Page 126 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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100———Counterterrorism

sense of it. A good analyst is a puzzle solver who where intelligence identifies suspects and terrorist
integrates human intelligence with imagery and signal infrastructure but the information is not sufficient for
intercepts to create a picture of reality. The process is an arrest and a criminal case. In the mid-1990s, for
the same whether the targets are Hezbollah guerrillas instance, Sudanese officials allegedly offered to
in Lebanon or domestic terrorists. deliver Osama bin Laden into the hands of the United
Diplomacy and intelligence can be quite effective States, but the offer was declined because the evi-
when used in tandem, as illustrated by the Tiny Star dence in U.S. hands was not adequate for a successful
incident. Tiny Star was a ship used by Libya in plan- prosecution. Knowing someone is a terrorist is quite
ning and carrying out a sea-borne attack against Israel different from proving someone is a terrorist.
in 1990. After learning the details of the operation Domestically, law enforcement faces significant
through intelligence methods, the U.S. government handicaps. Federal and local law enforcement must
dispatched briefing teams to convince skeptical allies surmount major hurdles before opening an investiga-
in Western Europe that Libya was responsible. tion on groups, be they neo-Nazis or Muslim extrem-
ists, even if they are actually planning a terrorist
operation. The United States has traditionally lacked a
LAW ENFORCEMENT
domestic capability for gathering and collating intelli-
Arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating terrorists gence and redistributing it to law enforcement offi-
have occupied center stage for U.S. counterterrorism cials nationwide. It is hoped that post-September 11
efforts during the 1990s. The FBI, working in tandem reforms will improve the situation, but with more than
with the State Department and the CIA, in 1996 87,000 police jurisdictions throughout the United
apprehended and returned to the United States Mir States, it is a monumental task.
Amal Kansi, the man responsible for murdering
and wounding CIA employees on their way to work MILITARY OPERATIONS
in McLean, Virginia. In 1995, the U.S. government
apprehended the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade The military component generally is what people
Center bombing, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, who was tried think of when someone says, “counterterrorism.” The
and convicted in 1997 and sentenced in 1998. In addi- term conjures up images of black-clad special opera-
tion, Sheik Abdul Rahman was convicted as part of a tions forces fast roping from a helicopter to launch
conspiracy to commit a series of terrorist acts in the an assault in the dead of night. The 1972 Munich
New York City area. Olympics taught the world that police and military
Law enforcement offers several advantages as teams required specialized training to confront effec-
counterterrorism policy and as a tool. Arresting and tively a terrorist attack. The Germans’ lack of prepa-
trying terrorists send the message that people who ration to manage the crisis resulted in the deaths of all
attack the United States will be caught and punished. Israeli hostages. In the wake of that event, the United
Second, it provides a clear demonstration of what States and Europe embarked on an extensive effort to
separates a civilized government from terrorists. develop counterterrorism strike forces.
When terrorists are afforded the right of due process, While military operations have a role to play in
the government prosecuting the case is making a combating terrorism, the reality is that there are few
powerful symbolic statement about protecting its citi- opportunities where military force can be used.
zens and holding the terrorists accountable for their Within the United States, this mission falls to local
actions. police and the FBI. U.S. military forces are proscribed
Despite its advantages as an element of counterter- from conducting domestic operations except in very
rorism policy, law enforcement suffers from critical special, highly restrictive situations. Outside the
flaws that hamper its effectiveness. Internationally, United States, the military has the mission but rarely
there is the challenge of collecting evidence and in gets the chance to operate. The biggest obstacle is that
a way that will permit it to be entered into the U.S. most terrorists lack the training facilities, buildings,
judicial system. Ramzi Ahmed Yousef’s lawyers went vehicles, or aircraft that offer viable targets for a
to great lengths to discredit the evidence gathered by military operation. The terrorist infrastructure in
Philippine police bomb techs, for example—they ulti- Afghanistan and Lebanon is atypical. If targets do
mately failed. There also have been several instances exist, there is the more difficult challenge of securing