The face of terrorism before 9/11: A profile no one has ever told you.

by DrJustice March 20, 2009

Ted Kaczynski, aka " The Unabomber," exemplified more characteristics of a terrorist than a serial killer. According to the FBI (2007), a serial killer is a person that fantasizes over the personal power and control they possess over another person and then killing them in a personal style such as strangulation, stabbing or shooting. According to the FBI (2007), a terrorist is defined as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” In Ted Kaczynski’s Ransom Letter in 1996, he intimates that he is utilizing bombs to murder and create fear and chaos in order to break down the technological forces of scientists and computer engineers that he feels is destroying society and nature (The Courier Journal, 2007). Furthermore, Kaczynski exemplified these feelings as he wrote that, “we call ourselves anarchists because we would like to break down all of society into very small, completely autonomous units…our immediate goal is the destruction of the worldwide industrial system…through our bombings we hope to promote social instability in industrial society, propagate anti-industrial ideas… (The Courier Journal, 2007) ” These actions and sentiments closely follow a terrorist’s characteristics offered by White (2006) by focusing actions toward a goal, being dedicated to a cause, not cooperating with officials, attacking, striking against symbols with planning and rehearsal of their operations. This can be seen in Kaczynski’s letter in his describing the detail in which he practices his bomb making and his targeting companies that symbolize technological advancements and success in those endeavors. These characteristics are drastically different from those of serial criminals such as being unfocused, involved in the criminal underworld, making deals to avoid punishment, running when confronted with force, striking when the opportunity is right and rarely training for crime (White, 2006). Therefore, terrorists can be differentiated from serial killers as Ted Kaczynski can be differentiated from being a serial killer.

Had the investigation of Ted Kaczynski been treated as a series of terrorist attacks, there could have been a policy, such as those today, where suspicious packages were on top of everyone’s minds and were immediately reported to local law enforcement. As White (2006) indicates, local law enforcement agencies are the first responders to terrorist attacks and they can be the first line of defense against such attacks. Secondly, treating the cause and beliefs of the Unabomber as that of a terrorist and not a serial killer or general killer, could have lead to new leads and new directions to investigate in order to bring the man to justice. This is exemplified by Goldstein (2007) in which he describes a belief system of left-wingers devoted to the preservation of thoughts and beliefs centered on the social and political status of the 1960’s and 1970’s. This would have enabled the direct investigation of Kaczynski, but also a new direction to look at, which was towards those individuals that went to college during the 1960’s and were involved in subjects related to math and science. As it turns out, Kaczynski was a graduate of Harvard in 1962 with a BA in mathematics and Michigan in 1967 with a PhD in Mathematics. Finally, by making it a priority to educate local law enforcement and citizens of the root beliefs and motivations for such terrorists, along with the materials used and needed for these types of bombs, an increase in the vigilance and awareness needed to produce leads and tips for identifying the Unabomber sooner than later would have been manifested. These enhancements along with the general working relationship of all law enforcement agencies could have ended the Unabomber’s terrorism sooner than later.

Reference

The Courier Journal (2007). The Unabomber’s manifesto. Retrieved November, 25, 2007 from The Courier Journal: http://www.thecourier.com/manifest.htm.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2007). Characteristics of serial killers. Retrieved November 25, 2007 from the FBI: http://www.fbi.gov/homepage.htm.

Goldstein, D. B. (2007). Issues in modern terrorism. Retrieved November, 25

2007, from Boston University, Criminal Justice Department Web site:

http://vista.bu.edu/webct/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct.

White, J. R. (2006). Terrorism and Homeland Security, CA: Thomson

Wadsworth.