of God, bombed an abortion clinic in Georgia and a
nightclub for homosexuals. The 1997 public report
by CSIS stated that while Canada and its citizens
were not directly threatened, the fact that Canada is
used as a safe haven and a staging ground for terror-
ism could result in retaliatory action against Canada
and its citizens.
In 1998, the Army of God also bombed an abor-
tion clinic in Alabama, resulting in one fatality. In
Canada, a Sikh editor of theIndo-Canadian Times,
known for his pro-human rights stance, was shot
dead in Vancouver outside his home. The police
stated that it appeared to be an assassination (the in-
dividual killed, Tara Singh Hayer, had already sur-
vived one previous assassination attempt in 1988).
During 1999, members of ALF were responsible
for six separate instances of terrorism in which they
bombed vehicles and buildings. In July, 1999,
Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, a member of the World
Church of the Creator, fired upon numerous reli-
gious and ethnic minorities in Illinois and Indiana.
The United States and Canada, throughout
much of the 1990’s, had been a haven for terrorists
to acquire funds and in some cases (like the Irish Re-
publican Army) weapons. In July, 1999, the British
intercepted shipments of weapons destined for the
Republic of Ireland that came from South Florida.
Later that month, members of the Miami Joint Ter-
rorism Task Force arrested three individuals in con-
nection with the incident. In the late summer of
1999, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Po-
lice (RCMP) apprehended Alfred Heinz Reumayr,
who had planned to bomb the Trans-Alaska Pipeline
System.
Impact The trend in terrorist activity during the
1990’s in the United States consisted largely of two
components. Domestic terrorism was ever-prevalent,
often in the form of ecological terrorists and other
extremists attempting to demonstrate a political
agenda. The attack on the World Trade Center in
1993 exhibited the first real shift in international ter-
rorism from attacks designed to present political po-
sitions to those designed to intimidate the popula-
tion and take as many lives as possible.
An examination of Canada and its relationship to
terrorism provides a different picture. While domes-
tic terrorism certainly existed in Canada during the
1990’s, it had largely been in decline since the Que-
bec separatist movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Canada’s prime concern with terrorism was the use
of Canada as a staging ground for attacks as well as a
convenient place to hide. Canada also provided an
arena to collect funds and support actions abroad.
Canada’s other main experience with acts of terror-
ism within its borders had to do with the extension of
foreign tensions into the country because of immi-
gration.Further Reading
Bell, Stewart.Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and
Exports Terrorism Around the World. Etobicoke,
Ont.: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. An interesting ar-
gument maintaining that Canada provides a safe
haven for terrorists and that politicians have ne-
glected to actively address the issue.
Chaliand, Gérard, and Arnaud Blin, eds.The Histor y
of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda.Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2007. A compre-
hensive study of terrorism, its origins, and its evo-
lution over time.
Davies, Barry.Terrorism: Inside a World Phenomenon.
London: Virgin Books, 2003. A look at modern
terrorism, terrorist organizations and attacks,
and counterterrorism.
Hewitt, Christopher. Understanding Terrorism in
America: From the Klan to Al Qaeda.New York: Rout-
ledge, 2003. A detailed study examining the poli-
tics of terrorists in the United States, the orga-
nization of terrorist groups, and the impact of
terrorist acts on American life.
Kushner, Harvey W.Terrorism in America: A Structured
Approach to Understanding the Terrorist Threat.
Springfield, Ill.: Charles C Thomas, 1998. An ex-
amination of “new” terrorism in America, the
threat from international organizations as well as
domestic terrorists. Provides an examination of
what terrorism is.
McCann, Joseph T.Terrorism on American Soil: A Con-
cise Histor y of Plots and Perpetrators from the Famous to
the Forgotten.Boulder, Colo.: Sentient, 2006. An
examination of specific terrorist incidents, from
the 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lin-
coln to the anthrax letter attacks after September
11, 2001.
Maxwell, Bruce. Terrorism: A Documentar y Histor y.
Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2003. A compilation
of reports and papers discussing various terrorist
incidents and issues from the early 1970’s to 2002.
Michael W. Cheek848 Terrorism The Nineties in America