Running head: ARSON SPREE 1

Arson Spree

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
ARSON SPREE 2

Arson Spree

Personal View

It is very wrong to relate the fire outbreaks that occurred in Los Angel as a form of

domestic terrorism. I firmly believe that the fires were continuously caused by the German

citizen Harry Burkhart. When Harry was tried in court to answer the allegations, the prosecutors

revealed that the fires immediately began after the mistreatment of her mother in Los Angeles.

Another apparent reason that makes it easy to relate the arsonist with the fires is that, after he

was kept in custody, the fires stopped and no other fires incidences were evidenced in Los Angel.

The fires can, therefore, be linked to the German foreigner who resided in Los Angel, US and

was trying to revenge to the act that the act was done to her mother that he considered both

unlawful. I disagree that the main reason was domestic terrorism.

Response to the Classmate

Seemingly, the definition of domestic terrorism is misunderstood. I strongly disagree

with the conditions that my classmate have set to qualify an attack in the form of domestic

terrorism, and there my point of objection lies on that basis. Domestic terrorism only occurs

when victims of a given state or country are targeted for harm, by the citizenship of the same

country or state. If this understanding is taken, then it becomes much easier to disqualify the fact

that, Los Angel fires set by Harry Burkhart, as my fellow also ascertains was a domestic

terrorism case. Harry was a German international, and it is even proved during the court hearing

that the victim had an ongoing case in his own country. However, I agree with my classmate

with the fact that the victim was undergoing a mental disorder treatment, but this does not

qualify the fire incidence to be domestic terrorism. He was indeed undergoing treatment, but this
ARSON SPREE 3

comes later after causing lots of fires. There are no pieces of evidence as to whether become so

after finishing all the attacks. My classmate is therefore correct while explaining the conditions

of Harry, but slightly wrong to say that the fires were as a result of domestic terrorism.