In the recent past, terrorism has become a dangerous threat to the international security due to the negative publicity, economic impact and devastating casualties to the affected countries (Smith, 2012).As noted by Smith (2012) terrorism refers to a deliberate, politically motivated aggression perpetrated against innocent civilians so as to influence an audience. Primarily, terrorists use terrorist acts to convey an ideological message or express a political objection through the destruction of properties or violence. A series of well coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, whereby three suicide bombers lodged attacks during a football match near Stade de France caused a massive loss of lives and damage of properties (Elgot et al., 2015). The attacks were followed by a series of mass shootings at restaurants and cafes in Paris. Besides the shooting of noncombatants, gunmen also took hostage citizens who were attending a musical concert at Bataclan Theatre thus leading to a confrontation with the police.
A report by Elgot et al. (2015) indicates that the terrorists managed to kill 130 innocent citizens including 89 that were attending a concert at Bataclan Theater. In addition, 368 individuals were injured in the November attack while authorities were on the manhunt for the accomplices since the attackers were killed by the police while others blew themselves up. According to Elgot et al (2015) the November 13, 2015, attack was the worst experience in France since the WWII.In Europe, the terrorist attack was the deadlier than the 2004 Train bombings that occurred in Madrid. During this time, the authorities in France were on a high terror alert from the time when terrorists managed to attack a supermarket that was owned by a Jew and the Charlie Hebdo offices. The attack caused injuries to 22 civilians including the police officers. Also, 17 people lost their lives.
After the attack, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declared that they were the ones responsible for the Paris attacks. The terror group claimed that the attacks were in response to the involvement of France in a series of airstrikes that targeted ISIL bases in Iraq and Syria. Furthermore, President Hollande confirmed that the ISIL attacks were planned and organized in Syria and Belgium and executed with the help of terrorist sympathizers in France. The report from the French detectives revealed that most of the attackers were European Union citizens who had returned from Syria and took the advantage of the flow of refugees and immigrants to get back to Europe for retaliatory attacks (Elgot et al., 2015).
The France government declared a state of emergency from three months. During this time, the police banned all public demonstrations so as to allow the police to fight terrorists by searching and detaining any suspected persons without a warrant. Additionally, France increased airstrikes on bases. The war on the masterminds of the Paris attacks was won when Abdelhamid Abaaoud was killed in Saint-Denis by the authorities.
The objective of terrorist acts is always to kill civilians and cause damage to properties so as to pass a message or express dissatisfaction with a political system. Even if the terrorist acts are meant for national liberation, the mere fact that innocent civilians lose their lives during the act qualifies to make terrorism a criminal act. Besides; it is plausible to assert that most of the criminal actions are often with the motivation that comes from their present or past situations. Some terrorist acts like piracy are motivated by the desire from financial gains. Also, most of the attackers are driven by the desire to get protection, respect, and financial gains after executing the terrorist acts. The sheer fact that the lives of innocent citizens are lost makes the act criminal (Smith, 2012).
References
Elgot, J.phipps, C. and Bucks, J. (2015).Paris Attacks: Day after atrocity-as it happened Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/nov/14/paris-terror- attacks-attackers-dead-mass-killing-live-updates
Smith, J.N. (2012). A comparative criminological analysis of pathways into crime. Retrieved fromhttp://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/smithj_the_criminal_and_the_terrorist _ijc_july_2012.pdf
