Successful/Unsuccessful Domestic Terrorist - Essay Example

Domestic Terrorist Attacks Domestic Terrorist Attacks Successful domestic terrorist attack On June 8, a couple ambushed twounsuspecting police officers at a pizza restaurant and shot them and one civilian dead. The couple used a shotgun and four handguns to carry out the attack. After shooting their victims, the two terrorists shot each other dead. Investigations showed that the terrorists were not residents of Las Vegas and suggested that they could have been members of the Sovereign Citizen terrorist movement or the Tea Party.

The attack could be considered an armed terrorist attack (Hoft, 2014). Unsuccessful domestic terrorist attack On April 17, 2013, authorities thwarted a ricin-letters terrorist attack targeting President Barrack Obama, Senator Roger Wicker and a Mississippi Justice Court judge. The letters were postmarked from Memphis and the one sent to the Senator tested positive in the preliminary tests. The FBI arrested a Paul Kevin Curtis, from Corinth, Mississippi in connection to the letters. A remote White House mail screening facility identified the letter addressed to the president as requiring secondary screening and scientific testing (Hoffman, 2013).

Objectives and reasons for both outcomes The Las Vegas shooting was a success because it struck its victims unexpectedly. Investigations labeled the attack right wing suggesting that the terrorist was meant to advance anti-government ideologies. There was evidence that the couple covered their victims with a Gadsden flag. Altruism is both a reason and objective why the attack was a success because the attackers were ready to die for their course (Hoft, 2014). The ricin-letters terrorist attack had the objective of assassinating the recipients of the letters.

This could have been because of political ideology or psychological distress as investigations showed that the suspect had been diagnosed with psychological issues (Hoffman, 2013). Finally, the efficiency of the mail screening process used on letters sent to US government officials and the poor planning by the attacker are reasons why the attack was a failure. ReferenceHoffman, B. (2013). Inside terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press. Hoft, J. (2014). Las Vegas Police Shooters ID’d: Married, Meth-Using Neo-Nazi Socialists.

Gateway Pundit, June 9, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014 from http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/06/las-vegas-police-shooters-idd-married-meth-using-neo-nazi-socialists/