18 U.S.C. 2331 defines terms including domestic terrorism and international terrorism. It does not, standing alone, set out a criminal offense with a prison sentence. A prosecution must identify an actual charging statute and prove that offense’s elements. A terrorism label in a news report is not a substitute for that analysis. [1][2]
Domestic terrorism
The definition concerns activities involving acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state criminal law. The activities must appear intended to intimidate or coerce civilians, influence government policy through intimidation or coercion, or affect government conduct through mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. They must occur primarily within U.S. territorial jurisdiction. [1]
That combination matters. An unpopular political belief, lawful protest, or offensive statement does not by itself satisfy the definition’s dangerous criminal-act requirements. The actual conduct and evidence of the apparent intended purpose must be considered.
International terrorism
The international definition similarly includes violent or dangerous acts and specified apparent purposes. Its geographic element concerns conduct primarily outside U.S. jurisdiction or transcending national boundaries in the ways the statute describes. Nationality alone does not determine which definition applies. [1]
Definitions, charges, and sentencing are different
Section 2332b, for example, creates offenses involving specified conduct transcending national boundaries, with its own jurisdictional requirements and penalties. Other cases may involve different statutes. Prosecutors cannot establish those offenses merely by quoting section 2331. [2]
Another distinct term, a federal crime of terrorism, appears in section 2332b(g)(5). It combines an enumerated-offense requirement with the specified relationship to government conduct. Whether a sentencing provision applies requires examining its own wording and the court’s findings. [2]
Read the case documents precisely
- Identify every statute charged in the indictment.
- Distinguish allegations from admissions, verdicts, and sentencing findings.
- Check the jurisdictional connection required by each offense.
- Read the actual statutory maximum and applicable sentencing decision.
For a closer look at one charging statute, see 18 USC 2332b penalties and jurisdiction. Speech-related allegations may also require careful analysis of true threats and the Supreme Court's Counterman decision. The statutory vocabulary should clarify the legal question rather than collapse these separate requirements.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.