The attacks in Paris likely cost under $10,000
After taking into account the number of weapons that were purchased, explosives that were made, and housing and transportation, it's likely the deadly attacks in Paris on Friday cost $10,000 or less.
"Terrorism is not an expensive sport," a former senior Treasury Department official told NBC News, and a senior counterterrorism official said the most high-priced items would have been AK-47s purchased on the black market.
The total cost of an attack depends on the size and location; the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen likely cost between $5,000 to $10,000, since Aden is the poorest place on the Arabian Peninsula, NBC News says. The 2002 suicide and car bombings in Bali cost $74,000, and was more expensive because it took place in a resort area, with higher prices for lodging. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were expensive due to the scale of the operation, which included travel and pilot training. A 9/11 Commission report found that the attacks cost $500,000, with $300,000 going to living expenses; at the time, the CIA estimates al Qaeda had a $35 million budget. The plotters didn't end up spending all of their money, and $26,000 was sent back to al Qaeda shortly before Sept. 11.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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