VII

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

6. Develop a plan for post-terrorism recovery. 6.1 Discriminate between international and domestic terrorism. 6.2 Create a response and recovery plan for a terrorist attack.

Required Unit Resources Chapter 3: Modern Terrorism and Natural Disasters Unit Lesson Does terrorism stay the same, or does it evolve? Terrorism is an ever-changing threat, and it is essential for the proper authorities to understand past, present, and current threats. Oliver et al. (2021) discussed coordinated attacks that occurred in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. These coordinated attacks killed over 200 people and caused a myriad of injuries. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri were behind these attacks. Oliver et al. (2021) state that if these attacks occurred in 1998, three years prior to 2001, then why was the United States not prepared for 9/11? Terrorism is not a new phenomenon, and terrorism has been around since 32 A.D. There are a variety of motivations for terrorism that range from religious beliefs, sociopolitical objectives, animal rights, or abortion (Oliver et al., 2021). Although there are other reasons that one may initiate such acts of terrorism, there are many said objectives for why one may cause such harm. Additionally, it is important to discern the differences between international terrorism and domestic terrorism. International terrorism begins from outside the borders of the country where the attacks occur. Domestic terrorism occurs from within the country where the terrorist attacks occur (Oliver et al., 2021). Let’s examine two terrorist attacks—one involving the international terrorism and one involving a domestic or homegrown terrorism.

Naval Air Station Pensacola: Terrorism Conducted by International Cooperative On December 6, 2019, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi national who was attending flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, shot and killed three U.S. service members. Through the course of the investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to correlate a link between Alshamrani and Al Qaeda. Contacts between Alshamrani and operatives of Al-Qaeda were discovered after the FBI was able to access cellphone data on phones that the shooter attempted to destroy before he was killed by law enforcement (Tucker, 2020). As of this writing in 2021, the full investigative report has not been released by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the extent of coordination between Alshamrani and Al-Qaeda is unknown. The power of social media coupled with the rise and fall of organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic state make the possibility of foreign entities conducting acts of terror within the American homeland a great area of concern for homeland security professionals.

Las Vegas Concert Shooting: Domestic or Homegrown Terrorism Additionally, when discussing evil acts such as terrorism, it is important to discuss homegrown terrorism. What is homegrown terrorism? Homegrown terrorism occurs when an individual who lives or resides in that

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE Terrorism as an Evolving Threat

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

territory initiates an attack against his or her homeland. Homegrown terrorism is a concern because the attack is initiated by someone within that country. Thus, detecting a potential terrorist from within makes it that much more challenging. On October 1, 2017, at an open-air country music concert on the Las Vegas Strip, Stephen Paddock murdered 61 and wounded over 850 concertgoers (Hutchinson et al., 2018). While the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility and stated that he had converted to Islam 6 months prior to the shooting, U.S. law enforcement officials have given no evidence of a connection between Paddock and ISIL (Blake, 2017).

Terrorism as a Mindset Defining terrorism has been a complex task. The definition has varied amongst many professionals and scholars. Why are there so many definitions as it relates to terrorism? Since there are many reasons why terrorist acts are committed, this makes identifying one unified definition as it relates to terrorism problematic, not to mention the wide scope of terrorism as it relates to domestic terrorism and international terrorism. Additionally, it is often said that there is a global war on terrorism. If it is difficult finding a unified definition for terrorism, then how coordinated can a global war on terrorism be? Terrorists may engage in such activity if they are interested in political, social, or religious change. If such change is warranted, why would someone choose to promote harm and terror? Are there other options to impact change? Understanding the mindset of terrorists is complex and not what this course is intended to do. Thus, understanding the totality of the situation is warranted. As we have discussed the various threats, such as domestic and international threats, it is important to keep in mind that at the root, any perpetrator of terrorism intends to cause harm and make a statement. Terrorist organizations and lone terrorists are a serious threat and they will utilize all means possible, to include social media, to spread their propaganda, terror, and hate.

Mitigating the Threat How do the U.S. government and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intend to mitigate and subsequently defeat this threat? Oliver et al. (2021) indicated that the objective of the Homeland Security Act was to realign government resources into one organization. The Department of Homeland Security consists of 23 agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). How can 23 separate agencies focus on a single mission of protecting the homeland? Is this achievable? For a listing and overview of all components that make up the DHS, visit the webpage Operational and Support Components. In 2003, Congress passed a homeland security appropriation bill in the amount of $30.4 billion for fiscal year 2004. The 2013 Presidential Request for the DHS grew to $59 billion (Oliver et al., 2021). Within a decade, the budget for the DHS doubled. This shows that the DHS has grown exponentially in approximately a decade. Over the years, the budget has grown as illustrated in the table. Since the terror acts of September 11, 2001, terrorism is becoming mainstream topic within the United States. Unfortunately, it does not appear that this trend will decrease in the future. The 9/11 Commission highlighted the vulnerabilities within the U.S. government to address potential terrorist activities. This report coupled with legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the USA FREEDOM Act have greatly improved the arsenal of tools both for law enforcement and intelligence professionals in preventing acts of terror.

References Blake, S. (2017, October 8). Stephen Paddock had recently been on a cruise to the Middle East.

News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/stephen-paddock-had-recently-been- on-a-cruise-to-the-middle-east-as-experts-say-dont-discount-islamic-states-potential- involvement/news-story/4846b116c77f95140968c4cf967f0319

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Hutchinson, B., Chang, J., Brown, J., Margolin, J., Muldowney, K., & Eamon, M. (2018, December 23). The anatomy of the Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in modern US history. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/anatomy-las-vegas-mass-shooting-deadliest-modern- us/story?id=59797324

Oliver, W. M., Marion, N. E., & Hill, J. B. (2021). Introduction to homeland security: Policy, organization, and

administration (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284205213

Tucker, E. (2020, May 18). FBI: Shooter at Pensacola Navy base coordinated with al-Qaida. Military Times.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/05/18/official-fbi-finds-link-between-pensacola- gunman-al-qaida/

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The following PowerPoint presentation provides a summary of the material in this unit’s chapter reading. The PowerPoint and PDF versions are provided for your convenience. Chapter 3 PowerPoint Presentation (Chapter 3 PDF)

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

6. Develop a plan for post-terrorism recovery. 6.1 Discriminate between international and domestic terrorism. 6.2 Create a response and recovery plan for a terrorist attack.

Required Unit Resources Chapter 3: Modern Terrorism and Natural Disasters Unit Lesson Does terrorism stay the same, or does it evolve? Terrorism is an ever-changing threat, and it is essential for the proper authorities to understand past, present, and current threats. Oliver et al. (2021) discussed coordinated attacks that occurred in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. These coordinated attacks killed over 200 people and caused a myriad of injuries. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri were behind these attacks. Oliver et al. (2021) state that if these attacks occurred in 1998, three years prior to 2001, then why was the United States not prepared for 9/11? Terrorism is not a new phenomenon, and terrorism has been around since 32 A.D. There are a variety of motivations for terrorism that range from religious beliefs, sociopolitical objectives, animal rights, or abortion (Oliver et al., 2021). Although there are other reasons that one may initiate such acts of terrorism, there are many said objectives for why one may cause such harm. Additionally, it is important to discern the differences between international terrorism and domestic terrorism. International terrorism begins from outside the borders of the country where the attacks occur. Domestic terrorism occurs from within the country where the terrorist attacks occur (Oliver et al., 2021). Let’s examine two terrorist attacks—one involving the international terrorism and one involving a domestic or homegrown terrorism.

Naval Air Station Pensacola: Terrorism Conducted by International Cooperative On December 6, 2019, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi national who was attending flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, shot and killed three U.S. service members. Through the course of the investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was able to correlate a link between Alshamrani and Al Qaeda. Contacts between Alshamrani and operatives of Al-Qaeda were discovered after the FBI was able to access cellphone data on phones that the shooter attempted to destroy before he was killed by law enforcement (Tucker, 2020). As of this writing in 2021, the full investigative report has not been released by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the extent of coordination between Alshamrani and Al-Qaeda is unknown. The power of social media coupled with the rise and fall of organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic state make the possibility of foreign entities conducting acts of terror within the American homeland a great area of concern for homeland security professionals.

Las Vegas Concert Shooting: Domestic or Homegrown Terrorism Additionally, when discussing evil acts such as terrorism, it is important to discuss homegrown terrorism. What is homegrown terrorism? Homegrown terrorism occurs when an individual who lives or resides in that

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE Terrorism as an Evolving Threat

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

territory initiates an attack against his or her homeland. Homegrown terrorism is a concern because the attack is initiated by someone within that country. Thus, detecting a potential terrorist from within makes it that much more challenging. On October 1, 2017, at an open-air country music concert on the Las Vegas Strip, Stephen Paddock murdered 61 and wounded over 850 concertgoers (Hutchinson et al., 2018). While the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility and stated that he had converted to Islam 6 months prior to the shooting, U.S. law enforcement officials have given no evidence of a connection between Paddock and ISIL (Blake, 2017).

Terrorism as a Mindset Defining terrorism has been a complex task. The definition has varied amongst many professionals and scholars. Why are there so many definitions as it relates to terrorism? Since there are many reasons why terrorist acts are committed, this makes identifying one unified definition as it relates to terrorism problematic, not to mention the wide scope of terrorism as it relates to domestic terrorism and international terrorism. Additionally, it is often said that there is a global war on terrorism. If it is difficult finding a unified definition for terrorism, then how coordinated can a global war on terrorism be? Terrorists may engage in such activity if they are interested in political, social, or religious change. If such change is warranted, why would someone choose to promote harm and terror? Are there other options to impact change? Understanding the mindset of terrorists is complex and not what this course is intended to do. Thus, understanding the totality of the situation is warranted. As we have discussed the various threats, such as domestic and international threats, it is important to keep in mind that at the root, any perpetrator of terrorism intends to cause harm and make a statement. Terrorist organizations and lone terrorists are a serious threat and they will utilize all means possible, to include social media, to spread their propaganda, terror, and hate.

Mitigating the Threat How do the U.S. government and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intend to mitigate and subsequently defeat this threat? Oliver et al. (2021) indicated that the objective of the Homeland Security Act was to realign government resources into one organization. The Department of Homeland Security consists of 23 agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). How can 23 separate agencies focus on a single mission of protecting the homeland? Is this achievable? For a listing and overview of all components that make up the DHS, visit the webpage Operational and Support Components. In 2003, Congress passed a homeland security appropriation bill in the amount of $30.4 billion for fiscal year 2004. The 2013 Presidential Request for the DHS grew to $59 billion (Oliver et al., 2021). Within a decade, the budget for the DHS doubled. This shows that the DHS has grown exponentially in approximately a decade. Over the years, the budget has grown as illustrated in the table. Since the terror acts of September 11, 2001, terrorism is becoming mainstream topic within the United States. Unfortunately, it does not appear that this trend will decrease in the future. The 9/11 Commission highlighted the vulnerabilities within the U.S. government to address potential terrorist activities. This report coupled with legislation such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the USA FREEDOM Act have greatly improved the arsenal of tools both for law enforcement and intelligence professionals in preventing acts of terror.

References Blake, S. (2017, October 8). Stephen Paddock had recently been on a cruise to the Middle East.

News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/stephen-paddock-had-recently-been- on-a-cruise-to-the-middle-east-as-experts-say-dont-discount-islamic-states-potential- involvement/news-story/4846b116c77f95140968c4cf967f0319

HLS 3303, Terrorism Response Operations 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Hutchinson, B., Chang, J., Brown, J., Margolin, J., Muldowney, K., & Eamon, M. (2018, December 23). The anatomy of the Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in modern US history. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/anatomy-las-vegas-mass-shooting-deadliest-modern- us/story?id=59797324

Oliver, W. M., Marion, N. E., & Hill, J. B. (2021). Introduction to homeland security: Policy, organization, and

administration (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284205213

Tucker, E. (2020, May 18). FBI: Shooter at Pensacola Navy base coordinated with al-Qaida. Military Times.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/05/18/official-fbi-finds-link-between-pensacola- gunman-al-qaida/

Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The following PowerPoint presentation provides a summary of the material in this unit’s chapter reading. The PowerPoint and PDF versions are provided for your convenience. Chapter 3 PowerPoint Presentation (Chapter 3 PDF)