(See endnote 71)

The main objective of terrorism is to influence the behavior of the public and frighten them by inflicting serious injury and death in a spectacular manner. Therefore, the terrorists will utilize whenever they can, weapons of mass destruction, whether they be biological, chemical, radiological, or large quantities of explosives.

In many areas of the world, typical warfare with an army against an army has been replaced by ideological extremists who use acts of terrorism which may affect millions of people in order to achieve their political goals. They typically utilize unconventional weapons to kill or injure civilians in particular to gain attention, status, funds, and new recruits to their cause, and instill fear in the population. Terrorism may be state-supported and therefore may include a vast variety of weapons and funding sources. Within the terrorist organization there are: leaders who provide a direction, policy goals, and objectives; active members or zealots who carry out the actual work of the group including homicide (suicide) bombings; active supporters who are involved in fundraising and the political and information part of the program; and individuals who are sympathetic to the goals and intentions of the terrorists but don’t necessarily take action. (This group might be like a Trojan horse ready to act when the individual decides to become active instead of passive). The acts of terrorism are typically well-planned and by individuals who may be well-educated and have been raised in a middle-class or upper-class family before they assumed their current ideology. The United States and other democracies are seen as natural enemies of terrorism and therefore are potentially excellent targets for these groups.

There are many potential forms of terrorism including the use of: biological agents; chemical agents; explosives and nuclear bombs; radiological agents; arson; agricultural terrorism; intentional release of hazardous materials; and destruction of infrastructure such as the electrical grid, the components of the internet, etc. For the purposes of this book, only the Best Practices dealing with the resolution of problems created by bioterrorism, chemical terrorism, radiological materials, massive use of explosives, food terrorism, and water terrorism will be discussed. The entire range of terrorism activities and responses including prevention, mitigation, and control by all levels of government and others is well beyond the limitations of this book.

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