What is the difference between a terrorist and serial killer?

Question came up on my previous thread by "P3ACE0WAR" www.abovetopsecret.com...

So what is the difference, what defines one from the other?

My view: Terrorist plan their plots and serial killers just do it there and then.


Yours?

reply to post by Alpal


Serial killers, or "stranger killers" as they were originally called are just murderers.

Terrorists are those who use terror, or the threat of terror, to political ends.

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


Killing prostitutes to make a political statement, or religious hence "ban prostitution", could be regarded as terrorism?

When I first read your original comment, my first thought was a terrorist is willing to lose their life for the cause, big numbers of people at once. It sounds bad, but to me i think a terrorist is thinking big, big numbers, big places
Serial killers are more secluded, victims are one by one, they dont go to crowded places

What the hell is set off in their heads anyway to do things like that

Serial Killers do it because they want to.

Terrorists do it because the US war machine pays them to

reply to post by Alpal


Remember - one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

'Terrorism' is usually politically motivated, and is usually carried out by people who view themselves as victimized or as being under unjust occupation by a foreign power...or as someone else mentioned, it's done on a false-flag basis by political powerhouses trying to prompt regime change or other benefits (problem - reaction - solution).

Mass murderers of various stripe usually have other motivations, some less crazy or perverted than others.

Nothing.

Serial Killer was so 80's. Now it is all about the terrorist.

Terrorists are people who are desperate for change. They aren't always "evil bad boogie men" but they unfortunately use the "evil bad boogie man's" methods. It's often the out-lashing of oppressed people to force political change, except in the case of what's going on in the Middle East, where it's mostly a farce and for the personal politics of TPTB.

Serial killers are just murderers, often crazy ones. They have no political issues usually, but may have some personal issues.



(There's your connection.)

A series killer is someone who has murdered 3 or more people over a period of time rather than killing a lod of people in 1 hit. For example some who walks into a school and shoot the crap out of a load of people would be a mass murderer, not a serial killer. I terrorist could be likened to that and to be honest, I'm not too sure what this difference between a terrorist and a mass murderer is. I suppose that probably comes down to motive.

EDIT: Alpal, I wouldn't say serial killers don't plan, I'm pretty sure Jack The Ripper had at least a reasonable idea of what he was going to do on the nights he killed, although he probably didn't know exactly who.