Terrorism Dictionary

al Qaeda: An alliance of militant Islamic groups who use terrorism in an effort to lessen Western power and culture in Muslim countries.

biological warfare: The use of organisms as weapons, which may include bacteria, viruses or toxins.

CDC: "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;" a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services which focuses on research to provide health information to Americans.

chemical warfare: The use of toxic chemicals to attack an enemy, which may include ricin, sarin and mustard gas.

contingency plan: A plan of action for situations where terrorist acts may occur.

counter-terrorism: Laws, activities and preemptive military action meant to prevent acts of terrorism.

disguise: A method used by certain terrorist groups in which militants pose as non-combatants in order to perpetrate attacks.

eco-terrorism: Terrorist acts committed for environmental causes.

ETA: A militant separatist organization from Spain with the goal of creating a separate, independent Basque state.

extremism: Actions or beliefs of groups which are outside those of mainstream society but are not necessarily violent.