Homegrown terrorism essay

Domestic terrorist are usually confined to a particular demographic. They are mostly males under the age of thirty five, some are permanent residents while others come from second generation immigrants and others have their roots in the United States. The effects of terrorism pose a huge risk to a country’s economic security. With the growth of the internet it is expected that domestic terrorism is bound to increase and take more innovative shapes. Homegrown terrorism Definition Homegrown terrorism can be described as a type or terrorism where the perpetrator is from the same country and citizenship as the victim. It gives three legal definitions of what domestic terrorism is. The definitions include: activities that (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the U.

S or any state, (B) appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or to influence the government by intimidation and coercion or affect the conduct of the government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U. S (FBI database, 2014). This forms the basis of the types of homegrown terrorism that exist Types, causes and characteristics of homegrown terrorists The cause of homegrown terrorism is factored by one major factor; domestic issues in the country. The intention of these acts is to make sure that leaders are aware of the implications of a particular clause or issues (Ashlie and Peter, pg. Such shootings are often accompanied by short videos that spread the message that they intend.

Another factor that triggers domestic terrorism is democracy issues. Kenya has been one of the countries affected by this cause. For some time the country has marginalized people from the Somali community as a response many of the young people have reverted to terrorism (UNHSP, 79). For instance, religious terrorists share demographics such as they come from a particular religion with one flawed characteristic that makes them go to extremes. Political terrorist come from a point of the same political beliefs. In addition, age also seems to play a huge role on domestic terrorist. Homegrown terrorists who are arrested are mostly young people who are between the age of fifteen to thirty (Bergen, 2016). Furthermore, they are also males with few cases of females being reported.

Secondly domestic tourism differs from other types of tourism in the way they are investigated and tried. The federal bureau of investigation has a set standard of investigating such crimes. Domestic tourism is investigated in fulfilment with the Attorney general’s guidelines on general crimes, terrorism enterprise investigations and racketeering enterprises (FBI database, May 23 2014). The purpose of these investigations is to stick within the limits of citizens. On the hand, terrorism investigations are done in accordance with the Attorney General guidelines for FBI foreign intelligence collection and foreign counter intelligence investigations (FBI database, May 23 2014). Whose main work is to encourage perpetrators to execute what they are thinking of doing. Such individuals can use the internet to their advantage and cause widespread mass causalities or widespread disruption.

As a result infrastructure is destroyed. A good example is the 9/11 terrorism attack that destroyed buildings and killed thousands of people. The effect was many people started to avoid the area for fear that an attack would happen again (Ashlie et. The 9/11 attack has not been the only attack on American soil that has involved citizens. One of the other classic examples is the 2013 Boston marathon bombing. The attack was planned and completed by two siblings; the Tsarnaev brother (Bergen, 2016). Bergen points out that four years earlier to the 2013 bombing there was an attack carried out by a U. S army major who killed 13 people earlier (2016). Data shows that there have been more than 146 mass shootings between 1967 and 2017 with an average of eight people dying per attack (Bergen 2016).

Therefore, the dynamics of mass shooting is slowly shifting from being group planned to a more solo approach. In the future, the nature of domestic terrorism is bound to change with more terrorists embracing technology. The availability of the internet makes it possible to plan and implement an attack. Homegrown terrorists are easily able to use the internet and in a matter of minutes have all the information that they need to plot attacks. The role that social media plays cannot be easily neglected because they have taken over the social interaction circles. Sites such as WhatsApp, twitter, Facebook or Instagram have become sites for homegrown terrorist to search and meet others who share the same ideologies as them. They also allow people of like mindedness to like, share or repost content thus spreading the popularity of the specific user to a larger scale (Cynthia, Pg.

Therefore, social media plays a big role in spreading propaganda, recruiting radicals and giving other silent radicals an opportunity to speak up for what they believe in. Addressing homegrown terrorism Addressing terrorism has been a major focus for all world leaders and security forces around the world. It can be achieved by using information from the public and encouraging them to report suspicious cases without fear of being arrested. Lastly, governments can look for a way to address the issues the radicals want amicably. Conclusion Indeed domestic terrorism keeps on growing with many people trying to make radical measures to make their point. The presence of the internet makes it easier for radical people to meet and interact and spread their ideologies.