METHODS & TACTICS
TERRORIST-ASSOCIATED ASSASSINATION INCIDENTS IN THE US
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Assassination is a tactic used by nearly all terrorist groups, although far less frequently than other types of armed attacks. Assassination, when used as a terrorist tactic, is the targeted killing of a country’s public officials or individuals who represent the political, economic, military, security, social, religious, media, or cultural establishments. The killings can be motivated by ideology, religion, politics, or nationalism. Most terrorist groups conduct assassinations to eliminate enemies, intimidate the population, discourage cooperation, influence public opinion, decrease government effectiveness, gain media attention, or simply to exact revenge.
TATP 
Triacetone-Triperoxide An improvised primary explosive that is relatively easy to synthesize. It can be very unstable and sensitive to heat, shock, and friction. TATP is made of a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetone with the addition of an acid, such as sulfuric, nitric, or hydrochloric acid. 
ANFO ammonium nitrate fuel oil An explosive mixture of ammonium nitrate and an organic fuel. Because of its ready availability and cheap material cost, ANFO has been used extensively as the main charge in improvised weapons around the world and is the most common commercial explosive. ANFO is a secondary/tertiary explosive, and requires little specialized skills or machinery to mix. 
TNT 
trinitrotoluene One of the most commonly used explosives for military and industrial purposes. Its insensitivity to shock and friction reduces the risk of accidental detonation. It appears as a yellow solid and is commonly mixed with other explosives materials in commercial boosters and military munitions or used as a main charge. 
HMTD 
hexamethlene triperoxide diamine Improvised primary explosive prepared from three basic precursors: hexamine, a weak acid, and hydrogen peroxide. The product is highly sensitive to friction, impact, and electrostatic discharge. HMTD is corrosive in contact in metals and can degrade quickly if improperly synthesized or stored. 
UN urea nitrate High explosive produced by combining dissolved urea fertilizer with nitric acid. Urea nitrate is formed as odorless crystals that are colorless to off-white, although additives and/or metal from the mixing container may alter the compound's appearance. Urea nitrate is used as a secondary explosive/main charge. 
C-4 cyclotrimethylene trinitramine Common insensitive military explosive combining cyclonite or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) as the explosive agent - usually about 91% of the C-4 content - along with plastic binder, plasticizer, and possibly marker chemicals which can help identify the manufacturing source. C-4 appears as an off-white solid with a consistency similar to modeling clay. A terrorist cell’s skill in constructing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) or Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) is likely to influence the type of attack it might execute. Bombmakers with only rudimentary skills may be restricted to assembling basic devices. A skilled journeyman bombmaker may have the competence needed to build a range of IEDs from small to large that are highly concealable or have advanced capabilities such as multiple triggering methods, directional blasts, or increased blast effect.
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A “dirty bomb” is a radiological dispersal device (RDD) that combines a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material that may disperse when the device explodes. Almost any type of radioactive material with military, industrial, or medical applications could be used in a dirty bomb.
The terms dirty bomb and RDD are often used interchangeably in the media. The device kills or injures through the initial blast of the conventional explosive and by spreading radiation and contamination.
Any bomb can become “dirty” by simply adding radioactive material. The idea behind a dirty bomb is to spread radioactive material into some populated area and cause anxiety in those who think they are being, or have been, exposed to radiation. A dirty bomb could contaminate buildings and the local environment, and expose people to radiation emanating from the radioactive material. People could be externally contaminated (on their skin) or internally contaminated with radioactive materials through inhalation, ingestion, or through wounds.
The extent of local contamination would depend on a number of factors, including the size of the explosive, the amount and type of radioactive material used, the means of dispersal, and weather conditions. Those closest to the RDD would be the most likely to sustain injuries due to the explosion. As radioactive material spreads, it becomes less concentrated and less harmful.
It is extremely unlikely that anyone who survives the explosion will become sick from radiation. Immediate health effects from exposure to the low radiation levels expected from an RDD would likely be minimal. Just because people are near radioactive material for a short time or get a small amount of radioactive dust on them does not mean they will get cancer, and any additional risk is likely to be extremely small.
You cannot rely on your senses to tell if you are being exposed to a harmful level of radioactivity. Radiation detection equipment and devices like Geiger counters and pocket dosimeters are needed. Hazmat crews and many fire trucks routinely carry such equipment with them, and they would probably be the first to detect abnormal levels of radioactivity.
If you are not involved in the immediate emergency response, the best thing you can do after a bomb blast is try to leave the area quickly and calmly. If the attack includes radioactive material, moving quickly away from the blast area will reduce the time and intensity of your exposure.
In an RDD attack, most people are unlikely to learn that the attack involved radioactive materials until hours or days later. As a precaution, make sure to bag your outer layer of clothing, take a shower, and wash your hair once you reach a safe location.
If you are not involved in the immediate emergency response, the best thing you can do after a bomb blast is try to leave the area quickly and calmly. If the attack includes radioactive material, moving quickly away from the blast area will reduce the time and intensity of your exposure.
Radioactive materials are routinely used at medical, research, and industrial sites. The vast majority of these materials are not useful in an RDD. The materials that are the most deadly are also the hardest to obtain and handle.
Terrorists for many years have sought to acquire radioactive material for use in attacks. In 2004, British authorities arrested a British national, Dhiren Barot, and several associates on various charges, including conspiring to commit public nuisance by the use of radioactive materials. In 2006, Barot was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
The strategy to prevent violent extremism in the United States outlines how the Federal Government will support and help empower American communities and their local partners in their grassroots efforts to prevent violent extremism. This strategy commits the Federal Government to improving support to communities, including sharing more information about the threat of radicalization; strengthening cooperation with local law enforcement, who work with these communities every day; and helping communities to better understand and protect themselves against violent extremist propaganda, especially online.
Protecting American communities from al-Qa‘ida’s hateful ideology is not the work of government alone. Communities—especially Muslim American communities whose children, families, and neighbors are being targeted for recruitment by al-Qa‘ida—are often best positioned to take the lead because they know their communities best. Indeed, Muslim American communities have categorically condemned terrorism, worked with law enforcement to help prevent terrorist attacks, and forged creative programs to protect their sons and daughters from al-Qa‘ida’s murderous ideology.
We have prioritized three broad areas of action where we believe the Federal Government can provide value to supporting partnerships at the local level and countering violent extremism.
Protecting our Nation’s communities from violent extremist recruitment and radicalization is a top national security priority. It is an effort that requires creativity, diligence, and commitment to our fundamental rights and principles. This page is a summary of two documents relating to radicalization, “Empowering Local Partners To Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States,” and the “Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners To Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States.”
Sarin is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN Resolution 687, and its production and stockpiling was outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Sarin can be used as a binary chemical weapon, meaning two different substances which are easier and/or safer to store independently, then can be mixed immediately before use to create the desired chemical.
VX, a chemical nerve agent, paralyzes the nervous system. It is more toxic and longer-lived than related nerve agents Tabun and Sarin, which dissipate quickly and have only short-term effects. VX is considerd to be much more toxic by entry through the skin and somewhat more toxic by inhalation. Odorless and tasteless, VX is an oily liquid that is amber in color and very slow to evaporate; about as slowly as motor oil.
Ricin, the toxin found naturally in castor beans, is poisonous if inhaled, injected, or ingested. It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid. Castor beans are processed throughout the world to make castor oil and ricin is part of the waste "mash" produced when castor oil is made. Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person's body and inhibiting protein synthesis. The major symptoms of ricin poisoning depend on the route of exposure and the dose received, though many organs may be affected in severe cases. Treatment is available, but long-term organ damage in survivors is likely. Death from ricin poisoning could take place within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, depending on the route of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, or injection) and the dose received.
Symptoms appear several hours to one to two days after exposure.
INITIAL Blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty understanding language, difficulty in speaking, muscle weakness. PROGRESSION—Day 3 Mucous in throat, neuromuscular symptoms, respiratory distress, difficulty in swallowing, feels like a cold without fever. PROGRESSION—Day 4 Indistinct speech, pupils moderately dilated, retarded eye motions, “mental numbness.”Incubation average 12 days. Symptoms begin acutely.
PHASE I SYMPTOMS Malaise, fever, chills, vomiting, headache, backache. Light-skinned patients may exhibit rash during this phase. PHASE II SYMPTOMS Facial rash and eruptions on mucous membrane leading to infectious secretions. Eruptions on lower extremities spreading to the trunk over the following eight to 14 days (these pustules later form scabs).
Ahmed Ressam, sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2005 for planning to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on 31 December 1999, acquired this ostensibly genuine Canadian passport by using a fraudulent baptismal certificate; the obscured name was Western-sounding in an attempt to evade scrutiny at the border.
If you find someone else’s lost passport, mail it to:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Services
Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
600 19th Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036
