According to the US Code: Title 18 Terrorism is
(http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/2331.html):
(1) the term ?international terrorism? means activities that?
(A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a
violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State,
or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the
jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended?
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United
States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by
which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to
intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators
operate or seek asylum;
(2) the term ?national of the United States? has the meaning given
such term in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act;
(3) the term ?person? means any individual or entity capable of
holding a legal or beneficial interest in property;
(4) the term ?act of war? means any act occurring in the course of?
(A) declared war;
(B) armed conflict, whether or not war has been declared, between two
or more nations; or
(C) armed conflict between military forces of any origin; and
(5) the term ?domestic terrorism? means activities that?
(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the
criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended?
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
Through my research, "it seems that the nearest act of terrorism would
be "could be the terrorism of Spain and Portugal who chased out the
Jews in the 1400s" (http://www.d4maths.lowtech.org/jobzap.htm)...
during the Spanish Inquisition when the Spanish tried to convert the
non-Christian Jews. |