"Act of Terror" is an episode of JAG that first aired on October 27, 1998. Directed by Alan J Levi. Written by Larry Moskowitz.
Men in wetsuits on a boat sneak up to a US Navy ship the Wake Island and try to blow it up. They are discovered and stopped, with one of them even being taken alive. When he is arriving onto US soil in irons, a marine shoots him in cold blood.
Lt. Commander Rabb is assigned to defend, while Major MacKenzie prosecutes. Rabb is initially going for an insanity defense, along with an appeal to emotion, but suddenly the marine fires Rabb and gets a civilian attorney — Mac's old law professor Juanita Ressler (Tina Lifford).
Rabb suspects that a right-wing businessman and political donor Percival Bertram (Barry Corbin) may be involved. Something also bothers him about the shooting itself, and the fact that the investigating FBI agent seems to be concealing something. But can he do anything, since he is off the case?
Tropes:
- Based on a True Story: The bombing of the Wake Island resembles the bombing of the USS Cole. And the rich Saudi mastermind is a weak expy of Osama bin Laden.
- Call-Back: Thanks to a couple of returning guest stars:
- To "People v. Rabb": FBI Agent Novack (Shashawnee Hall) was the investigator into Rabb's alleged murder in that episode, and still holds a grudge against Rabb for "getting away with it".
- To "Heroes": Admiral Morris (Harrison Page) reminds Rabb that he discharged a firearm in his courtroom, and cautions him not to do so again; he later reacts with great concern when Rabb picks up a gun during the trial of Corporal Barry.
- Death Faked for You: The marine did shoot the terrorist, but he didn't die, as the FBI had put a vest on him to prevent assassination by his cohorts. Seeing an opportunity to make the attack's mastermind get complacent and reveal his location, the FBI fake his death, even allowing the Navy to try the marine for murder. Harm finds out, but convinces everyone to play along.
- Forensic Accounting: Agent Novack investigates the trail of money from the terrorists and discovers that the Wake Island attack, and others, had been financed indirectly (or so it appears) by Bertram.
- Middle Eastern Terrorists: Featured here.
- Vigilante Execution: Two of 'em, in fact. First, a suspected terrorist is transported back to the United States, but a Marine guard shoots at him on live TV coverage. The Marine is charged with murder in a court-martial. However, the suspected terrorist survived because he wore a protective vest and the FBI takes the suspect away for interrogation, unbeknownst to everyone. Harm discovers this because there was a major discrepancy between the autopsy report and the video footage. The Marine charged with murder receives top civilian counsel provided by a right-wing businessman. But it turns out that the businessman has made money transfers to terrorist suspects in Saudi Arabia, and while he agrees to let the FBI apprehend the next receiver, that one is gunned down in a drive-by shooting. The episode ends with the businessman smiling.
