How to define the terrorist attack???

I, an old man, have not seen authoritative definition of terrorist attack. I even do not know if there is an authoritative definition. So, I am anxious what can be defined as a terrorist attack?

I read the news in the western media, got a smattering definition personally, deeply felt that the knowledge within it was huge.

First, terrorist attacks can not be the attacks with broadswords. If a person or group of people, carrying three-foot long shining broadswords, slashing on the streets or railway station, killing dozens to hundreds of innocent people, even the women and children being not spared, it is not a terrorist attack. Not believe? Dozens of people at Kunming railway station and hundreds of people on the streets of Urumqi were hacked to death in China. Although the Chinese government and people have repeatedly claimed which are terrorist attacks, but the government and the media in democratic countries said Beijing’s oppression of minorities, no mention of terrorist attacks at all.

Second, terrorist attacks can not be the attacks using military aircrafts or artilleries. If a person, a group, an organization, or a country, with military aircrafts and artilleries, go to another country, bomb and smash it: the towns and villages are bombed from the air, the wedding ceremony are fired by machine guns from the sky, and the women and children are killed from their sleep, it is not called a terrorist attack, but called for safeguarding world peace, called collatoral damage, called stuff happens. Not believe? Look at Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, you will understand. So, if a man hated somebody, killed him with aircraft and artillery, will never be charged as terrorists.
 

Due to limited damage of stones and bows, the weapons terrorists can be used are limited to the guns and the bombs. Yeah, that's right! The best is a homemade bomb, which can be strapped to his waist. However, these alone are not enough. It has come to the right place. You see, in Iraq, Libya and Syria, shooting and bombing happened all the day, dozens of innocent people was killed frequently, but these are not defined as a terrorist attack. They are called as violence.
 

Therefore, terrorist attacks can only occur in democratic countries. If a democracy country is fired by a gun or placed with a bomb, causing the death of the people, it is a terrorist attack.

(translated by 雨岩大叔 and original article from 山高路遠)