Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
sides is innovation, a concept that will be explained later in the discussion of the
various modes of attack.
Planning
Successful tradecraft planning involves a healthy combination of
desire
and
capa-
bility
. A plan will be dictated by what the terrorists want to accomplish and their
capability to carry out the attack.
In 1998, Osama bin Laden established the World Islamic Front for the
Jihad against Jews and the Crusaders (
al-Jabhah al-Islamiyaah al-Alamiyaah
Li-Qital al-Yahud Wal-Salibiyiin
). The aim was simple: since the United
States declared war on Islam, it was therefore the duty of all Muslims to
comply with the will of Allah and kill Americans and their allies, civilian
or military, the world over. This is what drives Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.
In terms of Timothy McVeigh, he developed a deep-seated anger toward the
United States government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after
its role in the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992 and, later, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms for the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound
in Waco, Texas. McVeigh's anger culminated in the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma
City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City.
Th e A l f r e d P . Mu r r Ah B u il d in g B o MBin g
The details of the plan evolved from McVeigh's expe-
rience during and after his time in the U.S. military,
which he joined when he was 20 years old. McVeigh (see
photo) met his eventual coconspirator Terry Nichols
during basic training. While serving with Nichols in
an infantry division at Fort Riley, Kansas, McVeigh
discovered that he and Nichols shared contempt for the
U.S. government. After his discharge from the military,
McVeigh joined the Ku Klux Klan, which led to his
involvement in a militant separatist movement. It was
through this involvement that McVeigh was exposed
to
The Turner Diaries
, a seminal publication in far-right extremist circles that
was written by National Alliance leader William Pierce. McVeigh sympathized
with the topic's protagonist, who believed that bombing a federal building
would precipitate “the white revolution” to overthrow the U.S. government.
