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134———Federal Bureau of Investigation

and 2000, 247 were considered to be domestic and 88
international. Domestic terrorism is defined by the FBI
as the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by a
group or individual operating entirely within the United
States and its territories, without foreign direction.
Included in this category would be the Oklahoma City
bombing and the parcel bombs of the Unabomber
(Theodore Kaczynski). International terrorism is
defined by the FBI as violent acts that are in violation
of U.S. laws or that would violate U.S. laws if occur-
ring within the United States and that are intended to
intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence a
government policy or government conduct.
Domestic terrorists fall into one of three categories:
right-wing terrorist groups (such as the Order), left-
wing groups (including violent Puerto Rican sepa-
ratists, anarchists, and extremist socialist groups), and
single-interest terrorist groups (including the Animal
Liberation Front and antiabortion groups). Inter-
national terrorists are also divided into three: the radi-
cal international jihad movement, formalized terrorist
organizations (such as the Irish Republican Army and U.S. government advisory on identifying potential letter
the Palestinian Hamas), and state sponsors of terrorism and package bombs
(identified as primarily Iran, Iraq, Sudan, and Libya). Source: Rewards for Justice, U.S. Department of State.
FBI counterterrorist programs were centralized
in 1996 at a new Counterterrorism Center. The FBI attacked. President Bill Clinton signed the Anti-
has identified the use of weapons of mass destruction Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act; this law
and cyberterrorism as emerging threats to national broadened FBI investigative powers and made depor-
security. To counter the latter, the agency created the tation of suspected terrorists easier. President George
National Infrastructure Protection Center in 1998. The W. Bush signed the U.S.A. Patriot Act in October
FBI crime laboratory collects and analyzes forensic 2001; this legislation granted the FBI more funds,
evidence from scenes of terrorist attacks; the mobile enhanced its surveillance abilities, and allowed agents
crime laboratory has worked at the sites of the 1993 access to grand jury information. FBI powers were fur-
World Trade Center bombing and the 2001 attack, the ther expanded in 2002, giving the agency greater lee-
East African embassy bombings, and the Khobar way in monitoring public spaces and the Internet.
Towers bombing. FBI laboratory work was crucial in
convicting a suspect in the Pan Am Flight 103 bomb- See also OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING; PAN AM FLIGHT 103
ing over Lockerbie, Scotland, and suspects in the 1993 BOMBING; PATRIOT ACT; SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS;
World Trade Center bombing. In October 2001, the UNABOMBER; WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING (1993)
agency established a “most wanted terrorists” list,
which is separate from its traditional “10 most wanted Further Reading
fugitives” list.
Jeffreys, Diarmuid. The Bureau: Inside the Modern FBI.
During the past 20 years, presidents from both par-
New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
ties have broadened the powers of the FBI in response
Kessler, Ronald. The Bureau: The Secret History of the
to terrorist threats. President Reagan designated the
FBI. New York: St. Martin’s, 2002.
FBI as the lead agency for countering terrorism in the Kessler, Ronald. The FBI: Inside the World’s Most
United States. In 1984 and 1986, Congress passed laws Powerful Law Enforcement Agency. New York: Pocket
allowing the FBI to exercise federal jurisdiction abroad Books, 1994.
in cases where a U.S. national is murdered, assaulted, Theoharis, Athan, ed. The FBI: A Comprehensive Reference
taken hostage, or when certain U.S. interests are Guide. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 1999.