terrorism studies midterm

What defines Domestic Terrorism under U.S. Law

Acts dangerous to human life that violate criminal law, intended to intimidate or influence government policy, occurring primarily within U.S. jurisdiction.

What did the 2021 National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism establish?

A unified federal framework enhancing data sharing, prevention, and civil liberties protections.

What agencies jointly define Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs)?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI.

Why couldn’t Timothy McVeigh be charged under a domestic-terrorism statute?

None existed at the time; he was charged with murder and use of a weapon of mass destruction.

What does REMVE stand for?

Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists.

What is “strategic irony”?

Extremists using humor and memes to spread hate speech and recruit followers while avoiding detection.

What is paper terrorism?

Fraudulent legal filings used by sovereign citizens to harass or obstruct government officials.

What ideology defines Militia Violent Extremists (MVEs)?

Anti-government beliefs emphasizing self-reliance and constitutional justification for armed resistance.

What is “leaderless resistance”?

A decentralized model where individuals act independently under a shared ideology.

What did the El Paso Walmart shooting exemplify?

Anti-Latino domestic terrorism inspired by “invasion” conspiracy rhetoric.

What does Texas Penal Code §12.47 do?

Enhances penalties for bias-motivated crimes.

What’s the difference between a hate crime and a hate incident?

Hate crimes involve criminal acts; hate incidents do not meet the threshold of criminal behavior.

What is the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009)?

Expanded protections for victims targeted due to gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

What is the Army of God Manual?

A publication promoting violence against abortion providers.

Why was the FACE Act passed?

After Dr. David Gunn’s murder to protect clinic workers from threats and obstruction.

What did the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests demonstrate?

Large-scale coordination among anti-abortion activists.

Who was Dr. George Tiller and why was his death significant?

A murdered abortion provider whose death symbolized religious extremism as terrorism.

What did the 1998 Vail Ski Resort arson represent?

A major act of eco-terrorism by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).

What was Operation Backfire?

A 2005 federal crackdown on ELF and ALF networks.

What defines the Animal Liberation Front’s (ALF) methods?

Property destruction without harming life.

What is Antifa?

A decentralized movement opposing fascism using direct action.

What are “black bloc” tactics?

Protesters using masks and dark clothing to maintain anonymity and disrupt authority.

What is the core belief of sovereign citizens?

Rejection of all government authority and laws.

What percentage of extremist incidents since 2016 are politically motivated?

Roughly 50%.

What’s a common conspiracy theory among anti-government extremists?

That FEMA operates secret “detention camps.”

What law resulted from Dr. David Gunn’s assassination?

The FACE Act.

What was the goal of Al-Qa‘ida’s Inspire magazine revival in 2024?

To inspire lone-actor jihadists through digital propaganda.

What country is seen as the U.S.’s main long-term competitor in the 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment?

China.

What is the DF-27 missile system?

A Chinese hypersonic weapon that can evade U.S. missile defenses.

What’s the purpose of the leaderless resistance model?

To make detection and infiltration harder.

What are examples of symbolic bioterrorism?

Hoax anthrax letters or butyric acid attacks on abortion clinics.

What’s the most lethal drug threat in the U.S. as of 2025?

Fentanyl.

How did the 2023 Israel–Hamas conflict affect the U.S.?

Sparked online propaganda that radicalized individuals domestically.

Why are lone offenders hard to detect?

They act independently with little warning.

How do hate crimes differ from terrorism?

Terrorism requires a political or ideological motive beyond bias.

What nation saw a 27% hate crime surge in 2021?

Canada, mainly due to anti-Asian sentiment.

Why aren’t financial motives considered domestic extremism?

They lack ideological intent for social or political change.

What does Dr. George Tiller’s murder demonstrate?

How religious ideology can justify terrorism.

What’s the goal of paper terrorism?

To overload courts and undermine government legitimacy.

What agencies coordinate domestic-terrorism intelligence?

DHS and FBI via Joint Terrorism Task Forces.

Why are most U.S. mass shootings not labeled terrorism?

They stem from personal grievances, not ideology.

What’s the main concern with a new federal domestic-terrorism statute?

It could infringe on First Amendment rights.

What did the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing lead to

It pushed Congress to define domestic terrorism and improve intelligence and counter-extremism strategies.

Why is the Oklahoma City bombing seen as the model for anti-government extremism?

Timothy McVeigh saw the government as tyrannical, showing how conspiracy theories and anti-authority anger can lead to deadly violence.

What is the most common motivation for hate crimes in the U.S., according to the FBI?

Anti-Black bias — it highlights ongoing racial divisions and guides prevention and education efforts.

How could fetal-personhood laws expand extremist targeting?

They could extend attacks beyond clinics to pharmacies and healthcare providers, justifying new forms of ideological violence.

What were the “wanted” posters and “Nuremberg Files” campaigns?

They exposed abortion providers’ personal info to intimidate them; courts ruled it was a threat, not protected speech.

What does the annual Homeland Threat Assessment do?

It combines federal intel on terrorism, cyber, and transnational crime, serving as a key guide for security policy and research.