ABSTRACT
The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) operated in the 1970s and targeted banks, initiated kidnappings, and bombed and killed law enforcement personnel, but it was seen as a revolutionary or radical group that was disgruntled with the government. Even after the final arrests, convictions, and sentencing of the remaining members in 2002 and 2003, approximately 30 years after the crime spree and killing began, they were still viewed as a fad or leftist group. They were also described as a group whose time had passed, and its members were described as criminals who were convicted and sentenced for traditional crimes. What makes this group different from members of al-Qaeda, besides al-Qaeda’s international ties and size? Perhaps it was the fact that members of the SLA were citizens of the U.S. and looked and acted like the majority of other criminals or gangs.
