Terrorism as a form of conflict and war has existed for centuries. However, it began to receive special consideration in the United States after the attacks of September 11, 2001, in which hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into the Pentagon in northern Virginia, and an additional plane into a field in Pennsylvania. These attacks were perpetrated by the terrorist group al Qaeda. The attacks resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths and billions of dollars in damage to the U.S. economy. Although there had been other terrorist attacks on the United States, the 9/11 attacks were a defining moment. After the attacks, the Department of Homeland Security was created and police departments across the country began to ...