Blaming the Internet for Terrorism

Deranged Mutant WlkngOwl at unix.asb.com
Wed Jul 31 07:14:35 PDT 1996


This comes from today's (Wed. July 31) LI Newsday, though the byline 
is the AP:

"Bombing Becoming All Too Popular"
The Associated Press

Washington - The number of Americans attacking and attempting to 
attack each other with bombs each year has nearly doubled this 
decade. For every Olympic park or Oklahamo City tragedy, police 
report dozens of foiled attempts where death and destruction are 
narrowly averted.

[..]
The rapid escalation poses a vexing problem for law enforcement. 
Unlike international terrorists with recognized agendas, these 
culprits are most often low-profile operators plotting in the privacy 
of back yards, garages and basements with easily obtained materials 
and simple instructions straight off the Internet.

[..]
In 1989, there were 1,699 criminal bombings attemted or carried out 
nationwide. By 1994, the last year with complete figures, the number 
has risen to 3,163, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and 
Firearms.

Local cases, which seldom make national headlines, demonstrate the 
breadth of the threat.

[Examples follow...only one names the Internet:]

In Baton-Rouge, La., an 18-year-ooold dropout and two friends were 
indicted this month for stealing bomb-making materials from two 
high-school chemistry labs,  Court records allege the three plotted 
to blow up a train returning the young woman's parents from vacation 
to get insurance money, and had followed a terrorist handbook 
published on the Internet.

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