“Robespierre passed the ‘Law of Suspects’, allowing the government to essentially imprison anyone they wanted for any reason. It was impossible to tell friend from foe back then; you never knew if someone was a loyalist, or a Christian, or an Austrian spy, or any number of counter-revolutionaries. So people were required to carry special certificates indicating that they were good and dutiful citizens. Those without would be imprisoned, and potentially executed. It turns out that ‘terrorist’ was originally a term used to describe the government officials who created and executed these oppressive tactics under the guise of keeping people safe from their enemies.”
https://www.sovereignman.com/trends/frances-answer-to-terrorism-the-law-of-suspects-18244/