‘When you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families.’ Donald Trump, cited A Very Heavy Agenda
‘I would bomb the shit out of ’em.’ ibid.
In the early hours of March 2nd 1953 the most powerful man in the world lay dying alone. He had suffered a stroke at least twelve hours ago. His guards were worried but they did not dare go into his bedroom. How could a man worshipped by millions be left to lie helpless soaked in his own urine? Stalin had built an empire on a framework of terror justifying it in the name of a political faith, and through it he ruled his country, his government, his party and his family. Stalin: Inside the Terror, BBC 2003
In the Soviet Union his image was everywhere; he had become a living icon. The subject of a cult of personality. ibid.
The real man was a mass of contradictions. A dictator whose position was unassailable yet who was haunted by paranoia. Stalin used terror more effectively and scientifically than any other ruler. ibid.
Family photos show a warm gentle man surrounded by daughters, son, aunts, in-laws … Most of the people in these photos would be destroyed by him. ibid.
Stalin proved his usefulness to the Bolshevik cause by his diligent work as a bank robber and agitator. His reward was a post on the party’s central committee. ibid.
He loathed the intellectual arrogance of the silver-tongued Trotsky. ibid.
Stalin now had control of the party machinery; he would use it over the next six years to destroy Trotsky and all his other rivals. ibid.
Over 100,000 people in Leningrad alone would be imprisoned or shot. ibid.
‘The terror was organised deliberately from the centre … It was done by quota, by numbers, and not even by name.’ ibid. Simon Sebag Montefiore
The circle of terror slowly closed in on everyone, tightening and tightening until it touched his own family. ibid.
Those he hadn’t killed were rotting in the camps. ibid.
The man he chose to deliver the final coup was the Georgian secret policeman who had been looking after his mother: Lavrentiy Beria. ibid.
Stalin decreed that the wives and families of prisoners should be treated as traitors. ibid.
He had won the war and conquered eastern Europe. ibid.
His family had started to disappear as early as 1938, but for them the terror never stopped. ibid.
That’s right. We don’t submit to terror. We make the terror. House of Cards s4e13: Chapter 52, Frank, Netflix 2016
I’ve been meaning to talk with you. It’s terrifying isn’t it? The president and I have a simple request: tell us what you see. If anything in your environment strikes you as a bit odd, a bit off, pick up the phone, whether it’s a package or a person that seems out of place, we’d love you to let us know … My husband and I want to protect you. House of Cards US s5e1: Chapter 53, Claire, Netflix 2017
It’s amazing how ready people are to be afraid. ibid.
These masks will be distributed to all MTA engineers, conductors and maintenance workers, and this model is highly effective in case of chemical attack. House of Cards s5e2: Chapter 43, Claire
President Enacts Border Restrictions: Conway Campaign Responds To President’s Comments. ibid. Fox News banner headline
It was a January morning and five very close friends with a common goal and lots to hide were driving along the highway … It was a trap: every road worker was really an undercover cop. The Fifth Estate: Direct Action: Ann Hansen & the Squamish Five, CBC 2016
A debate would erupt over the line between protest and terrorism. Canada had rarely seen the likes of these five. ibid.
They called themselves Direct Action; the media dubbed them the Squamish Five. They’d been on a two-year streak of politically motivated destruction. ibid.
San Bernardino, 2nd December 2015 10.35 a.m.: ‘We hear some loud bangs outside’ … ‘Someone busted through the door’ … ‘And this black-clad figure started shooting’ … ‘I remember a coworker screaming’ … ‘All hell let loose’ … Active Shooter: America. Under Fire s1e2: San Bernadino, California, Showtime 2017
36 people had been shot in the attack. Multiple victims died before they could receive medical aid. ibid.
Syed Farook was driving the SUV. Also in the car was his wife, Tashfeen Malik – the second shooter. ibid.
Vienna, December 21st 1975: The Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries, OPEC, is meeting to once again raise the price of oil. Recreated here is one of history’s boldest terrorist operations: Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, alias Carlos, with his gang quietly enter OPEC headquarters. Their plan: to hold the powerful oil ministers hostage and kill the two most important members … Who is Carlos? How did he dare dictate terms to OPEC and become the Most Wanted Man in the world? In Search of s4e2 … Carlos, The Most Wanted Man in the World, 1979
He holds 62 hostages at gunpoint in the conference room. ibid.
Bombings, assassination attempts and for the coldblooded killing of at least six men. ibid.
Years of terrorist crimes in Europe. ibid.
Paris, June 28 1973: Do you have time for breakfast? Carlos 2010 starring Edgar Ramirez & Alexander Scheer & Nora von Waldstatten & Ahmad Kaabour & Christoph Bach & Susanne Wuest & Anna Thalbach & Julia Hummer et al, director Olivier Assayas, opening line
No, look at Che. He ended up dead and he had a lot more experience than us. ibid. her & him
Weapons are made to be touched. ibid. him to her
He fingered me right before my eyes. ibid. bloke to boss
I decide who lives and who dies, not you. ibid. boss to bloke
Our leader Saddam Hussein talks about you a great deal. He says you are brave and cool-headed. ibid. old bloke with cigar
Johannes Weinrich was arrested in 1994 in Yemen, then extradited to Germany. He is currently serving a life sentence in a Berlin prison. ibid. caption
Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the Lord's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. Lamentations 2:22
I told them [FBI] I had had this man in my life for 21 years, relentless and viciously. In November 2014 he sent me a poem called How to Make Your Own Pet Owl … ‘take a human, smash the arms …’ Unravaled: The Stalker’s Web, victim Rachael, Quest Red 2022
Some online stalkers never let their victims go. ibid. Alexis
Alexis and I [Billy] are partners on True Crime podcasts and we’re investigative journalists. For more than two years we’ve been treading on the heels of one of the most elusive and dangerous online predators either of us has ever seen. ibid. Billy
For decades he waged a relentless campaign of terror against an untold number of victims stretching further were ever thought possible. ibid. Alexis
His name was not Chris. His first name was actually Jason. Jason Christopher Hughes. ibid. victim Rachael
Christopher Hughes sent Rachael photos of burned babies. ibid.
Up to 50 different men and women. ibid.
He feels rejection very acutely. He felt it from his father. ibid. Jason’s mother
… Plead guilty to one single count … [366 days, plus 3 years supervised release with special conditions & $3,000 fine] ibid.
May 22nd 2017: A British-born terrorist is about to detonate a suicide bomb at a pop concert killing 22 people and injuring more than 1,000 others. It was an attack that shocked our nation. Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing, ITV 2022
2012: Salman Abedi remains in Libya a year before returning to Manchester. ibid.
A homemade suicide bomb has been detonated packed with thousands of nuts and bolts. Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing II
They all had countless bullet wounds, the Israelis. 1972: Munich’s Black September, rozzer, Sky Documentaries 2022
Our home and land were taken from us. ibid. Palestinian