Course material

1. (Mt) – Catholic Distance University Principles of Terrorism Discussion
1 Potential Strategic-Level Terror Targets Indian Point Power Plant The lecture by Charles
S. Faddis (2011), which is part of the materials for this course, made me consider the
meltdown of a nuclear facility as a severe potential threat by terrorist groups. While nuclear
reactors in power plants are generally well-guarded with armed personnel and bulletproof
walls, their cooling systems are not secured enough to prevent a possible terrorist attack.
The cooling system control station of a nuclear power plant is in a different place than the
reactor, and it can be accessed easily by armed terrorists. If this cooling system is shut
down, there can be a meltdown similar to the meltdown of Fukushima, Japan, caused by the
earthquake and tsunami. The Indian Point nuclear reactor is located near New York City. If a
terror group caused a meltdown in this power plant, the whole metropolitan area would be
devastated, and potentially millions of people could die (Faddis, 2011). Al-Quaeda has been
perhaps the most aggressive terrorist enemy of the United States. I believe they would
potentially want to carry out an attack in the Indian Point nuclear power plant because it
would be completely devastating. Al-Qaeda would gain recognition from its allies by
showing how they can do such immense damage to the United States, and they would
terrorize the whole world with their lethality. The Pyramids of Giza Islamic State has been
known to target not only living persons but also archaeological treasures from the history of
humankind, destroying ancient statues and monuments. They have already done much
harm in this sense, but they could potentially target a more iconic archaeological site: The
Giza pyramids outside of Cairo in Egypt. Egyptian authorities have been on the lookout for
ISIS terrorism near their monuments, and that was the case when I traveled there in 2016.
They would search the cars approaching the pyramids to make sure there were no
explosives. However, there is a neighborhood next to the site that is called Al-Haram. This
place is dangerous, and there is a lot of crime and little surveillance. If Islamists wanted to
attack the pyramids, they could easily install a rocket launcher in a building in Al-Haram
and direct the weapon to one of the three main pyramids, causing irreparable harm.
Terrorists have already attacked tour buses near the site (Lewis, 2019), but they have not
touched the pyramids so far. Mosques, Synagogues and Black Churches National Action is an
extreme-right former political party that was declared a terrorist organization in the United
Kingdom because they have committed various violent attacks in order to influence the
country’s politics. This group believes it is fighting a race war of white people against other
races, and it has spread to the United States as the “Atomwaffen Division,” a group that has
murdered five people since its US establishment in 2015 (Macklin, 2019). This group is

2. small compared to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and therefore its targets would probably not be
essential landmarks or large metropolitan areas. I believe they would want to target places
such as synagogues, mosques, and Black churches as part of their war against non-White
races. References Faddis, C. S. (2011, April). Lewis, A. (2019, May 20). Blast injures South
African tourists near Egypt’s Giza pyramids. Retrieved from
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-security/blast-injures-southafrican-tourists-
near-egypts-giza-pyramids-security-sources-idUSKCN1SP0E2. Macklin, G. (2019, January
21). The evolution of extreme-right terrorism and efforts to counter it in the United
Kingdom. Retrieved from https://ctc.usma.edu/evolution-extreme-rightterrorism-efforts-
counter-united-kingdom/. 2 SIS and al Qaeda continue to be considered the two most
credible threats to the United States (SU) (Homeland Security, 2019). I think David brings
up a very relevant point that the power struggle between these two groups is something we
will likely see grow in the near future. Over the last few years al Qaeda has focused on
expanding its resources, internal structure, and territory while ISIS has utilized the time for
public activities (Homeland Security, 2019). However, with the recent loss of leadership it is
probable that the competition David discussed between these two groups will increase,
with a high likelihood of targeted events in the United States. The relevance of the US as a
target is well explained by the RAND corporation (2007) by their coercion, damage, rally,
and franchise hypothesis. Attacking US targets for the reason of coercion is based on the
idea that terrorist organizations wish to cause casualties and trauma in an effort to frighten
the US, pushing policy in the favor of the Islamic world (RAND, 2007). The damage
hypothesis recognizes the relevance of the goal of harming the US economy in an effort to
limit the country’s ability to be active in the Islamic world (RAND, 2007). The rally
hypothesis comes into play with the goal of recruiting supporters, which is likely to be
bolstered by a successful attack carried out on US soil which will highlight an organizations
strength and legitimacy (RAND, 2007). While the franchise hypothesis also explains the
value of US targets for homegrown jihadist terrorists as it allows for public and significant
events on a local level with support from hardcore organizations (RAND, 2007). With
advancements in technology the capabilities of such groups have grown significantly with
organizations such as ISIS utilizing consumer drones for activities such as surveillance of
targets and the dropping of explosive devices, and even employing airborne video
technology to record propaganda segments (Homeland Security, 2019). These types of
technological capabilities drastically expand the potential for types of attacks resource rich
organizations possess. There are three potential types of targets that I believe would create
high levels of societal fear and outrage, significant economic damage, and have the
potentially to entice sizable support for the perpetrating organization. The first would be an
attack on the healthcare industry. Physically or technologically crippling either the 9-1-1
system or healthcare facilities (or both) would create societal chaos inciting fear and a
resource deficit that could cripple the nation. Another type of target that organizations such
as al Qaeda or ISIS could carry out in the US to work towards their goal, is an attack on the
media. While terrorist organizations rely on the media and most way the cost-benefit of
causing them harm, an attack that targets this group could in actuality inflate media
coverage as the industry would likely intensify its coverage in support of its own. A

3. decimation attack that is either physically destructive and harms media staff and properties,
or a cyber based attack that debilitates their broadcasting capabilities, could rally a great
deal of support for a terrorist group. This type of attack would not only show the strength of
an organization but also their religious extremist views of attacking Western world
mentalities of freedom of speech. The third type of target is one based on the retail industry
and could greatly affect the US from an economical standpoint. A physical attack on the
shopping industry, an American daily activity, would likely create fear and panic amongst
the general public leading to decreased consumer spending. Consider the example of an
organization such as al Qaeda detonating an explosive device in the iconic retail facility such
as the Bloomingdales flagship store in New York. I recently used the following scenario in a
tabletop exercise I conducted with emergency department nurses in an effort to help them
plan for mass casualty events. Scenario: Four synchronized explosive devices were
detonated at 1:33pm at the Bloomingdale’s flagship store on 59th street and Lexington
avenue. The strategically placed devices have caused a structural collapse of the building
and responders are still searching through the rubble to locate victims. Law enforcement
reports indicate the explosives were hidden inside suitcases and handbags amongst the
department store’s displays and merchandise, preventing suspicious activity or packages to
be recognized prior to the detonation. The timed explosions occurred during the busy lunch
hour with all three restaurants in the store packed with local shoppers and tourists. It is
estimated that as many as 1,000 people were inside at the time of the explosions. It is true
that our imagination is the only limit to the types of attacks and targets that a terrorist
organization may conduct. However, it is soft targets such as hospitals, media broadcasting
studios, and shopping centers which are ideal locations for large scale successful events
within the United States. Homeland Security. (2019, September). Department of Homeland
Security Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence. Retrieved
from:
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0920_plcy_strategicframework-
countering-terrorism-targeted-violence.pdf RAND. (2007). Getting Inside the Terrorist
Mind. Retrieved from: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9258/index1.html