Combat Zone: Your Neighborhood

Up until now, homegrown Islamic terrorism had been a French or British problem. Now it may be an American problem as well after two immigrant brothers from Chechnya are said to have been responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. It’s not so easy defending against domestic terrorism.

Most residents of Watertown, Mass., probably didn’t waste time thinking about the Caucasus as they prepared for bed Thursday night. But when they woke up on Friday morning, they were informed that two brothers from Chechnya sought as suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing had engaged in a wild firefight with police right in their midst that resulted in the death of one of the brothers. The second brother, the police warned, was still at large and was considered armed and dangerous.

Perhaps it’s time that we start getting used to such things in this age of international terrorism. The pretty, peaceful streets of a U.S. suburb can become a combat zone overnight, just as the finish line of a marathon run can be transformed into a battlefield within seconds.

From the lack of information available, it’s still too early to assemble an extensive terrorist plot out of the events in Boston over the past few days. The U.S. authorities are reasonably certain that brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev set off the shrapnel bomb in Boston. It’s also apparent that they didn’t shrink from the prospect of killing others or of dying themselves.

Personal Jihad or Contract Job?

Practically everything else about the case is pure speculation. Why the two young men — one 26 and the other 19 — turned to terrorism is unknown. When they came to America years ago, they were obviously too young to have brought terrorist attack plans with them in their luggage. Had they been recruited by a terrorist organization since then? Did they find their own way to radical Islam by themselves? Were the Boston attacks ordered by higher authority or were they just a militant act in a completely personal jihad being waged against America by the brothers? Or, in the final analysis, were they just the acts of two bored and frustrated young guys out to get their hands on some weapons to show the world a thing or two?

The answers to these questions will depend on America’s response to the terrorism. Thus far, President Obama’s response has been calm and measured. If the trail leads back to Russian territory, however, things could get tricky. Obama can kill terror suspects in Yemen, Somalia or Pakistan using unmanned drones. But how about Chechnya?

Plus, the possibility that the immigrant brothers became radicalized after they had lived for a time in the United States isn’t very comforting. Homegrown terrorism is extremely difficult to defend against. America’s strength has traditionally resided in accepting foreigners into American society and making them into proud citizens. Homegrown Islamic assassins had only been a problem in France or Great Britain. Since Friday morning, perhaps it’s now also an American problem.