1. What is terrorism?
There is no agreed definition of terrorism internationally.
The UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, defines terrorism as:
The use or threat of action designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public, or a section of the public; made for the purposes of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause; and it involves or causes:
- serious violence against a person;
- serious damage to a property;
- a threat to a person's life;
- a serious risk to the health and safety of the public; or
- serious interference with or disruption to an electronic system.
Talk through as a class

2. According to the USA…
According to the CIA, there are four key features of
identifying terrorism. These are:
The violence is planned beforehand.
It aims to achieve political change.
It is aimed at civilians.
It is the work of a group, NOT a
country or an army.

3. According to the EU…
Terrorism is a threat that does not recognise borders and may affect states and peoples irrespective of their geographical location. EU States and citizens are not an exception. Individuals and groups who believe that they can advance their political aims by using terror pose a serious threat to the democratic values of our societies and to the rights and freedoms of our citizens, especially by indiscriminately targeting innocent people. Acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, and must be treated as such under all circumstances.
Since the attacks of 11 September 2001, the European Union (EU) has been determined to step up the fight against terrorism. With this in mind, it has adopted a framework decision urging EU countries to align their legislation and setting out minimum rules on terrorist offences. After defining such terrorist offences, the framework decision lays down the penalties that EU countries must incorporate in their national legislation.

4. The framework decision harmonises the definition of terrorist offences in all EU countries by introducing a specific and common definition. Its concept of terrorism is a combination of two elements:
- an objective element, as it refers to a list of instances of serious criminal conduct (murder, bodily injuries, hostage taking, extortion, fabrication of weapons, committing attacks, threatening to commit any of the above, etc.);
- a subjective element, as these acts are deemed to be terrorist offences when committed with the aim of seriously intimidating a population, unduly compelling a government or international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act, or seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation.
The framework decision defines a terrorist group as a structured organisation consisting of more than two persons, established over a period of time and acting in concert, and refers to directing a terrorist group and participating in its activities as offences relating to a terrorist group.

5. According to NATO…
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence against individuals or property in an attempt to coerce or intimidate governments or societies to achieve political, religious or ideological objective.

6. Task
Read the three newspaper articles provided by your teacher and answer in detail, and using examples, the following questions:
Q1. Why were the UN eager to have an international definition of terrorism?
Q2. What problems have countries and organisations faced in trying to define terrorism?
Q3. What explanation of terrorism do you think is the best and why?

7. Threat Levels - UK
You should also know that in the UK, the government have introduced “threat levels”. Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack. These levels are assessed and decided upon by the Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre (JACT).
They are based on the assessment of factors including current intelligence, recent events and what is known about terrorist intentions and capabilities.
Threat assessments can also be produced as necessary for individuals and events.
There are five threat levels which inform decisions about the levels of security needed:
Low - an attack is unlikely
Moderate - an attack is possible, but not likely
Substantial - an attack is a strong possibility
Severe - an attack is highly likely
Critical - an attack is expected imminently
Complete in booklet

8. Current Threat Level
The current threat level from international terrorism for the UK is assessed as SUBSTANTIAL.
The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism is set separately for Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).
In Northern Ireland it is SEVERE and in Great Britain MODERATE.  

10. In Scotland…
In Scotland the threat of a terrorist attack is perceived as being relatively low. However, there have been increased investigations in recent months (June 2014) focusing on Extreme Right Wing (XRW) groups who potentially pose a more serious threat than the likes of international terrorist organisations.
In Scotland, investigations into terrorist organisations and threats are mainly focused on tackling the funding and facilitation of such organisations. In recent months, the Scottish counter-terrorist organisations have also assisted with investigations into Northern Irish and Syrian threats.

11. Scotland
There were a number of high profile events in 2014 that could potentially have attracted protestors and extremist groups.
These events included:
WWI commemorations
Commonwealth Games
Ryder Cup
Independence Referendum
Can you think of any potential security risks in 2015/2016/2017?