Mind of a Terrorist Midterm

docx

School

American Military University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

154

Subject

Sociology

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by UltraSeaLion385

1 Midterm Assignment: Psychological and Behavioral Factors of Terrorist Brendan J. Cawthon HLSS154 Mind of a Terrorist Professor Matthew Stork September 24, 2023

2 Midterm Assignment: Psychological and Behavioral Factors of Terrorist In a given lifetime, there are a million and one ways we can choose to make decisions and many paths we can take on. In many cases, people get caught up with the wrong crowd, they feel betrayed, disrespected or ostracized, or feel the need to take action in the name of justice. There is never one right answer as to why someone may have made a decision. Every scenario is complex and unique in almost every aspect. Nature versus nurture comes into question as well as traumatic events that may have shaped an individual's thought process. Typically, the worst case scenario for society is when those affected turn to radical ideologies with terroristic tendencies. Diving into radicalization models will give a brief understanding of why certain people stray toward acts of violence and why they think they were justified such as Timothy McVeigh, the mind behind the Oklahoma City Bombing, and brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the men behind the Boston Marathon Bombings. Prior to September 11, 2001, the Oklahoma City bombing was the most deadly domestic terrorism attack in America’s history. On April 19, 1995 a man named Timothy McVeigh had parked a rented truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City where he claimed the lives of 168 innocent American citizens with hundreds more injured in the aftermath of the explosion. McVeigh was a veteran in the Army where he may have experienced traumatic events leading him to develop PTSD from his time in the Persian Gulf War. Despite having a warm welcome home, he was having a difficult time adjusting to civilian life and developed a hatred toward the government and authority figures. Left feeling powerless and looking for

3 belonging and identity, McVeigh resorted to radicalized groups including white supremacy groups and this only spiraled further. Utilizing the Action Pyramid, Mcveigh fell into the category of Radicals (Engaged in illegal activity in support of the cause) and moved into the category of Terrorists (Engaged in illegal activity that target civilians) as soon as he made the decision to carry out the bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Building. McVeigh was later sentenced to the death penalty by lethal injection for his actions in downtown Oklahoma City. On April 15, 2013, America had faced yet another tragedy in our homeland. Two bombs had exploded at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. The suspects in question who were either shot down in a standoff with police or tracked down and arrested were Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tamerlan suffered gunshot wounds to the face and jaw when police had surrounded him. Dzhokhar stated from interviews in his hospital bed, the two brothers had acted alone and were not affiliated with any radical groups or terrorist groups. The two claimed to be self radicalized and acted on their own accord. Their motives were the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan along with extremist Islamic beliefs. The treatment of their fellow Muslims in the middle east they felt a personal connection to based on their Islamic beliefs and used the internet to learn how to build their own explosives. Given they were not part of any radicalized groups, that brings recruitment out of the question. The strain theory would best describe the actions of the Tsarnaev brothers in their actions in Boston. With their people being suppressed by military dominance from the United States and the killing of many Muslims in the middle east, the Tsarnaev brothers felt their people were collectively struggling in terms of political power, religious dispute and an overall resentment toward western culture and modernization. Given their stance on those topics of concern they felt it necessary to seek revenge on the United States. Based on the Twin Pyramid Model they fall under the “Personal moral obligation to engage in

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 violence.” Given that only 1% of radicalized people act on their beliefs, this makes the Tsarnaev brothers rare in the fact that they also fall into the category of the action pyramid known as “Terrorists (Engaged in illegal activity that targets civilians). Unfortunately, that is exactly what they did by detonating those bombs at the Boston Marathon, targeting innocent civilians. These two examples have shown a few things for us to shed some light on. First and foremost, evil comes from both sides of the border. Timothy McVeigh, a man who had served his country and fought for his country, responsible for the worst domestic terror attack in the history of the United States. On the other end of the spectrum, Islamic radicals are making their way to American soil to carry out explosive attacks at the 2013 Boston Marathon. Both instances target innocent citizens whether that is by design or a side effect of the initial motive. Secondly, very different motivating factors in both cases. McVeigh’s motivation was to essentially rebel, or attack the government which happened to have implications on innocent bystanders including children in a daycare of the building that was blown up. The Tsarnaev brothers had a much different motive of avenging their muslim brothers and sisters from the wars that were taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the differences in how the two groups developed their plan, reasoning, and justification for their actions, both instances effectively illustrate how different situations can be that develop into acts of terror. References Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2016). Oklahoma City bombing . Federal Bureau of Investigation; FBI. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing

5 Terror on Trial: Who was Timothy McVeigh? - CNN.com . (2001). Www.cnn.com. https://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/17/court.archive.mcveigh2/index.html Winter, T. (2018, October 23). Boston Marathon bomber told FBI agents he and his brother acted alone, court documents say . NBC News; NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/boston-marathon-bomber-told- fbi-agents-he-his-brother-acted-n923556 Radical Islam ties motivated Boston bombers . (n.d.). Police1. https://www.police1.com/terrorism/articles/radical-islam-ties-motivated- boston-bombers-eLHHxhhplvxU0815/

Related Documents

attachment_2.docx

Comparative Essay Ass 2 First Nations.docx

WK3ASSGNNORTHERNWILSONJ-4.docx

SOCI301_Assignment4_LessardNicholas_3418175.docx

soci-301-assignment 6.docx

US Law Enforcement Final Paper.docx

HLSS302 Final Assignment.docx

assignment 6 inst 301.docx

W2 Guiding Questions.docx

CH 17 Week 1 Discussion RSCH 7868.docx

EAD 533 D1 T1.docx

Assignment 2 (Week 3) Finding Sources October 2023.docx

Recommended textbooks for you

Social Psychology (10th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134641287

Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Publisher:Pearson College Div

Introduction to Sociology (Eleventh Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780393639407

Author:Deborah Carr, Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum

Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company

The Basics of Social Research (MindTap Course Lis...

Sociology

ISBN:9781305503076

Author:Earl R. Babbie

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Scien...

Sociology

ISBN:9780134477596

Author:Saferstein, Richard

Publisher:PEARSON

Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134205571

Author:James M. Henslin

Publisher:PEARSON

Society: The Basics (14th Edition)

Sociology

ISBN:9780134206325

Author:John J. Macionis

Publisher:PEARSON

SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS

Recommended textbooks for you

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Pearson College Div
Introduction to Sociology (Eleventh Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780393639407
Author:Deborah Carr, Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum
Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company
The Basics of Social Research (MindTap Course Lis...
Sociology
ISBN:9781305503076
Author:Earl R. Babbie
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Scien...
Sociology
ISBN:9780134477596
Author:Saferstein, Richard
Publisher:PEARSON
Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134205571
Author:James M. Henslin
Publisher:PEARSON
Society: The Basics (14th Edition)
Sociology
ISBN:9780134206325
Author:John J. Macionis
Publisher:PEARSON