Introduction
Domestic terrorist attacks are not novel and can be observed in countless countries. Nowadays, it can be seen that the purpose of these attacks varies, from extremist religious views to the desire for revenge. However, the destruction and mental as well as physical damages of these events are undeniable. While there are many examples of domestic terrorist attacks, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing are among the well-known events that show how much terrorist activity has transformed.
The Oklahoma City Bombing
The first event that should be analyzed is the Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh, a former Army soldier, drove to the front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 (FBI, n.d.). The bomb was made of a lethal gasoline concoction, fertilizer for agricultural products, and other substances (FBI, n.d.). The terrorist event left 150 people dead (FBI, n.d.).
The Boston Marathon Bombing
However, years after the Oklahoma event, the nation experienced another terrorist attack. On April 15, 2013, an act of domestic terrorism known as the Boston Marathon bombing occurred in the city, causing three deaths (Bullock et al., 2020). Two improvised pressure cooker explosive devices exploded near the finish line of the sporting event by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (Bullock et al., 2020).
Evolution of Terrorist Tactics
Consequently, it can be seen how elaborate the terrorist attacks have become, with the extremists finding novel ways to conduct mass murder, going from numerous devices and explosives to small improvised devices. Therefore, analyzing the given events can help understand the extent to which the terrorist attacks have evolved and how the use of technology could have simplified and reinforced these attacks.
Conclusion
Hence, although there are numerous examples of domestic terrorist attacks, the bombings of the Boston Marathon in 2013 and Oklahoma City in 1995 are two of the more well-known incidents demonstrating how much terrorist activity has changed. It is clear how sophisticated terrorist assaults have grown as radicals turn to smaller, improvised devices instead of using large, explosive devices to commit mass murder. Understanding how the terrorist attacks have changed and how the use of technology may have facilitated and strengthened these attacks may, therefore, be gained by examining the relevant events.
References
Bullock, J., Haddow, G., P. & Coppola, D. P. (2020). Introduction to homeland security: Principles of all-hazards risk management. Elsevier Science.
FBI. (n.d.). Oklahoma City Bombing. Web.