If ever a concept has been overworked, it is certainly that of terrorism. That what is designated through this term for some is generally not what is meant by the opposite camp. We have thus retained the definition given by Michaël Dantinne and Vincent Seron, following the example of Alex Schmid, in the ‘Chronology of Terrorism’ found in the Revue de droit pénal et de criminologie, pp. 840 to 875, published La Charte, 2003,).

Terrorism is a method of repeated violent actions, causing anxiety, used by (semi) clandestine individuals, groups or state actants, for criminal or political reasons, and in which – on the contrary to assassinations – the direct targets are not the main targets. The immediate human victims of the violence are generally chosen at random (opportunistic targets) or selectively (symbolic or representative targets) at the heart of the population target and serve to send out a message. The process of communication founded on threats and violence between terrorist organisations, victims and main targets are used to manipulate the main target, turning it into a target of terror, a target for making demands or a target to attract the attention of, all dependent on whether or not the plans involve intimidation, coercion or propaganda.