18 U.S.C. § 2280a — Violence against maritime navigation and maritime transport involving weapons of mass destruction

(a) Offenses. Subject to subsection (c), a person who unlawfully and intentionally: (1)(A), with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or international organization^* to act or not act, (i) uses against or discharges from a ship explosive or radioactive material or a biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device likely to cause death or serious injury or damage, (ii) discharges oil, liquefied natural gas, or another hazardous or noxious substance in a quantity or concentration likely to cause those results, or (iii) uses a ship in a way causing or likely to cause those results; (B) transports aboard a ship, knowing the required facts, (i) explosive or radioactive material intended to cause or threaten death or serious injury or damage for that intimidating or compelling purpose, (ii) a biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device, (iii) source material, special fissionable material, or specially prepared equipment or material intended for a nuclear explosive activity or unsafeguarded nuclear activity, unless transported to/from or under a Non-Proliferation Treaty State Party’s control and the transfer does not violate that party’s treaty obligations, (iv) equipment, material, software, or technology significantly contributing to nuclear-weapon design or manufacture, intended for that purpose, unless transferred to or under a Nuclear Weapon State Party and the transfer does not violate applicable treaty obligations, (v) such items significantly contributing to nuclear-weapon delivery, intended for that purpose, unless the stated treaty-party conditions and intended delivery-system condition apply, or (vi) items significantly contributing to biological- or chemical-weapon design, manufacture, or delivery, intended for that purpose; (C) transports aboard a ship a person known to have committed an offense under section 2280, this section’s (A), (B), (D), or (E), or an applicable treaty, intending to help evade prosecution; (D) injures or kills someone during an offense or attempted offense in (A)–(C), or an (a)(2) offense concerning (A); or (E) attempts an act in (A), (B), or (D), or conspires to commit an act in (A)–(E) or (a)(2), may be fined, imprisoned up to 20 years, or both. If death results, imprisonment may be for any number of years or life. (2) A person who threatens, with apparent determination to carry it out, an act in (1)(A) may be fined, imprisoned up to 5 years, or both.

(b) Jurisdiction. Jurisdiction exists for a covered ship under the same U.S.-vessel, U.S.-location, U.S.-national or entity, U.S.-victim, and later-found-in-the-U.S. conditions listed in section 2280(b)(1); for a ship confined to another country’s territorial sea or internal waters when the offender is later found in the United States; and for any vessel when the act tries to compel the United States to act or not act.

(c) Exceptions. The section does not apply to armed-forces activities during armed conflict governed by the law of war, or state military forces acting officially.

(d) Forfeiture. Property used or intended for a violation or its facilitation, gross proceeds, and traceable property are forfeitable. Chapter 46 civil-forfeiture rules apply, with the same reassignment of Treasury duties described in section 2280(g)(2).