Modern terrorist attacks in the United States every time are in the spotlight of all the world's media. Their causes were associated with a variety of conflicts around the American state.
Tragedy in Oklahoma City
Before the September 11, 2001, epochal terrorist attack in New York, the deadliest act of terrorism seemed to be a car bomb explosion. The attack destroyed the Alfred Marr Federal Building. On April 19, 1995, 168 people died in Oklahoma City, and several hundred more civilians were injured and maimed.
The attacks in the USA at that time were such an amazing event that no one expected anything like this, especially in the deep American province. After the nation recovered from the shock, the largest investigation in the history of the FBI began. Investigators conducted thousands of surveys, collected millions of documents. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, so the security services had to go on the trail of criminals almost blindly. Hundreds of buildings were damaged in the blast, leaving nothing but a crater where the bomb had been.
Reason for the action
The suspects in this case were detained only after a year and a half. Terror attacks in the United States have always caused a great resonance in society, so the investigation was conducted in front of a multimillion-dollar public. Finally, Timothy McVeigh, a supporter of the radical right, was arrested. His accomplice Terry Nichols was also captured.
The attack was organized as a response to the authorities for their actions during the assault in Waco. In 1993, the FBI raided a ranch owned by the Branch Davidian religious sect. Due to the ensuing conflict, a roundup occurred in which 86 people died, including 82 members of the community. Military equipment was used in the assault.
It was these events that Timothy McVeigh called his main motive, which forced him to arrange a terrorist attack. In 2001, he was executed by lethal injection. His accomplice Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
Series of September 11, 2001 attacks
This event changed the lives of not only Americans, but also residents of other countries. If you ask a random person what the terrorist attacks were in the United States, then surely everyone will remember the tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001 without hesitation.
The biggest impression on the whole world was made by the collision of two planes with the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. However, many people forget that there were two more hijacked aircraft. The villains sent the third plane to a building that belonged to the Pentagon.
Passengers of the last Boeing tried to prevent the terrorists who were on board. In the ensuing struggle, control was lost, and the plane crashed to the ground,without reaching your goal. The plane crash happened in Pennsylvania. The results of the investigation showed that the criminals planned to send this aircraft to the Capitol in the US capital Washington.
In total, 19 terrorists, divided into four groups, participated in the direct operation. They acted on behalf of the Al-Qaeda organization. 2977 people died from their actions. The terrorist attack was so daring and horrendous that after September 11, the entire US policy associated with Islamic radicals changed. In particular, wars began in the Middle East.
Consequences
Remembering the September 11 attacks in the United States, the authorities made many changes to the legislation that were necessary to improve the safety of citizens and prevent such tragedies. For example, they stepped up all types of screening at airports and other transport hubs through which radicals could enter the country.
Also, intelligence and other special services received additional powers related to control over society. Many did not like such draconian reforms, and the people of the United States periodically organized protests. Despite the displeasure of the masses, all measures were effective: after the horrors of September 11, such disasters did not happen again. At the same time, American citizens are facing another issue affecting their security. It was a permit to buy and carry firearms. It was from the executions of lone killers (in no way connected with political motives) that most of all diedresidents of the United States in the last decade.
Tragic run
The only act of terrorism in the United States after the events of 2001 was a series of explosions at the traditional Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Not far from the finish line, two makeshift devices were planted that went off with an interval of 12 seconds.
Terrorist attacks in the US have not occurred for a long time, so the new attack has sown great panic. The place of the explosion was chosen carefully and deliberately: it was at the finish line that there were the most spectators. Thousands of runners finished the distance here (amateurs could also take part in the marathon).
The explosion killed three people: two US citizens and one Chinese citizen. Usually a few days after the attacks, a certain organized group takes responsibility for the tragedy and announces its political demands. However, this time nothing like that happened.
The Tsarnaev Brothers
The reason for this surprise was that the explosion was prepared by two loners. At first, the authorities did not know this, and the perceived threat of a terrorist attack in the United States was at the highest level. But the investigators did their job and soon they got on the trail of the Tsarnaev brothers.
The terrorists turned out to be Chechens who had lived in America for quite a long time. During the arrest, the elder brother Tamerlan was shot dead by operatives. His accomplice Dzhokhar was arrested and is still on trial. The history of terrorist attacks in the United States and the fate of past organizersattacks that fell into the hands of the authorities shows that most likely the Chechen is facing the death pen alty.
Modern furnishings
In the last decade, the main threat of terrorist attacks in the United States came from Islamic radicals. During this period, the al-Qaeda group and its odious leader Osama bin Laden were at the forefront of the movement. He became the main target of American intelligence agencies who hunted him throughout the Middle East.
Bin Laden was killed during a US special forces operation that took place on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan. After the death of the leader, Al-Qaeda did not stop its terrorist activities, but its threat in America has noticeably weakened.
However, in the same 2011, events took place in the Arab world that became the forerunner of the emergence of a new radical force. In the countries of the Middle East and the Maghreb, one after another, there were attempts to change power. A distinctive feature of the coups was the fact that they were led by ordinary people, and not the military, who usually organized revolutions.
In Syria, an attempt at regime change escalated into a civil war that continues today. It was in this country, as well as neighboring Iraq, that ISIS, a new large group of terrorists, was born. These radicals not only began to threaten attacks around the world, but also created their own semblance of a state in the Middle East. There have been no terrorist attacks by ISIS in the United States yet, but their threat remains real, so the authorities are doing everything to avoid bloodshed on their territory.
