Terrorism is a criminal act in nearly all national and international legal codes. In Yugoslav jurisprudence, terrorism is sanctioned as a specific criminal act (Article 125 of the Criminal Law of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), for which the severest penalties are foreseen.

On June 27, 1996, in response to the attack in Dhahran (Saudi Arabia) in which a large number of American citizens lost their lives, a Declaration on terrorism was signed in Lyon by the Group of Seven nations, consisting of the USA, Canada, Japan, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. The declaration stresses that terrorism is a great challenge for all societies. Terrorism deserves absolute condemnation regardless of the perpetrator or the motive. Terrorism is a horrible crime and so there must be no justification for it or exceptions to bringing its perpetrators to justice. The declaration emphasizes the determination of all countries to fight against terrorism through all legal means. The countries signing the declaration advise all states to deny support to terrorists and calls upon them to support efforts to prevent all terrorist activities, including: fund-raising, planning actions, obtaining weapons, calls for violence, and the incitement of terrorist acts. The Group of Seven consider the fight against terrorism an absolute priority and are therefore applying all possible measures to strengthen the capacity of the international community to defeat terrorism.