Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2025
Publication Title
Perspectives on Terrorism
Volume
19
Issue
2
First Page
99
Last Page
112
DOI
10.19165/ ZSMM9880
Abstract
Terrorist use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remains a persistent and evolving threat within the United States. Until now, few data collection and analysis efforts have focused on the systematic capture of terrorist bombing plots and attacks. Filling this evidence gap, this research note presents and analyses an original dataset of US federal charges associated with terrorism-related IED incidents in the United States observed from 2009 through 2024. The data features 110 related cases, the analysis of which indicates a sample peak in the use of IEDs in terrorist incidents occurred in 2024. Incidents are not siloed to a specific region within the US, but involve cases from coast-to-coast, with crowded spaces remaining the most prominent target. The most common form of device employment observed across the dataset is the person-borne IED, primarily involving pipe bombs and pressure cooker IEDs. Eighty percent of the incidents recorded in the sample were thwarted by intelligence and law enforcement professionals – the remainder either failed due to technical mistakes or were successful. The research note describes notable sources of change in IED threats over time and identifies emerging trends in the methods by which US-based terrorists may continue to utilise IEDs in their efforts to cause death, harm, and destruction. It concludes with implications for theory, study, and practice.
Recommended Citation
Benda, Angie and Doctor, Austin C., "Investigating Terrorist Use of Improvised Explosive Devices in the United States: Evidence from US Federal Court Cases, 2009 – 2024" (2025). Political Science Faculty Publications. 47.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/poliscifacpub/47
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Perspectives on Terrorism publications are published in open access format and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License, which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the source referenced, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. Alteration or commercial use requires explict prior authorisation from the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism and all author(s). © 2023 ICCT Contact E: pt.editor@icct.nl W: pt.icct.nl About
Note: PDF passed accessibility checker upon upload.