The Associated Press has shown it has difficulty stating just what a terrorist is -- a terrorist. In an article today at MSNBC.com (which may or may not have created/edited the headline) titled "Palestinian 'terrorist' in earth-mover rampage," we see how the term "terrorist" has quotes around it -- which signifies, in this case, the loathsome notion that "one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter." Not only are said quotes used in the headline, but in the article as well:
A Palestinian man plowed an enormous construction vehicle into cars, buses and pedestrians on a busy street Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding at least 45 before he was shot dead by an off-duty soldier.
Traffic was halted and hundreds of people fled in panic through the streets in the heart of downtown Jerusalem as medics treated the wounded.
Three Palestinian militant groups took responsibility for the attack, but Israeli police referred to the attacker as a "terrorist" acting on his own.
The caption under the accompanying photo, too, states that "An injured Israeli child is carried by a medic from a bus after it was rammed by a earth-mover in an apparent terror attack in Jerusalem ..."
The "terrorist" quotation marks were used despite, as noted, three known terrorist organizations are claiming credit for the attack: the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, the Galilee Freedom Battalion, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Hamas didn't take any credit, but nonetheless praised the attack. Maybe the quotes were utilized because Israeli police brushed off the three groups' claims and said the attacker acted alone? Perhaps, but wait -- they referred to the attacker as a "terrorist!" (Highly likely sans the quotation marks, even though the AP used them.)
