	Introduction

Suicide attacks by terrorist organizations have become more prevalent globally, and assessingthe threat of future suicide attacks against the United States has gained in strategic importance. This report focuses on the following questions: What are suicide attacks? What have been the patterns and motivations for terrorist organizations using suicide attacks in the past? What terroristgroups and other organizations are most likely to launch such attacks? How great a threat areterrorist suicide attacks to the United States, at home and abroad? How can the United Statescounter such a threat? In short, the goal of this report is to summarize the key lessons of theinternational experience with suicide attacks in the modern era and examine their relevance to theUnited States in the current threat environment. (17) A partial list of terrorist groups that actively usesuicide attacks includes Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of YassirArafat's Fatah movement, Al-Ansar Mujahidin in Chechnya, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ),Hezbollah, Lashkar-e-taiba of Pakistan/Kashmir, the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) of Algeria, BarbarKhalsa International(BKI) of India, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers)of Sri Lanka, the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) of Turkey, and Al Qaeda. (18) It is the apparentlygrowing use of suicide attacks internationally and the increased targeting against Americans thatconcerns counterterrorism experts. Although research indicates that individual suicide attackers make choices and are nottechnically "crazy," according to experts they are often manipulated by the pressures and beliefstructures of the group. Secular groups use such techniques as well. Women and Suicide Attacks

The role of women in carrying out suicide attacks has been the focus of increasing concern. The Threat to the United States

Until very recently, most of the groups engaging in suicide attacks have been interested in pursuing a cause that is geographically distant from the United States, usually limited to territory thatis connected somehow to the origin of the group. The most effective globalized network of terrorist organizations is associated with Al Qaeda--the only organization that has successfully used suicide attacks on U.S. soil. Nonetheless, there are both offensive and defensive measures that may reduce the number and/or severity of attacks. Among the offensive measures are preemptive strikes against the organizations that orchestratesuicide attacks (especially their leaders), vigorous intelligence collection, and efforts to reduce theability of terrorist organizations to recruit suicide candidates. These include the full range of measures in homeland defense, from physical barriers to securityscreening to strict border controls. Implications for U.S. Policy

The question of how to reduce the threat of suicide attacks against the United States and its interests at home and abroad is extremely important to Congress.
Suicide attacks by terrorist organizations have become more prevalent globally, and assessing the threat of suicide attacks against the United States and its interests at home and abroad hastherefore gained in strategic importance.
This report focuses on the following questions: What are suicide attacks? What have been the patterns and motivations for terrorist organizations using suicide attacks in the past? What terroristgroups and other organizations are most likely to launch such attacks? How great a threat areterrorist suicide attacks to the United States, at home and abroad? How can the United Statescounter such a threat? It analyzes the key lessons of the international experience with suicide attacksand examines their relevance to the United States.
Important conclusions include evidence that suicide attackers generally make choices and are not impulsive or "crazy." They are usually carefully recruited, indoctrinated and then targeted byorganizations. It is important, therefore, to concentrate on analyzing the culture and structure of theorganization when fashioning a response. Historically, suicide attackers have been used by bothsecular and religious groups. The Tamil Tigers, a secular group, carried out the most ruthlesscampaign of suicide attacks in the 20th century; but there has been an increasing number of casualtiesinternationally, notably as a result of attacks by Palestinian groups against Israelis and byorganizations in various countries believed associated with or incited by Al Qaeda. The use ofwomen as suicide attackers is not historically unprecedented, but its frequency among groups suchas the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers (or LTTE), the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and nowthe Palestinian Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the Chechens, may indicate a socialbroadening of the phenomenon. While the organization is predominant in the execution of the attack,over time it cannot recruit and sustain itself without the acquiescence of the larger society.
The greatest threat to U.S. citizens comes from the possibility of further attacks orchestrated or inspired by Al Qaeda, either in the U.S. or abroad. Furthermore, suicide attacks on U.S. citizensand civilians in Iraq are a mounting concern. To counter the threat, the United States may use bothoffensive and defensive measures. Offensive measures include counterterrorism efforts such aspreemptive strikes against terrorist organizations, vigorous intelligence collection, and longer termefforts to reduce the ability of terrorist organizations to recruit suicide candidates. Defensivemeasures include physical protection of U.S. assets, psychological preparation of the population,and the full range of anti-terrorism efforts required for a robust homeland defense.
The report concludes with a discussion of the implications for Congress of the increase in suicide attacks, and a range of options for meeting the threat. It will not be updated.