1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21034October 3, 2001Terrorism Abroad: A Quick Look at ApplicableFederal and State Lawsname redactedSenior SpecialistAmerican Law DivisionSummaryTerrorists attacks on the World Trade
2、Center, the Pentagon, the Murrah FederalBuilding in Oklahoma City and the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania havestimulated demands that the terrorists responsible and those like them be brought tojustice. American criminal law already proscribes many of these acts of terrorism andthere have b
3、een proposals to expand that coverage. Ordinarily, crime is proscribed by the law of the place where it occurs, but morethan a few American criminal laws apply to terrorism committed outside the UnitedStates. The power to enact such laws flows from the Constitution and is usually limitedby little mo
4、re than due process notice. Practicality and reluctance to offend other nationshave traditionally limited American exercise of such authority to instances where thereis a discernible nexus to the United States. Yet where there is a clear connection to theUnited States, American criminal law, primari