Outline of terrorism in the United States explained
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the past and present terrorism in the United States:
Although terrorism has been given several different definitions, it is most commonly defined as the use of violence to achieve political goals.[1]
Political terrorism has accounted for the majority of attacks in recent decades (a trend that has accelerated in recent years), while Islamist terrorism has accounted for the majority of deaths.[2]
Designated foreign terrorist organizations by the United States
Domestic violent extremist organizations
The following are political extremist groups that have used violence:
Inactive domestic violent extremist organizations
The following are violent extremist organizations that have been responsible for terrorist attacks on United States soil. These organizations are no longer active.
Domestic terrorist attacks
The following is a list of terrorist attacks that have happened throughout United States history, which were committed by United States citizens.
- May 21, 1856: Sacking of Lawrence
- May 24, 1856 – May 25, 1856: Pottawatomie massacre
- September 11, 1857: Mountain Meadows massacre
- April 14, 1865: Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- October 24, 1871: Chinese massacre
- May 4, 1886: Haymarket affair
- November 10, 1898: Wilmington insurrection
- September 6, 1901: Assassination of William McKinley
- October 1, 1910: Los Angeles Times bombing
- July 22, 1916: Preparedness Day bombing
- May–July 1917: East St. Louis riots
- May–October 1919: Red Summer
- April–June 1919: U.S. anarchist bombings
- September 16, 1920: Wall Street bombing
- May 31 – June 1, 1921: burning of Black Wall Street
- January, 1923: razing and massacre of Rosewood
- May 18, 1927: Bath School Disaster
- December 25, 1951: Murder of Harry and Harriette Moore
- October 12, 1958: Bombing of the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple
- September 15, 1963: 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
- November 22, 1963: Assassination of John F. Kennedy
- February 16, 1970: San Francisco Police Department Park Station bombing
- May 29, 1970: Oakland pipe bombing
- August 24, 1970: Sterling Hall bombing
- November 7, 1983: 1983 U.S. Senate bombing
- April 19, 1995: Oklahoma City bombing
- July 27, 1996: Centennial Olympic Park bombing
- October 13, 2000: Firebombing of Temple Beth El (Syracuse)
- September 18, 2001 – October 9, 2001: Anthrax attacks
- May 2002: Midwest pipe bombings
- October 2002: Beltway Sniper Attacks
- March 3, 2006: Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar SUV attack
- May 31, 2009: Assassination of George Tiller
- June 1, 2009: Little Rock recruiting office shooting
- June 10, 2009: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting
- November 5, 2009: Fort Hood shooting
- February 18, 2010: Austin suicide attack
- September 1, 2010: Discovery Communications headquarters hostage crisis
- August 5, 2012: Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting
- April 15, 2013: Boston Marathon bombing
- June 8, 2014: Las Vegas shootings
- September 12, 2014: Pennsylvania State Police barracks attack
- October 23, 2014: Queens hatchet attack
- June 17, 2015: Charleston church shooting
- November 27, 2015: Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting
- December 2, 2015: San Bernardino attack
- June 12, 2016: Orlando nightclub shooting
- September 17–19, 2016: New York and New Jersey bombings
- November 28, 2016: Ohio State University attack
- April 18, 2017: Fresno shootings
- May 26, 2017: Portland train attack
- June 14, 2017: Congressional baseball shooting
- August 12, 2017: Charlottesville car attack
- September 24, 2017: Burnette Chapel shooting
- October 31, 2017: New York City truck attack
- August 3, 2019: El Paso shooting
- January 6, 2021: January 6 United States Capitol attack
- January 15, 2022: Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis
Foreign terrorist attacks
The following are terrorist attacks that have occurred throughout United States history, which have been committed by foreign organizations and individuals.
- July 30, 1916: Black Tom explosion
- December 29, 1975: LaGuardia Airport Christmas Bomb
- August 29 – October 10, 1984: 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack
- January 25, 1993: CIA Shooting – Mir Qazi
- February 26, 1993: First World Trade Center bombing
- February 23, 1997: Empire State Building shooting
- September 11, 2001: September 11, 2001 attacks
- July 4, 2002: 2002 Los Angeles Airport shooting
- May 3, 2015: Curtis Culwell Center attack
- December 2, 2015: 2015 San Bernardino attack
- June 12, 2016: Orlando nightclub shooting
- September 17, 2016: 2016 St. Cloud, Minnesota knife attack
Politically violent individuals
The following are individuals that have posed threats to United States security in the past, or have been involved in terrorist attacks.
Worldviews within terrorism
The following are common worldviews that have motivated political activists to utilize violence.
Methods used in terrorism
The following is a list of techniques that have been utilized by politically violent individuals in terrorist attacks.
United States counter-terrorism organizations
The following is a list of federal organizations in the United States that combat terrorism according to The U.S. Department of State's website.[3]
US Department of State
Department of Defense
Department of the Treasury
Department of Justice
Department of Homeland Security
Other agencies
The following are other United States counter-terrorism agencies according to various sources.
See also
Notes and References
- Terrorism. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism
- Web site: The Escalating Terrorism Problem in the United States .
- https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/team/index.htm U.S. Counterterrorism Team
- National Counterterrorism Center. Retrieved December 4, 2011 from: National Counterterrorism Center: http://www.nctc.gov
