Terrorist attacks are becoming increasingly more common abroad, and they pose a major threat to Americans on U.S. soil as well.

In recent news, Jose Padilla, captured before he could detonate a dirty bomb in a large crowd of people, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, which was a much lighter sentence than the federal government requested, and they plan to appeal the case.

Padilla was originally arrested at Chicago O’Hare Airport on May 8, 2002, with more than $10,000 in his pocket and a cell phone filled with Al-Qaida contacts. He was detained as an enemy combatant because of his association with a terrorist organization and because he was believed to be engaged in war-like acts.

Although Padilla was captured before he could harm anyone, the U.S. has not always been so lucky. The two recent terrorist attacks on U.S. soil include the Oklahoma City bombing, for which Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were arrested and sentenced, and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. McVeigh was put to death by lethal injection in 2001, and Nichols is serving life in prison. Many of the people responsible for the 9/11 attacks either died during the attack or are being held in Guantanamo Bay or unknown locations.

The majority of acts of terrorism occur abroad, and although many target the American military or American citizens, there is a long history of terrorist attacks that do not target Americans, including the fighting between Protestants and Roman Catholics in Ireland, during which bombs were set off particularly in Northern Ireland; and more recently, the fighting between Palestinians and Israelis.

However, Americans traveling abroad need to be increasingly aware of possible threats, and they need to use caution while traveling. Some helpful resources can be found at:

Resources to use at home in the U.S. and if you are the victim of a terrorist attack can be found at:

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