# Why no suicide bombers in US yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394 "2004-01-02T23:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/21 "2004-01-03T09:29:12Z")
Perhaps the absence of _international_ terrorist activity in the United States is due to the good performance of all the security organisations there. The great bulk of successful terrorist actions is from domestic sources. [FBI Annual Reports](http://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terroris.htm) states no successful international terrorism between 1993-1999. Thwarted international terrorist attempts. 1999 - One international - Canadian arrested 1998 - None 1997 - Two international - Letterbomb campaign with Egyptian postmark - 10 letterbombs found - Palestinian arrested planning to detonate bomb in NY subway 1996 - None According to the 1999 report, “During [the period 1980-1999], 130 planned acts of terrorism were prevented by U.S. law enforcement. Of these, 83 thwarted plots were being planned by domestic subjects; 47 plots were being planned by international extremists.” ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/22 "2004-01-03T11:30:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KidCharlemagne \* > Small scale attacks, like those made on Israel, would ignite fears that our cities are doomed to a similar fate and would therefore be particularly powerful. I’m not saying it would be effective as a core tactic but it is something to do on the way to the weekly meeting. And yet, the US tolerates far more random firearm violence than most other “civilized” nations… would it have the same effect on us? Is our tolerance for violence a factor here? Or, yes, maybe we just don’t have many foreign terrorists, or the FBI/CIA/DHS/etc. are actually doing their jobs, or something else I haven’t thought of. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/23 "2004-01-03T11:33:14Z")
We tolerate violence? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/24 "2004-01-03T11:43:08Z")
Compared to some other societies, yes. But I don’t want to turn this into either a gun control debate or a debate on what causes violence in society, so I’ll just leave it there. Although there are some areas of the world where life is far more dangerous than here, a person in the US, particularly in an urban area, is at greater risk of random violence than many other nations. Japan, for instance, has a much lower crime rate. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/25 "2004-01-03T11:47:20Z")
The assertion that Japan has a lower crime rate doesn’t mean we tolerate violence. We have laws that criminalize violence. Guns don’t cause violence. I’m sorry but you’re right, this has been over done, and it doesn’t belong in GQ or this thread. ---
**Author:** ![galen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@galen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/26 "2004-01-03T14:01:27Z")
Keep in mind that, as the scientists would say, that there is a non-zero probability that Al Queda is a very deep cover operation. Who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394/27 "2004-01-03T17:07:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hampshire \* > \*\*…why have no terrorists tried it in the US yet? \*\* With the exception of the concerted effort of a few years ago I would suggest the reason for the U.S. not having the numbers of suicide bombers is the cost of transportation to the U.S. Those that can afford the transportation also have the money for more elaborate bombs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-suicide-bombers-in-us-yet/222394.md?page=1)