INTRODUCTION In this criminal case analysis, I will be looking at the case of Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber. By gaining a better understanding of his ideologies and his life experiences, I will explain the motive for his bombings. I will also be using the social responsibility perspective to explain my opinion as to why his crimes happened and what can be done to help. SUMMARY Theodore Kaczynski is a serial bomber who sent packaged bombs to multiple individuals. His bombs have injured 23 individuals and killed 3. The three individuals who died from the bombs were the owner of a computer store, an advertising executive, and the president of the California Forestry Association. The first bombing happened in 1978, at the University …show more content…
The bomb on May 9 only injured one individual, a graduate student at Northwestern. The bomb of November 15th was a package in the cargo of a flight, 12 individuals suffered from smoke inhalation and the plane was forced into an emergency landing. Then in 1980, June 10th, United Airlines president, Percy Wood was injured when opening a book which contained a bomb. In 1981, on October 8th, a bomb was found in the hallway of the University of Utah and was safely diffused. On May 5th, 1982, a bomb was sent to the head of the computer science department at Vanderbilt University, and the secretary was injured after opening it for her superior. On July 2nd, 1982, a bomb exploded at the University of California and injured an engineering professor. May 15th, 1985, there was another bomb at the University of California, injuring an engineering student. On June 13th, 1985, a bomb was sent to the Boeing Fabrication Division in Washington but was safely detonated. On November 15th, 1985, a bomb was sent to the University of Michigan and a psychology professor and his assistant were injured. December 11th, 1985, the owner of a computer store in Sacramento was killed by a bomb found in the parking lot of his …show more content…
CRIMINAL ASSESSMENT Motive According to his manifesto, the primary motive for his actions was to fight against industrial-technological advancements. Indeed, in his manifesto, Kaczynski claims “The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race” (Kaczynski, 1995). This is the first sentence of his manifesto, and immediately, he shows great disdain for the industrial-technological elements of our society. Additionally, Kaczinski mentions that “This revolution may or may not make use of violence” (Kaczynski, 1995). This leads me to believe that Kaczynski thought his actions were made for the good of a political revolution against the consequences of the previous industrial revolution. However, it is also important to note that Kaczynski was isolated from others and could be considered a social outcast. Due to his high intelligence, he skipped two grades and was therefore always the youngest in class. It is said that he was socially isolated from his peers during his time at Harvard (archives). Overall, Kaczynski was different from others, which may have led him to feel wronged by society and
The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 19, 1995. It was lead by Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran of the Persian Gulf War. The explosive was a homemade bomb which was built by McVeigh and the help of Terry Nichols; the bomb consisted of a deadly cocktail and was put inside a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building . McVeigh then proceeded out of the truck and headed towards his getaway car a few blocks away. He then started the detonation of the timed bomb at exactly 9:02 A.M. then the bomb exploded. To the people of Oklahoma it was a traumatizing moment for all, many lost families, dozens of cars were incinerated and more than 300 buildings were destroyed and caused about $652 million worth of damages. The “OKBOMB” affected hundreds of people; it killed “168 people -- 19 of them children -- and injured more than 500.” (CNN.com) Within 90 minutes of the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over 80 miles north of Oklahoma City by a state trooper who noticed McVeigh's missing license plate. He was later arrested for having a concealed weapon. From there, a investigation was held and agents found traces of chemicals on McVeigh’s clothing similar to the ones from the bomb. They learned that McVeigh’s plan was due to the anger over the events at Waco Siege two years earlier. The bombing investigation was one of the most exhaustive in FBI history; “the Bureau had conducted more than 28,000 interviews, followed some 43,000 investigative leads, amassed three-and-a-half tons of evidence, and reviewed nearly a billion pieces of information.” (FBI.com) Oklahoma City bombing was “considered the worst and the largest terrorist act eve...
Michael Walzer is an esteemed retired professor from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Walzer has written many books, essays, and articles. His essay, Excusing Terror, is one that best relates to the current events happening around the world. In this essay, Walzer talks about different reasons that people would want to resort to terrorism. In this essay I will argue Walzers view on Terrorism is correct in that terrorism is wrong because it is akin to murder, it is random in who it targets, and no one has immunity. I will also offer an objection to Walzer’s theory and explain why it is not a valid one.
When we think of terrorist, we might think of radical Islamic individuals or groups who would take pride in killing anyone who is not Muslim. Even more, there are antagonistically people who want nothing more but to destroy the lives of innocence people because of their belief system. Take an individual like Theodore Kaczynski for instance; he was a former University of California at Berkeley math professor. Otherwise known as the “Unabomber,” he was indeed a terrorist because he used explosives that killed three people and wounded eighteen others in a span of almost two decades. Even more, his brother David Kaczynski was responsible for his capture.
On December 21, 1988, the Pan American flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. This flight was traveling from London Heathrow to New York-JFK when it exploded 31,000 feet above Lockerbie, Scotland just 38 minutes after takeoff. It carried 259 passengers in which all died that tragic day. The airplane was destroyed by a Semtex plastic explosive, which was placed in the forward cargo hold. It was hidden in a Toshiba radio-cassette player. Because the explosion happened in the air, the pieces of the airplane dispersed and did not stay in one place. On Lockerbie, Scotland, the large pieces of the airplane shattered and killed 11 people on the ground.
April 19, 1995 at 9:02, in Oklahoma City a bomb exploded; destroying buildings, injuring and killing innocent citizens. Many questions of the city would go unanswered; including who made it, who didn’t, along with who did it and why. All of these citizens deserve answers to the simple questions. The world was in shock and worried about what was going to happen next. This terrorist attack would then be noted as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
In 1692, one of the most inhumane tragedies occurred in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. Now infamously recognized as the “Salem Witch Trials,” the trials were based on faulty accusations that charged others of being witches. These accusations resulted in a considerable amount of people being imprisoned and hanged, and it ended with 20 people being killed. 309 years later, four planes were hijacked by terrorists and were set to crash in four important government centers and buildings. Consequently, these attacks resulted in 2,966 deaths and it was the most severe attack ever on American soil. The terrorists were revealed to be Muslims, and that they supposedly did it in the name of “Allah”, which is the Arabic translation for God.
In Brym’s article he discusses what research has shown about the motivations of suicide bombers. Brym and my fellow classmate explained to me how suicide bombers may be motivated by politics, religion, or retaliatory aims (Brym, Kyra Howard). Both Brym and Howard helped me view the issue of suicide bombers in multiple
Speckhard, A. (2013). The Boston Marathon Bombers: the Lethal Cocktail that Turned Troubled Youth to Terrorism. Perspectives On Terrorism, 7(3). Retrieved from http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/268/540
The attacks that occurred on 9/11 took place on September 11th, 2001. In this devastating event, four different attacks had taken place. Each of the attacks were carried out by terrorists. The group responsible for the attack was Al-Qaeda, a militant Islamist organization that is known to be global in present day. The group itself has a network consisting of a Sunni Muslim movement that aims to make global Jihad happen. Furthermore, a stateless, multinational army that is ready to move at any given time. This terrorist group focuses on attacking non-Sunni Muslims, those who are not Muslim, and individuals who the group deems to be kafir. Ever since the late 1980s, Al-Qaeda has been wreaking havoc all around the world. The leader of the group once being Osama bin Laden. Three planes were bound for New York City while another plane headed towards Washington, D.C. which was supposed to take out the U.S. Capitol. Two of the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center. One plane hitting the North Tower and the other hitting the South Tower. The third plane had crashed into the Pentagon taking out the western side of the building. The last and final plane was focused solely on taking out the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. but failed due to passengers of the plane coming hijacking it from the hijackers. The passengers attempted to take out the hijackers but sadly failed, crashing it into a field in Pennsylvania. Throughout the content of this paper, we will be focusing on the role of media when it comes to 9/11; more specifically: how the media's coverage of 9/11 manipulated our feelings towards 9/11, how it affected Islamophobia in America, and the lasting effects of 9/11.
Wittig, P. (2013, June 14). Anders Breivik: Evil, Insane or just Criminal? [ Volume 3 - 2013] | Kyushu University Legal Research Bulletin. Retrieved April 23, 2014, from http://researchbulletin.kyudai.info/?p=295
Exploring Criminological Perspectives Through the Case of Nathaniel Veltman: From Murder to Terrorism. Introduction: The chosen article, "How London Mass Murderer Nathaniel Veltman Turned Terrorist," published in the National Post on September 14, 2023, provides insight into the tragic events surrounding Nathaniel Veltman's violent rampage in London, Ontario (National Post, 2023). This essay aims to critically analyze this case through the lens of criminological theories, concepts, and themes prevalent in Canadian society. Nathaniel Veltman's attack on a Muslim family, resulting in the death of four individuals and injury to a child, shocked the nation and raised profound questions about the rise of domestic terrorism motivated
The biggest manhunt against a criminal in U.S. history has been to catch serial killer Theodore John Kaczynski. Ted Kaczynski, sowed terror throughout the country for almost two decades. From 1978 to 1996, Kaczynski sent homemade explosive devices to various Universities, airlines facilities, and people related to those, as part of his anti-technological campaign. That's where he gets the nickname of "The Unabomber"; “un”-derivative from universities, and letter “a”- from airlines. The "Unabomber" killed three people and seriously injured other twenty-three victims, (Esoteric Nation, 2013; Winton & Scott, 2007). Something that had always been a mystery is why Kaczynski chose those particular places and people. Psychological analyzes suggest that the reasons for such actions can be traced to early life events, (Cooijmans, 2013; Winton & Scott, 2007).
Rothe, D. & Muzzatti, S.L. 2004. Enemies everywhere: Terrorism, moral panic and US civil society. Critical Criminology. 1(12): 327–350.
The amount of corruption within the United States’ violent involvement in the Middle East is almost unreal. Unfortunately, the wars have been too real—half a million deaths in the first year of Iraqi Freedom alone (Rogers). These wars have been labeled--the violence, filtered-- to fit a specific agenda. Whether the deaths are deemed an acceptable loss in the name of national security, or as a devastating injustice, the reality doesn’t change. Lives have been lost. Lives that will never be brought back. The intention of wars is in part due to attacks on the twins towers on September 11th 2001. When the buildings fell, almost three thousand people died, according
identity and sovereignty to rule for themselves by themselves instead of for Spain. Before the