> I'll give you that as a political motive, albeit an idiotic one. In which case, it would be terrorism.
Doesn't *need* to be politically motivated to be "terrorism." Religion works too. I'm sure there soon will be, if there hasn't already been, *sports* related terrorism. Soccer hooligans, perhaps. PO'ed Paki cricketters.
> In either case, he should be given the maximum penalty for the maximum charge that he can be charged with.
First degree attempted murder. Which, IMO, should carry the same penalty as *actual* murder (just because you failed doesn't change your intent).
When religions get involved in terrorism, it is never just a religion, it is a political group with political aims, under the guise of religious zealotry.
If you want to charge everybody engaged in hooligannery with terrorism, be my guest - but it is a waste of time when the terrorists we want are the prolific ones who do it all the time for political, psuedo-religious reasons. I don't want to dilute our anti-terror resources and credentials to go after an idiot who let a poisonous snake loose in a theater. Yes, local police should get on it and find the perpetrator and throw the book at him, but getting the NSA, FBI, and CIA involved would be overkill without evidence that it is part of a concerted effort to kill large numbers of Americans or create fear of public spaces in large numbers.