What is a terrorist? In biblical times, Jewish dagger men, who were violently opposed to the Roman occupation of Judea, concealed weapons under their cloaks and mingled in crowds to assassinate supporters of the Roman empire. Terrorism is therefore nothing new. Until the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington, terrorism, in terms of the number of people killed, was on the decline. However, more people were probably killed on 11 September than in the previous 20 years worldwide.