Terrorism & the United States

1979 Islamist terrorist attacked the US embassy in Iran and took 52 hostages President Jimmy Carter ordered a complete embargo of Iranian oil; stronger economic embargoes followed. On April 8, 1980, Carter severed diplomatic relations with Iran after negotiations for the hostages' release failed

Later Carter authorized a top-secret mission, named Operation Eagle Claw, to free the hostages. Helicopters were to carry Delta Force commandos from a carrier in the Persian Gulf to a point outside Tehran, where they were to spend the night and begin the rescue the next morning. The complicated mission, which involved refueling the helicopters at a spot in the Iranian desert labeled "Desert One," was aborted April 25 after three of the eight helicopters suffered mechanical failure. Eight U.S. servicemen were killed when one of the helicopters collided with a refueling plane

Also President Carter became involved in a peace process between Egypt & Israel They signed a treaty agreeing that Israel would return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for recognition of Israel as a country..

Angered by Rescue Attempt The terrorist did not want to deal with President Carter – they waited for another president before making demands Reagan arranged for their release (Iran-Contra Affair)

Between American were kidnapped in Lebanon The fate of the American hostages held in Lebanon has been bound up with the controversy in the US over clandestine American arms sales to Iran held Shiite fundamentalist groups linked to the Islamic Government in Teheran

Hezbollah “Party of God” founded in Lebanon in 1982, many say by the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, as a response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon The group's aim is to destroy Israel and to create a fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon

1983 Hezbollah suicide bomber attacked the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people & again 1984 suicide bomber attacked the U.S. marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. marines and injuring over 100 more

1985  * Hezbollah hijacked TWA flight 847, first to Lebanon & then to Algiers, where they held the passengers hostage for 17 days  * demanded the release of the terrorists who had bombed the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait the previous year & shot a U.S. Navy diver when their demands were not met.

1985 PLO hijacked the Achille Lauro, an Italian cruise ship, and killed an American tourist when their demands for the release of PLO terrorists were not met

1993 a Muslim sniper opened fire on the CIA complex in Langley, VA, killing two CIA employees and injuring three others

Islamic Groups In 1993, the FBI learned the World Trade Center was 1 of 7 targets of an Islamic extremist group Bomb exploded in parking garage killing 6 people – smoke filled the tower & it had to be evacuated

Results The suspect turned out to be Jordanian He declared that his group wanted the destruction of Israel The US funds the Israeli government & aid it economy The World Trade Center is the financial center of the US

1995 & , car bomb in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killed five Americans 1996, Hezbollah bombed the U.S. military complex in Riyadh, killing 19 Americans and injuring hundreds more

1998 & 2000 Al Qaeda bombed the U.S. Embassies in both Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing a total of 223 people and injuring over 4,000 Al Qaeda bombed the USS Cole harbored in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring 39.

September 11, 2001

Where were you on: September 11 th, 2001?

New York City was just waking up...

The next images are disturbing

8:45 am Eastern Standard Time A plane, hijacked at the Boston airport, smashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

9:03 am Eastern Standard Time A second plane, hijacked from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

9:43 am Eastern Standard Time A third hijacked plane slams into the Pentagon (Washington, DC).

10:10 am Eastern Standard Time A fourth hijacked plane, United 93, crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. It is believed that this plane was headed to the White House, but was thwarted by its courageous passengers.

Who did we lose? 2948 people confirmed dead 24 people reported dead 24 people reported missing (This only includes those that died in direct relation to the attack. This does not include the people that have lost their lives due to complications from debris and dust that came from the collapse of the twin towers.)

What did we gain? A sense of community. A sense of unity. A sense of pride for our country. After time, faith that we could overcome this tragedy and move on.

We will ALWAYS remember!

We could NEVER forget!

A new war begins in Afghanistan & Iraq

The war continues to this day With no end in sight – the election could determine the date