriot Hotel in Jakarta. 12 people were killed. In September 2004, the group bombed the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and killed 9. The group also claims responsibility for attacks in Thailand . On the Indian subcontinent, jihadists have launched a series of attacks in the region. In December 2001, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jasiha-e Mohammed operatives attacked the Parliament of India. Six Delhi police officers, two Parliamentary secret personnel, a gardener, and the perpetrators perished in the attack. The same Islamist group claimed responsibility for a bombing and shooting attack at the Akshardham Temple in the Gujarati capital, Gandhinagar in September 2002. Also in September 2002, the Naxalites, a far-left guerilla group, purposefully derailed a passenger train in North-Central India, which resulted in the deaths of 130 people. Between January and August, 2003, four attacks plagued the city of Mumbai. In January, an unknown perpetrator denoted a bomb attached to a bicycle near a railway station. The blast killed one person. In March, a bombing aboard an arriving train exploded and killed 10 people. On July 28, a bomb detonated on a public bus killed 4 people and injured 32. The final 2003 attack occurred on August 25 where Lashkar-e-Tobia operatives denoted twin car bombs. 52 people were killed and 300 more injured . Between 2005 and 2007, India experienced 15 confirmed terrorist attacks, most notable, the Delhi Bombings, the Doda massacre, the 2006 attack on Mumbai, and an attack in Hyderabad. The October 2005, Delhi bombings killed 62 people and injured 210. Lashkar-e-Tobia is the suspect perpetrator of the attack. In 2006, suspected terrorist executed 22 Hindu villagers in the Doda district in the Jammu and Kashmir state. The attackers seized another village and kidnapped and killed 13 Hindu villagers. On July 11 2006, seven bombs exploded within an 11-minute period on a railway in Mumbai. 209 people were killed and an estimated 714 injured. In August 2007, operatives of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami were suspected of bombing the Lumbini Amusement Park and the Gokul Chat Bhandar restaurant in Hyderabad. The attack left 42 dead and 54 injured. In 2008, Delhi and Mumbai were hit again by terrorist attacks. On September 13, Indian Mujahideen operatives detonated five bombs throughout the city of Delhi. The attacks left 30 dead and 130 injured. During that summer, the Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for 21 bomb blasts that killed 56 people in Ahmedabad. Fourteen days later on September 27, 2008, another bomb explosion killed 3 people and injured 23 others. From November 26 to November 29, Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives launched a series of attacks across Mumbai. In eight attacks, the attackers bombed a hospital, train station, two five star hotels, a Jewish community center, and a movie theater. In total, 164 people died in the attacks. More 600 people were injured. In May 2010, operatives of the Communist Party of India purposefully caused a train derailment in West Bengal. The Jnaneswari derailment claimed 148 lives. In 2011, Mumbai and Delhi experienced attacks that claimed 42 lives. Most recently, on July 27, 2015, Indian forces believe that Sikh nationalists launched a mass shooting campaign in the Punjab state. Pakistan has also seen an increase in terrorist attacks. Since 2003, the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) estimated that insurgency campaigns have resulted 58,429 fatalities. As of July 27, 2015, the same agency found that 421 suicide bombings have occurred in Pakistan since 2002. These attacks killed 6,363 civilians and law enforcement personnel and injured 13,078 others. Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari believes militant attacks killed 35,000 people in 2010 alone. Also, the World Bank estimated that these attacks in 2010 caused $67 billion in material damage. Between 2013 and 2015, the SATP estimates that 967 major terrorists occurred in Pakistan. The number is expected to grow by the end of the year.
Perhaps the most infamous terrorist attack on American soil occurred on September 11, 2001. Nineteen al Qaeda operatives’ hijacked four aircrafts flew two in the World Trade Center complex in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the final plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. At the World Trade Center site, 2,753 people were killed; 184 perished at the Pentagon; and 40 died in the Pennsylvania …show more content…
crash. During the week after the 9/11 attacks, an anthrax attack against government officials and media personnel left 5 dead and 17 injured. The most recent terrorist attack on American soil occurred near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev denoted two bombs at the marathon, which killed 3 and injured 264. Dzhokhar cited the US’ involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as the motive for the attack.
The Middle East The Middle East has served as both a region where terror cells train their operatives to commit acts of terror and as a region most negatively affected by terrorism. Of the top ten nations most affected by terrorism, four are located in this region. In October 2000, radical Islamic organization Al-Qaeda conducted a bombing on the USS Cole. The naval destroyer was harbored in the Port of Aden in Yemen when Al-Qaeda operatives struck it. In total, 17 U.S. sailors were killed and 39 were injured. During the War of Terror, the Middle East saw a spike in violent terrorist acts in response the U.S. involvement in the region.
However, the recent rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the most current challenge for Middle Eastern states. ISIS began as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but was soon abandoned by its parent organization for its brutal methods. ISIS governs itself as a state or caliphate with a network of over 200,000 claimed fighters inside Syria and Iraq. The Central Intelligence Agency actually believes numbers hovers between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns ISIS and believes it has “nothing to do with Islam.” Currently, there is a US-led coalition aimed at eliminating ISIS.
Africa
Of the top ten nations most affected by terrorism, two are found on the African continent. In August 1998, the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were bombed within minutes of each other. The explosion killed 264 Kenyan and Tanzanian nationals and twelve Americans. Within the last two years, Kenya has faced various acts of terrorism. First in 2013, the Westgate shopping complex was targeting in an attack that killed 67 people and wounded 175. In April 2015, non-Muslim Kenyans were attacked at Garissa University College. This attack left 148 students dead. In Somalia, the militant group al-Shabab, linked to al-Qaeda is believed to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters. Although Somali and Ethiopian forces defeated the group in 2007, al-Shabab has continued its campaigns in southern and central Somalia. The group has used guerrilla warfare against peacekeepers and nongovernmental aid organizations. In 2010, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Kampla, Uganda that killed 70 people. Most recently, the organization was responsible for the attack on Kenyan civilians in the northeastern region of the nation. 14 people were killed in the attack.
In the Sub-Saharan region, Boko Haram is the most significant terror cell in the region.
The radical sect of Nigerian Muslims has caused havoc in Nigeria for over a decade. Boko Haram’s ideology is one that forbids Muslims to partake in any activities associated with Western culture. Boko Haram launched its violent campaigns in 2009, attacking schools, churches, and homes. In 2014, Boko Haram made news after it kidnapped 276 girls from a school in northeast Nigeria. Although some of the girls escaped, over 200 hostages remain. Boko Haram claims responsibility for attacks not only in Nigeria, but also in Cameroon, Chad, and
Niger.
Asia
In 1995, the doomsday movement, Arun Shinrikyo, released sarin gas into the Tokyo subway. The attack killed 12 people and injured 1,050. Southeast Asian jihadist groups are mobilizing in solidarity with ISIS and other terror cells. In the Philippines and Malaysia, Abu Sayyaf, a fundamentalists group, is undergoing a revival as a result of the recent gains of ISIS. The organization was responsible for the Philippines worst terrorist attack in 2004 that killed 116 people. Another organization, Jemaah Islamiah carried out an attack in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002 which killed 202 people. The following August, Jemaah Islamiah took responsibility for the bombing of the JW Marriot Hotel in Jakarta. 12 people were killed. In September 2004, the group bombed the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and killed 9. The group also claims responsibility for attacks in Thailand . On the Indian subcontinent, jihadists have launched a series of attacks in the region. In December 2001, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jasiha-e Mohammed operatives attacked the Parliament of India. Six Delhi police officers, two Parliamentary secret personnel, a gardener, and the perpetrators perished in the attack. The same Islamist group claimed responsibility for a bombing and shooting attack at the Akshardham Temple in the Gujarati capital, Gandhinagar in September 2002. Also in September 2002, the Naxalites, a far-left guerilla group, purposefully derailed a passenger train in North-Central India, which resulted in the deaths of 130 people. Between January and August, 2003, four attacks plagued the city of Mumbai. In January, an unknown perpetrator denoted a bomb attached to a bicycle near a railway station. The blast killed one person. In March, a bombing aboard an arriving train exploded and killed 10 people. On July 28, a bomb detonated on a public bus killed 4 people and injured 32. The final 2003 attack occurred on August 25 where Lashkar-e-Tobia operatives denoted twin car bombs. 52 people were killed and 300 more injured . Between 2005 and 2007, India experienced 15 confirmed terrorist attacks, most notable, the Delhi Bombings, the Doda massacre, the 2006 attack on Mumbai, and an attack in Hyderabad. The October 2005, Delhi bombings killed 62 people and injured 210. Lashkar-e-Tobia is the suspect perpetrator of the attack. In 2006, suspected terrorist executed 22 Hindu villagers in the Doda district in the Jammu and Kashmir state. The attackers seized another village and kidnapped and killed 13 Hindu villagers. On July 11 2006, seven bombs exploded within an 11-minute period on a railway in Mumbai. 209 people were killed and an estimated 714 injured. In August 2007, operatives of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami were suspected of bombing the Lumbini Amusement Park and the Gokul Chat Bhandar restaurant in Hyderabad. The attack left 42 dead and 54 injured. In 2008, Delhi and Mumbai were hit again by terrorist attacks. On September 13, Indian Mujahideen operatives detonated five bombs throughout the city of Delhi. The attacks left 30 dead and 130 injured. During that summer, the Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility for 21 bomb blasts that killed 56 people in Ahmedabad. Fourteen days later on September 27, 2008, another bomb explosion killed 3 people and injured 23 others. From November 26 to November 29, Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives launched a series of attacks across Mumbai. In eight attacks, the attackers bombed a hospital, train station, two five star hotels, a Jewish community center, and a movie theater. In total, 164 people died in the attacks. More 600 people were injured. In May 2010, operatives of the Communist Party of India purposefully caused a train derailment in West Bengal. The Jnaneswari derailment claimed 148 lives. In 2011, Mumbai and Delhi experienced attacks that claimed 42 lives. Most recently, on July 27, 2015, Indian forces believe that Sikh nationalists launched a mass shooting campaign in the Punjab state. Pakistan has also seen an increase in terrorist attacks. Since 2003, the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) estimated that insurgency campaigns have resulted 58,429 fatalities. As of July 27, 2015, the same agency found that 421 suicide bombings have occurred in Pakistan since 2002. These attacks killed 6,363 civilians and law enforcement personnel and injured 13,078 others. Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari believes militant attacks killed 35,000 people in 2010 alone. Also, the World Bank estimated that these attacks in 2010 caused $67 billion in material damage. Between 2013 and 2015, the SATP estimates that 967 major terrorists occurred in Pakistan. The number is expected to grow by the end of the year.