Talk:Suicide attack

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Suicide attack vs suicide bombing

It looks like this article is a mosaic of editing from people with different takes on whether it should be about suicide attacks in general or suicide bombing specifically, with the articles oscillating pretty wildly and confusingly between the two scopes. Iskandar323 (talk) 13:12, 24 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Sicarii don't belong here

Looking at Josephus, practically the only source there is about the Sicarii, he doesn't mention any suicide attacks at all. (Quotes all from the translations available on Wikisource.)

Certain of those robbers went up to the city, as if they were going to worship God, while they had daggers under their garments, and by thus mingling themselves among the multitude they slew Jonathan and as this murder was never avenged, the robbers went up with the greatest security at the festivals after this time; and having weapons concealed in like manner as before, and mingling themselves among the multitude, they slew certain of their own enemies, and were subservient to other men for money; and slew others, not only in remote parts of the city, but in the temple itself also; for they had the boldness to murder men there, without thinking of the impiety of which they were guilty...
— The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX, Chapter 8

And then it was that the sicarii, as they were called, who were robbers, grew numerous... for they mingled themselves among the multitude at their festivals, when they were come up in crowds from all parts to the city to worship God, as we said before, and easily slew those that they had a mind to slay. They also came frequently upon the villages belonging to their enemies, with their weapons, and plundered them, and set them on fire.
— The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX, Chapter 9

When the country was purged of these, there sprang up another sort of robbers in Jerusalem, which were called Sicarii, who slew men in the day time, and in the midst of the city; this they did chiefly at the festivals, when they mingled themselves among the multitude, and concealed daggers under their garments, with which they stabbed those that were their enemies; and when any fell down dead, the murderers became a part of those that had indignation against them; by which means they appeared persons of such reputation, that they could by no means be discovered.
— The Wars of The Jews, Book II, Chapter 13

And when they had joined to themselves many of the Sicarii, who crowded in among the weaker people (that was the name for such robbers as had under their bosoms swords called Sicae), they grew bolder, and carried their undertaking further; insomuch that the king's soldiers were overpowered by their multitude and boldness; and so they gave way, and were driven out of the upper city by force.
— The Wars of The Jews, Book II, Chapter 17

Josephus does mention Sicarii present at the Siege of Masada, but that wasn't a suicide attack, that was just a plain ol' mass suicide. Heck, out of both the sources cited, one is a passing mention and other mainly covers the aforementioned Siege of Masada. At the very least, a rewrite is warranted. ZionniThePeruser (talk) 03:25, 17 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]