In the 1980s and 1990s , Islamic militancy in pursuit of religious and political goals increased , many militants drawing inspiration from Iran 's 1979 Islamic Revolution . In the 1990s , well-known violent acts that targeted civilians were the World Trade Center bombing by Islamic terrorists on February 26 , 1993 , the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway by Aum Shinrikyo on March 20 , 1995 , and the bombing of Oklahoma City 's Murrah Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh a month later that same year . This period also saw the rise of what is sometimes categorized as Single issue terrorism . If terrorism is the extension of domestic politics by other means , just as war is for diplomacy , then this represents the extension of pressure groups into violent action . Notable examples that grow in this period are Anti-abortion terrorism and Environmental terrorism
bombing of Oklahoma City 's Murrah Federal Building
Oklahoma City bombing
History of terrorism