[TeMPOraL]

Upvoted, I strongly agree. Sure there were many acts of terror committed in the past, but I remember we started using the label terrorist in my country after 9/11. We used to call people like IRA bombers, etc. zamachowiec (Polish for assassin, but covers suicide bombings and similar stuff), guerilla warriors, etc. but everyone suddenly became terrorist after the Towers fell.

[rmc]

The IRA were called "terrorist" by the UK Government at the time. They had the "Prevention of Terrorism Acts"[1], and the then head of Government (Thatcher), said they wouldn't negotiate with terrorists.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevention_of_Terrorism_Acts