# § 3077. Definitions
As used in this chapter, the term—
**(1)** “act of terrorism” means an act of domestic or international terrorism as defined in section 2331;
**(2)** “United States person” means—
**(A)** a national of the United States as defined in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22));
**(B)** an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States as defined in section 101(a)(20) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20));
**(C)** any person within the United States;
**(D)** any employee or contractor of the United States Government, regardless of nationality, who is the victim or intended victim of an act of terrorism by virtue of that employment;
**(E)** a sole proprietorship, partnership, company, or association composed principally of nationals or permanent resident aliens of the United States; and
**(F)** a corporation organized under the laws of the United States, any State, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States, and a foreign subsidiary of such corporation;
**(3)** “United States property” means any real or personal property which is within the United States or, if outside the United States, the actual or beneficial ownership of which rests in a United States person or any Federal or State governmental entity of the United States;
**(4)** “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, includes Puerto Rico and all territories and possessions of the United States;
**(5)** “State” includes any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other possession or territory of the United States;
**(6)** “government entity” includes the Government of the United States, any State or political subdivision thereof, any foreign country, and any state, provincial, municipal, or other political subdivision of a foreign country;
**(7)** “Attorney General” means the Attorney General of the United States or that official designated by the Attorney General to perform the Attorney General’s responsibilities under this chapter; and
**(8)** “act of espionage” means an activity that is a violation of—
**(A)** section 793, 794, or 798 of this title; or
**(B)** section 4 of the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950.
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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 98–533, title I, § 101(a), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2707; amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7051, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4401; Pub. L. 101–647, title XXXV, § 3572, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4929; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330021(1), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2150; Pub. L. 103–359, title VIII, § 803(b), Oct. 14, 1994, 108 Stat. 3439; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 605(g), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3510; Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, § 802(b), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 376.)
## Editorial Notes
### References in Text
Section 4 of the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950, referred to in par. (8)(B), is classified to , War and National Defense.
### Amendments
2001—Par. (1). amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “ ‘act of terrorism’ means an activity that—
“(A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and
“(B) appears to be intended—
“(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
“(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
“(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping;”.
1996—Par. (8)(A). substituted “this title” for “title 18, United States Code”.
1994—Par. (1)(B)(iii). substituted “kidnapping” for “kidnaping”.
Par. (8). added par. (8).
1990— substituted a semicolon for a period at end of pars. (1) to (3), moved the comma from before the close quotation mark to after that mark in par. (4), substituted a semicolon for a period at end of par. (5), and substituted “; and” for period at end of par. (6).
1988—Par. (4). amended par. (4) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (4) read as follows: “ ‘United States’—
“(A) when used in a geographical sense, includes Puerto Rico and all territories and possessions of the United States; and
“(B) when used in the context of section 3073 shall have the meaning given to it in the Immigration and Nationality Act ( et seq.).”