Types of Terrorism

Different types of terrorism have been defined by lawmakers, security professionals and scholars. Types differ according to what kind of attack agents an attacker uses (biological, for example) or by what they are trying to defend (as in ecoterrorism). Here, a comprehensive list of types of terrorism, with links to more information, examples and definitions.

Terrorism traditionally involved kidnappings, assassinations, guerrilla warfare, massacres of opponents, and the use of bombs in a variety of ways and against a range of targets – suicide bombs, car bombs, bombs placed in aircrafts, buildings, and buses. The victims targeted are usually political opponents or state security forces, but sometimes they are ordinary citizens, chosen indiscriminately.

By the end of the 21st century terrorists adopted additional, and more difficult to counter, forms of attack. These include the use of biological warfare, pioneered by the Aum Shinrikyō sect in March 1995, who released sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and injuring several thousand. In October 2001 anthrax was used by terrorists in the USA. The spread of computer viruses, to disable financial and government networks, is another new method of terrorism. Increasingly, terrorist groups use information technology and the Internet to formulate plans, recruit members, communicate between cells and members, raise funds, and spread propaganda. Some terrorist groups are also involved in extortion and drug trafficking to help fund their activities, using complex offshore banking arrangements to launder these funds.

Researchers in the United States began to distinguish different types of terrorism in the 1970s, following a decade in which both domestic and international groups flourished. By that point, modern groups had began to use techniques such as hijacking, bombing, diplomatic kidnapping and assassination to assert their demands and, for the first time, they appeared as real threats to Western democracies, in the view of politicians, law makers, law enforcement and researchers. They began to distinguish different types of terrorism as part of the larger effort to understand how to counter and deter it.

Many definitions of terrorism restrict it to acts by non-state actors.

But it can also be argued that states can, and have, been terrorists. States can use force or the threat of force, without declaring war, to terrorize citizens and achieve a political goal. Germany under Nazi rule has been described in this way.

It has also been argued that states participate in international terrorism, often by proxy. The United States considers Iran the most prolific sponsor of terrorism because Iran arms groups, such as Hizballah, that help carry out its foreign policy objectives. The United States has also been called terrorist, for example through its covert sponsorship of Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980s.

Bioterrorism

Bioterrorism refers to the intentional release of toxic biological agents to harm and terrorize civilians, in the name of a political or other cause.The U.S. Center for Disease Control has classified the viruses, bacteria and toxins that could be used in an attack. Category A Biological Diseases are those most likely to do the most damage. They include:

• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)

• Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)

• The Plague (Yersinia pestis)

• Smallpox (Variola major)

• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)

• Hemorrahagic fever, due to Ebola Virus or Marburg Virus

Cyberterrorism

Cyberterrorists use information technology to attack civilians and draw attention to their cause. This may mean that they use information technology, such as computer systems or telecommunications, as a tool to orchestrate a traditional attack. More often, cyberterrorism refers to an attack on information technology itself in a way that would radically disrupt networked services. For example, cyberterrorists could disable networked emergency systems or hack into networks housing critical financial information. There is wide disagreement over the extent of the existing threat by cyberterrorists.

Ecoterrorism

Ecoterrorism is a recently coined term describing violence in the interests of environmentalism. In general, environmental extremists sabotage property to inflict economic damage on industries or actors they see as harming animals or the natural enviroment. Thes have included fur companies, logging companies and animal research laboratories, for example.

Nuclear terrorism

"Nuclear terrorism" refers to a number of different ways nuclear materials might be exploited as a terrorist tactic. These include attacking nuclear facilities, purchasing nuclear weapons, or building nuclear weapons or otherwise finding ways to disperse radioactive materials.

Narcoterrorism

Narcoterrorism has had several meanings since its coining in 1983. It once denoted violence used by drug traffickers to influence governments or prevent government efforts to stop the drug trade. In the last several years, narcoterrorism has been used to indicate situations in which terrorist groups use drug trafficking to fund their other operations.