(from The State Department gopher at
http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/dosfan.html)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
1995 APRIL: PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM, 1994
OFFICE OF THE CORRDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM
Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1994
Introduction
Terrorism continued to menace civil society in 1994. Although
international terrorism declined worldwide, there was an upsurge of
attacks by Islamic extremist groups, including many aimed at
undermining the Middle East peace process. The Clinton
administration increased cooperative efforts with many nations to
reduce the threat of terrorism.
Examples of serious acts of international terrorism in 1994 were:
-- The bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires in July
that killed nearly 100 persons.
-- The hijacking in December of an Air France jet by the Algerian
Armed Islamic Group, who are waging a massive campaign of terrorism
against Algerians and foreigners in Algeria.
-- Attacks against foreign tourists by Islamic radicals in Egypt
and by the PKK in Turkey.
-- The bombing of a Panamanian commuter aircraft that killed 21
persons.
Extremists opposed to the Arab-Israeli peace process dramatically
increased the scale and frequency of their attacks in Israel, the
West Bank, and Gaza. More than 100 civilians died in these attacks
in 1994.
This pattern of terrorism in 1994 reflects a trend in recent years
of a decline in attacks by secular terrorist groups and an increase
in terrorist activities by radical Islamic groups. These groups are
a small minority in the Islamic world, and most Islamic countries,
as well as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, have
condemned religious extremism and violence. Nevertheless, terrorism
in Islamic guise is a problem for established governments in the
Middle East and a threat to the Arab-Israeli peace process.
There have been important positive developments as well in the fight
against international terrorism:
-- Two radical Arab regimes long involved in sponsoring and
supporting terrorism in the Middle EastũLibya and Iraqũare isolated.
-- Iran, while still a major state sponsor of terrorism, is under
considerable economic pressure.
-- The old Soviet Union, once a protector of radical terrorist
states and organizations, is gone.
-- The conflicts in Northern Ireland and South Africa, regarded in
the past as intractable, have also yielded to processes of peaceful
settlement, and the main protagonists have halted the use of terror
and violence as a political weapon.
-- Counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation among nations
has grown, increasing the pressure on terrorists, and there is a
growing international consensus that terrorism is beyond the pale.
-- The Arab-Israeli conflict, which has bred much terror and
violence, has taken a historic turn toward resolution. Israel and
the PLO have concluded an agreement on interim self-government in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Jordan has followed Egypt in making
peace with Israel; other Arab states are establishing contacts with
Israel; and Syria and Israel are engaged in a process of
negotiations. Nevertheless, those opposed to the peace process
dramatically increased their rear-guard terrorist campaigns in
Israel and the West Bank and Gaza aimed at destroying the process.
US counterterrorism policy follows three general rules:
-- First, do not make deals with terrorists or submit to blackmail.
We have found over the years that this policy works.
-- Second, treat terrorists as criminals and apply the rule of law.
-- Third, bring maximum pressure on states that sponsor and support
terrorists by imposing economic, diplomatic, and political sanctions
and urging other states to do likewise.
Because terrorism is a global problem, the Clinton administration is
deeply engaged in cooperation with other governments in an
international effort to combat terrorism:
-- US intelligence and law enforcement agencies have an active
network of cooperative relations with counterparts in scores of
friendly countries.
-- The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the
Department of State conducts consultations on counterterrorism with
many other governments. There are similar consultations in the G-7
and the European Union.
-- There are now 11 treaties and conventions that commit
signatories to combat various terrorist crimes. The United States
urges governments that have not signed and ratified these to do so
promptly.
-- The Department of State's antiterrorism training assistance
program has trained over 15,000 law enforcement personnel from more
than 80 countries over 10 years in counterterrorism techniques.
-- The United States and other nations fund an active
counterterrorism research and development program that strengthens
our capability in such areas as plastic explosives detection.
-- Finally, the United States offers rewards of up to $2 million
for information that leads to the prevention or favorable resolution
of a terrorist attack against US persons.
Civilized people everywhere are outraged by terrorist crimes. The
scars are long lasting, and there is no recompense for victims. But
terrorists are a small minority, whose crimes, deadly as they are,
cannot be allowed to intimidate the forces of peace and democracy.
The message to terrorists from Americans and other free people and
nations is that we are strong, vigilant, and determined to defeat
terrorism.
Legislative Requirements
This report is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United
States Code, Section 2656f(a), which requires the Department of
State to provide Congress a full and complete annual report on
terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of
Section (a)(1) and (2) of the Act. As required by legislation, the
report includes detailed assessments of foreign countries where
significant terrorist acts occurred and countries about which
Congress was notified during the preceding five years pursuant to
Section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (the so-called
terrorism list countries that have repeatedly provided state support
for international terrorism). In addition, the report includes all
relevant information about the previous year's activities of
individuals, terrorist groups, or umbrella groups under which such
terrorist groups fall, known to be responsible for the kidnapping or
death of any American citizen during the preceding five years, and
groups known to be financed by state sponsors of terrorism.
Definitions
No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For
the purposes of this report, however, we have chosen the definition
of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States Code,
Section 2656f(d). That statute contains the following definitions:
-- The term "terrorism" means premeditated, politically motivated
violence perpetrated against noncombatant(1) targets by subnational
groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an
audience.
__________
1 For purposes of this definition, the term ''noncombatant'' is
interpreted to include, in addition to civilians, military personnel
who at the time of the incident are unarmed and/or not on duty. For
example, in past reports we have listed as terrorist incidents the
murders of the following US military personnel: Col. James Rowe,
killed in Manila in April 1989; Capt. William Nordeen, US defense
attache killed in Athens in June 1988; the two servicemen killed in
the La Belle disco bombing in West Berlin in April 1986; and the
four off-duty US Embassy Marine guards killed in a cafe in El
Salvador in June 1985. We also consider as acts of terrorism attacks
on military installations or on armed military personnel when a
state of military hostilities does not exist at the site, such as
bombings against US bases in Europe, the Philippines, or elsewhere.
__________
-- The term "international terrorism" means terrorism involving
citizens or the territory of more than one country.
-- The term ''terrorist group'' means any group practicing, or that
has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.
The US Government has employed this definition of terrorism for
statistical and analytical purposes since 1983. In a number of
countries, domestic terrorism, or an active insurgency, has a
greater impact on the level of political violence than does
international terrorism. Although not the primary purpose of this
report, we have attempted to indicate those areas where this is the
case.
Note
Adverse mention in this report of individual members of any
political, social, ethnic, religious, or national group is not meant
to imply that all members of that group are terrorists. Indeed,
terrorists represent a small minority of dedicated, often fanatical,
individuals in most such groups. It is that small groupũand their
actionsũthat is the subject of this report.
Furthermore, terrorist acts are part of a larger phenomenon of
politically inspired violence, and at times the line between the two
can become difficult to draw. To relate terrorist events to the
larger context, and to give a feel for the conflicts that spawn
violence, this report will discuss terrorist acts as well as other
violent incidents that are not necessarily international terrorism.
Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.
Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Contents
Introduction iii
The Year in Review 1
African Overview 2
Angola 2
Sierra Leone 2
South Africa 2
Togo 2
Uganda 2
Asian Overview 2
Afghanistan 3
Cambodia 3
India 4
Pakistan 4
Philippines 4
Sri Lanka 4
Thailand 5
European Overview 5
Albania 5
Azerbaijan 5
The Baltics 6
France 6
Germany 7
Greece 7
Italy 7
Russia 8
Spain 8
Turkey 8
United Kingdom 9
Former Yugoslavia 10
Latin American Overview 10
Argentina 11
Chile 11
Colombia 11
Ecuador 11
Guatemala 12
Panama 13
Peru 13
Uruguay 13
Middle Eastern Overview 13
Algeria 15
Egypt 15
Israel and the Occupied Territories 16
Jordan 17
Lebanon 18
Morocco 18
State-Sponsored Terrorism Overview 19
Cuba 20
Iran 20
Iraq 21
Libya 22
North Korea 23
Sudan 23
Syria 23
Appendixes
A. Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1994
25
B. Background Information on Major
Groups Discussed in the Report 33
C. Statistical Review 63
D. Map of International Terrorist Incidents, 1994
69
Inset
HAMAS Attacks 12
Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1994
The Year in Review
There were 321 international terrorist attacks during 1994, a 25-
percent decrease from the 431 recorded the previous year and the
lowest annual total in 23 years. Sixty-six were anti-US attacks,
down from 88 in 1993.
A powerful bomb destroyed a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires
in July, killing nearly 100 persons and wounding more than 200
others. The bombing could well be the work of Hizballah, which
claimed responsibility for an almost identical bombing of the
Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992.
A serious hijacking occurred on 24 December in Algiers when
terrorists from the Armed Islamic Group took over an Air France jet,
murdered three passengers, and flew the plane with 170 hostages to
Marseille. The assault ended two days later with a remarkably
successful rescue operation by French commandos that resulted in the
deaths of all four hijackers and no other fatalities.
There were numerous deadly attacks by the Islamic extremist group
HAMAS against Israelis. In April a bomb in Fula that exploded near a
commuter bus killed eight persons and wounded 50, mostly children
who were waiting to ride the bus back from school. In October a
suicide bomber detonated a device inside a public bus in the heart
of Tel Aviv's business and shopping district, killing 22 Israeli
passengers plus the perpetrator and wounding at least 48. Also in
October, two HAMAS gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades
attacked civilians in a popular restaurant district in the center of
Jerusalem, killing two Israeli citizens and wounding 13 persons,
including two Americans.
On 9 October, Israeli Army Corporal Nachshon Wachsman, while
hitchhiking in central Israel, was kidnapped by HAMAS terrorists.
They demanded the release of HAMAS spiritual leader Sheikh Yassin
and 200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and released a
videotape of Wachsman in captivity asking that Israel comply with
the demand. Israeli forces located Wachsman in a West Bank house,
which they stormed in an effort to free him, but his captors killed
him as the raid began. One Israeli soldier and three kidnappers were
also killed.
A member of the Jewish extremist group Kach attacked Palestinian
worshippers at Hebron's al-Ibrahimi Mosque in February, killing 29
and wounding more than 200. The Israeli Cabinet subsequently
outlawed Kach and the affiliated group Kahane Chai, declaring them
to be terrorist organizations.
Four Americans were killed in terrorist attacks during 1994.
Corporal Nachshon Wachsman, mentioned previously, held dual Israeli
and American citizenship. Three other Americans died in an apparent
suicide bombing of a Panamanian commuter aircraft in July that
killed all 21 persons aboard. Four Americans were wounded as a
result of HAMAS attacks in Israel during the year, and anotherũan
American priestũwas wounded after he was kidnapped by terrorists in
the Philippines.
Worldwide casualties numbered 314 persons dead and 663 wounded.
There were no confirmed acts of terrorismũeither international or
domesticũcommitted in the United States during 1994. In January,
explosive devices were found outside two New York City office
buildings. Both buildings housed Jewish-American organizations that
actively support the Middle East peace process. These suspected
terrorist incidents remain under investigation by the FBI.
On 24 May, four men convicted in the February 1993 bombing of the
World Trade Center in New York City were each sentenced to 240 years
in prison. The judge arrived at this figure by calculating the life
expectancy of each of the six persons killed in the attack and
adding mandatory prison terms for assault on a federal officer. Two
other suspects in the bombing remained at large at the end of the
year.
The trial of 12 defendants accused of plotting to blow up several
landmarks in New York City began in 1995.
In October, a judge in St. Louis, Missouri, sentenced three members
of the Abu Nidal organization (ANO) to prison sentences of 21 months
for plotting acts of terrorism within the United States. The three
had pled guilty to Federal racketeering charges that included
allegations they smuggled money and information, bought weapons,
recruited members, illegally obtained passports, and obstructed
investigations.
African Overview
Civil wars and ethnic conflict continue to rage in Sub-Saharan
Africa (for example, Somalia, Sudan, Angola, and Liberia), and
several acts of international terrorism took place in Africa in
1994. The rightwing South African rejectionist Afrikaner Resistance
Movement detonated a car bomb in Johannesburg in protest of South
Africa's first multiracial elections. Togolese oppositionists may
have been responsible for a grenade attack on a French-owned
restaurant that wounded five French and two Beninese citizens.
Sudan turned over the international terrorist Carlos to France in
August, but insisted that action did not represent a change in
Sudanese policy and would not affect other terrorists harbored in
Sudan.
Angola
In January, rival factions of the Front for the Liberation of the
Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) claimed responsibility for a mortar attack
on the Chevron administrative facility in Malongo. FLEC has targeted
Western oil companies in the past in hopes of reducing government
revenues. In late November, FLEC-Renovada claimed credit for
kidnapping three Polish citizens employed by an Italian forestry
company.
Sierra Leone
On 7 November the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF)
kidnapped two British engineers working for the Voluntary Service
Organization. The group also captured four relief workers who were
subsequently released.
South Africa
There were a number of serious incidents of domestic political
violence in the runup to South Africa's first multiracial election
in April 1994. There was also one act of international terrorism on
27 April when members of the rightwing Afrikaner Resistance Movement
(AWB) detonated a car bomb at the Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg.
The bomb injured 16, including two Russian diplomats and a pilot for
Swiss Air.
Togo
There were a number of incidents of domestic political violence in
Togo in 1994 and one act of international terrorism. Togolese
oppositionists, retaliating for what they believe is French support
for President Eyadama, were probably responsible for a grenade
attack on a French-
owned restaurant that wounded five French citizens and two Beninese.
Uganda
In 1994 the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an insurgent group
operating in northern Uganda, carried out a number of attacks
against foreign relief organizations, accusing them of collaborating
with the Museveni government. On 23 June, for example, the LRA
ambushed a World Food Program convoy belonging to the Catholic
Relief Services.
Asian Overview
Ethnic tensions continued to pose serious terrorism concerns in
South Asia in 1994. The Sri Lankan separatist group Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is widely believed to have been behind
an October suicide bombing attack that killed a leading presidential
candidate and 56 other people. Pakistan continued to provide support
to some of the insurgents fighting in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Targeting of foreigners by Kashmiri militants resulted in several
high-profile kidnappings in 1994, including the abduction of British
and American hostages in October and the abduction of British hikers
near Srinigar, Kashmir, in June. Pakistan continued to claim that
India supported separatists in Sindh Province.
Instability in Afghanistan occasionally spilled over into Pakistan.
Afghan mujahedin kidnapped 81 Pakistanis on a schoolbus in Peshawar
in February. Pakistani soldiers stormed the bus and killed the three
Afghan gunmen. More than 20 camps in Afghanistan that once trained
mujahedin to fight the Soviets are now being used to train militant
Arabs, Kashmiris, Tajiks, and Muslims for new areas of conflict.
Several hundred veterans of the Afghan war have been implicated in
the violence that has wracked Algeria and Egypt during the last
several years. Many of the supporters of the blind Egyptian cleric
Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, several of whom were convicted of the
bombing of the World Trade Center, fought with or actively supported
the Afghan mujahedin.
There were no attacks against US facilities in the Philippines in
1994. Muslim extremist guerrillasũprobably from the Abu Sayyaf Group
(ASG)ũ
kidnapped an American priest in July. He was rescued by Philippine
Marines and members of another Muslim group. On 11 December a
Philippine Airlines 747 en route from Manila to Tokyo was bombed,
killing one person and injuring at least 10. Khmer Rouge insurgents
posed a growing threat to travelers in Cambodia. Over the course of
the year, the group kidnapped and killed at least six Westerners. An
American was freed in May after one and one-half months in
captivity. In Thailand, in March, police discovered a truck loaded
with explosives in downtown Bangkok near the Israeli Embassy, which
was probably the target of an attack that was aborted when the truck
became involved in an accident, causing the driver to flee. One
Iranian has been put on trial in the incident.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, which lacks a functioning government, remains a
training ground for Islamic militants committed to overthrowing
regimes that maintain strong ties to Western governments. More than
20 camps in Afghanistan that once trained mujahedin to fight the
Soviets are now being used to train militant Arabs, Kashmiris,
Tajiks, and others for new areas of conflict. Most of these
facilitiesũlocated south and east of Kabulũare overseen by the
nominal Afghan Prime Minister, Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, or by one of his
domestic rivalsũAbdul Rasul Sayyaf, the leader of a small militant
Afghan Wahhabi party, who is backed by several affluent foreign
benefactors. Training in these camps focuses on tactics and
techniques for conducting terrorist and insurgent operations, such
as instruction on the use of sophisticated weapons, improvised
explosives, boobytraps, and timing devices for bombs. The camps
allow militants from throughout the world to train together, meet
with new benefactors, and help foster relationships between
otherwise disparate extremist groups.
Although only a few thousand veterans of the Afghan Jihad, along
with a few hundred newly trained militants, are actively engaged in
insurgent or terrorist activity worldwide, they are often
responsible for raising the level of sophistication and
destructiveness of extremist operations. Several hundred veterans of
the Afghan war have been implicated in the violence that has wracked
Algeria and Egypt during the last several years. Two of the leading
Algerian extremists, Kamreddine Kherbane and Boudjemma Bounoua,
participated in the Afghan Jihad. Many of the supporters of the
blind Egyptian cleric, Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, several of whom
were convicted of the bombing of the World Trade Center, fought with
or actively supported the Afghan mujahedin. Many Islamists active in
Egypt's two most violent extremist groupsũal-Gama'a al-
Islamiyya and al-Jihadũreceived training in Afghanistan.
The current Afghan regimeũdeeply embroiled in its own struggle for
survivalũhas been unable to control or eliminate the training of
extremists on its territory or terrorist use of the camps as
safehavens. Some local Afghan leaders have taken some steps against
the militants, but their efforts are limited by bickering, greed,
and the militants' military and financial strength.
Cambodia
Diminished by defections and a declining support base, the Khmer
Rouge increasingly turned toward banditry and terror in 1994. Khmer
Rouge radio commentaries on several occasions threatened physical
harm to Americans and other foreign nationals living in Cambodia.
Travelers in some areas outside Phnom Penh, particularly remote
rural districts, faced security threats from the Khmer Rouge and
from bandits. An American was taken hostage and held by Khmer Rouge
elements for one and one-half months but was eventually released
unharmed. Many other civilians, however, were killed by the Khmer
Rouge in 1994. The victims were mainly ordinary Cambodian villagers,
but foreigners, including Thais, Vietnamese, and six Western
tourists (three from Britain, two from Australia, and one from
France), were killed by the Khmer Rouge in 1994.
India
India continues to face significant security problems as a result of
insurgencies in Kashmir and the northeast. Targeting of foreigners
by Kashmiri militants resulted in several high-profile kidnappings
in 1994, including the abduction of British and American hostages in
October and the abduction of British hikers near Srinagar, Kashmir,
in June. There are credible reports of support by the Government of
Pakistan for Kashmiri militants. The Government of India has been
largely successful in controlling the Sikh separatist movement in
Punjab State, and Sikh militants now only rarely stage attacks in
India.
The Indian Government proceeded with the investigation and trial of
suspects in the series of blasts that struck Bombay on 12 March
1993. On 5 August 1994, the government arrested a key suspect in the
case, Yaqub Memon. The Memon family allegedly perpetrated the Bombay
attack. The Government of India has claimed that Memon was carrying
documents that incriminated Pakistan.
Pakistan
Pakistan continues to experience occasional violence as a result of
instability in Afghanistan. Much of this violence occurs in
Pakistan's northwest border region. On 20 February, Afghan mujahedin
kidnapped 81 Pakistanis on a schoolbus in Peshawar. The hijackers
ordered the busdriver to proceed to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's
residence in Islamabad. Following extensive negotiations, Pakistani
soldiers stormed the bus and killed the three Afghan gunmen. Some
regions of Pakistan also suffer from heavy sectarian, political, and
criminal violence, particularly Sindh Province and its capital,
Karachi, and the Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan recognizes the problems posed by Afghan mujahedin and
sympathetic Arabs in the Pakistani regions that border Afghanistan.
In 1994, Islamabad refused to extend the visas of many Arabs who had
fought in the Afghan war and who had taken refuge in Pakistan's
tribal areas and the North West Frontier Province. Pakistan also
closed several nongovernmental organizations it suspected were being
used as cover agencies for Islamic militants from the Middle East.
Pakistan concluded an extradition treaty with Egypt in late 1994
with the express purpose of extraditing "Arab mujahedin" operating
in Peshawar.
The Government of Pakistan acknowledges that it continues to give
moral, political, and diplomatic support to Kashmiri militants but
denies allegations of other assistance. There were credible reports
in 1994, however, of official Pakistani support to Kashmiri
militants. Some support came from private organizations such as the
Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan's largest Islamic party. Pakistan
condemned the kidnappings in June and October 1994 of foreign
tourists by Kashmiri militants in India. Pakistan has claimed that
India provides support for separatists in Sindh Province.
Philippines
There were no attacks against official US facilities in the
Philippines in 1994, but Muslim extremist guerrillasũprobably from
the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)ũkidnapped an American priest, Clarence
William Bertelsman, on 31 July. He was held for several hours before
being rescued by Philippine Marines and members of the largest
Muslim separatist group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
On 11 December a Philippine Airlines 747 en route from Manila to
Tokyo was bombed, killing one person and injuring at least 10
others, mostly Japanese citizens. The Philippine Government has been
trying to reach a negotiated settlement to both Communist and Muslim
insurgencies and currently observes a cease-fire with the MNLF as
talks continue.
Sri Lanka
The separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
continued to plague the government in 1994, with insurgency and
terrorism directed against senior Sri Lankan political and military
leaders in the countryside and in Colombo as well. Despite the
beginning of peace negotiations between the government and the LTTE,
the Tigers continued to pose a significant terrorist threat. The
Tigers are widely believed to be behind an October suicide bombing
attack that killed a leading presidential candidate and 56 other
people.
The LTTE has refrained from targeting Western tourists out of fear
that foreign governments would crack down on Tamil expatriates
involved in fundraising activities abroad. However, in April 1994
the Ellalan Force, an LTTE front group, claimed credit for bombing
several major tourist hotels in Colombo. The blasts, which caused
only minor damage and two injuries, probably were intended to damage
Colombo's tourist industry rather than to harm Westerners. The
Ellalan Force also claimed in August to have poisoned teaũSri
Lanka's primary exportũwith arsenic, although none was ever found.
Threatening Sri Lanka's two leading economic activities demonstrates
the Tigers' interest in economic terrorism. The Tigers possess the
infrastructure to make good on most of their recent threats should
the current peace talks with the government fail.
Thailand
Thai police discovered a truck loaded with an ammonium nitrate
mixture and about 6 pounds of plastic explosives in downtown Bangkok
on 17 March. The driver abandoned the truck after hitting another
vehicle near the Israeli Embassy, which was probably the intended
target. The Thai Government is prosecuting one Iranian in connection
with the attempted bombing but concluded it does not have enough
evidence to charge two other suspects. In southern Thailand, Muslim
separatists, such as the Pattani United Liberation Front, continued
to engage in low-level violence against the government.
European Overview
Terrorism in Europe declined somewhat in 1994, in part because of a
cease-fire in Northern Ireland declared by the Provisional Irish
Republican Army (PIRA) on 1 September, and by the Loyalist
paramilitary groups in early October. In the eastern Mediterranean
region, the Greek leftist group 17 November continued to target
foreign businesses and diplomats, as well as Greek Government
figures, and the Turkish separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
attacked tourist sites in western Turkish resort areas on the Aegean
Sea. In Spain, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty group (ETA)
continued lethal attacks against Spanish police and military
targets. A Bosnian Muslim protesting the three-year-old conflict in
the former Yugoslavia hijacked a domestic SAS flight in Norway;
there were no casualties.
Ethnic tensions in regions of the former Soviet Union have spawned
acts of terrorism in the Caucasus and the Baltic republics. In
September there was an attempted bombing of an airliner in Georgia.
In November there was a hijacking of a Russian airliner to Estonia,
which ended peacefully. In Lithuania, there were two bombings of a
rail line connecting the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad with the
Russian republic. Violence in this region has not, for the most
part, been directed at foreigners.
Albania
On 10 April several gunmen crossed into Albania from Greece and
stormed a border guard facility, killing two persons and seriously
wounding three others before returning across the Greek border. A
group calling itself the "Northern Epirus Liberation Front" (MAVI)
claimed responsibility for the incident. It accused the Albanian
Government of violating the rights of the ethnic Greek minority in
Albania and berated Athens for not doing enough to support the
minority. MAVI also issued a pamphlet last fall announcing the
commencement of an "armed struggle" against Tirana and demanding,
inter alia, the cessation of the alleged "colonization" of "Northern
Epirus"ũthe Greek name for southern Albania, which has a large
ethnic Greek populationũby Albanians from the north. MAVI was the
name of an ethnic Greek resistance group in Albania during World War
II that operated first against the invading Italians and then
against the Communists. Press reports state that the group was
disbanded in the 1940s, although responsibility for the 1984 bombing
of the Albanian Embassy in Athens was claimed in its name.
Azerbaijan
Several Armenian intelligence officers are being held in Moscow,
accused of complicity in a series of bombings against the Baku
Metro, as well as Azerbaijani trains in Russia and Azerbaijan that
killed 45 persons and wounded at least 130. The Azerbaijani Supreme
Court sentenced an ethnic Russian involved in the crimes to eight
years in prison for engaging in intelligence work against Azerbaijan
and committing acts of sabotage on its territory.
The Baltics
Anti-Russian sentiment may have been the catalyst for explosions and
bomb threats in the Baltics last year. On 28 February, when Latvian
and Russian delegations resumed talks on the withdrawal of Russian
troops from Latvia, a minor blast caused by an estimated one-half
kilogram of TNT damaged a power pylon near Skrunda. When Latvian and
Russian officials initialed agreements on 15 March allowing Russia
to retain its radar station for another five and a half years,
Latvian police discovered and disarmed a timer-controlled device
armed with 12 kilograms of TNT at the base of another pylon. In
November, a powerful explosion destroyed a railroad bridge in
Lithuania on the main railway line for international trains
traveling between Moscow and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The
incident may have been connected to a controversy surrounding
negotiations over an agreement to allow Russian military trains to
transit Lithuania to Kaliningrad.
France
France scored a number of successes against international terrorists
in 1994. In August, the Sudanese Government handed over notorious
terrorist Illych Ramirez Sanchez, a.k.a. "Carlos," previously
convicted in absentia in France for the murder of two French
intelligence officers. He will probably be retried on this charge
and possibly others after French officials complete their
investigations. In September, French officials also arrested Dursun
Karatas, leader of the Turkish leftwing group Dev Sol, for entering
France using a false passport. (He has since apparently escaped.)
Karatas is under investigation for complicity in attacks against
French interests in Turkey during the Gulf war.
French authorities made a number of sweeps against foreign Islamic
extremists, seizing arms and false documents. They arrested or
expelled a number of North Africans believed to have links to
extremist organizations. In November, for example, French police
detained 80 persons tied to Algeria's Armed Islamic Group. French
police also arrested several members of the Basque terrorist
organization ETA, including the group's second-highest ranking
member, in three separate incidents during the year.
In December, a French court convicted two Iranians of involvement in
the murder of former Iranian Prime Minister Bakhtiar in 1991. A
third defendant, an Iranian Embassy employee, was acquitted.
On 26 December, France's National Gendarmerie Action Group stormed
an Air France plane hijacked from Algiers to Marseille, killing the
four hijackers and rescuing 170 passengers and crew.
Germany
The Red Army Faction (RAF) remained deeply divided between those who
opted for political means and those who wanted to engage in
violence. German courts granted early release to two RAF members:
Irmgard Moeller, who served 22 years of a life sentence for a car
bomb attack that killed three US soldiers in 1972, and Ingrid
Jakobsmeier, who served two-thirds of her sentence for participating
in attacks against the US military in 1981. German authorities
believe the two pose no further terrorist threat. Another RAF
member, Birgit Hogefeld, went on trial in November for her part in a
number of attacks, including a bombing at a US airbase in Frankfurt
in 1985 that killed a US soldier.
Several smaller leftwing factions resumed operations. After a six-
year hiatus, the Revolutionary Cells (RZ) reappeared with an arson
attack on the Frankfurt subway system protesting higher fares and
"racist" practices among ticket controllers. Red Zora, the feminist
branch of the RZ, also reemerged and set fire to trucks belonging to
a company that supplied groceries to refugee facilities on the
premise that the firm was "making money off refugees." Unidentified
leftwing terrorists, probably on the RAF periphery, bombed offices
of the ruling political parties in two cities in September.
Rightwing extremist attacks continued to decline last year. There
were still more than 1,000 reported attacksũdown from about 2,200 in
1993ũbut arson and mob attacks against refugee homes virtually
ceased, and assaults on individual foreigners occurred less
frequently. The most significant incident took place on 12 May, when
at least 50 youths chased five foreigners through the streets of
Magdeburg. However, during 1994, the number of anti-Semitic attacks
increased; rightwing extremists threw firebombs at a synagogue in
Luebeck and desecrated Jewish cemeteries elsewhere.
Greece
Greece was the venue for a large number of international terrorist
attacks in 1994. The most deadly attack was the 4 July assassination
of the acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the Turkish Embassy,
claimed by the Revolutionary Organization 17 November. Events in the
Balkans probably sparked a number of other attacks against Western
interests in Greece in April, including an unsuccessful mortar
attack against the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in Piraeus
claimed by 17 November. Attacks also were made against American,
Dutch, French, and German commercial and diplomatic targets. The
Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) claimed two bombing attempts
against the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugee Affairs.
In July, three improvised bombs exploded on the Island of Rhodes,
injuring one foreign tourist and a Greek citizen. No group has
claimed responsibility.
Greek authorities made little progress in 1994 against terrorist
groups, in part due to ambivalent government attitudes toward
counterterrorism. Greece still lacks a new antiterrorism law to
replace legislation repealed in December 1993 by the incoming PASOK
government. In addition, suspected terrorist Georgios Balafas was
acquitted on 25 July of murder, armed robbery, and other charges. He
still faces trial in two other casesũweapons and narcotics
chargesũbut was released in September on "humanitarian" grounds
after a reported hunger strike. While in the prison hospital, he was
visited by the then Minister of Transportation and Communications as
a "gesture of support."
Italy
Leftwing groups modeled on the largely defunct Red Brigades carried
out several small-scale attacks, including the bombing of the NATO
Defense College in Rome on 10 January. The attack was claimed by the
Combatant Communist Nuclei for the Construction of the Combatant
Communist Party.
In September, four members of the Red Brigades for the Construction
of the Communist Combatant Party, another neoöRed Brigades group,
were convicted of involvement in the attack on the NATO base in
Aviano in September 1993.
Russia
Separatist and internal power struggles, particularly in the North
Caucasus region of Russia, continued to spawn domestic violence and
terrorism. In July, four gunmen from the separatist Chechnya region
hijacked a bus carrying more than 40 passengers. The incident ended
tragically when four hostages were killed as Russian police stormed
the hijackers' getaway helicopter. There were also a number of
airplane hijackings, including one in the Chechnya region in which
the hijacker blew himself up after releasing several passengers and
watching the others escape.
Spain
Spanish authorities scored several successes against the separatist
group Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), including the disruption
of the "Comando Vizcaya" subunit in November. One ETA member was
killed and two arrested after a failed assassination attempt against
a Spanish soldier. Continuing close cooperation between Spanish and
French police resulted in a September raid on an ETA explosives
factory in France and the arrest of five ETA members in November,
including the group's number-two figure.
ETA carried out one act of international terrorism in 1994 with the
attempted assassination of the Spanish military attache in Rome.
Domestic attacks by ETA fell off at the end of the year, but the
group retains its lethal capabilities.
Turkey
International terrorism has become an important part of the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) campaign to establish a breakaway
state in southeast Turkey and presents a potentially serious threat
to US interests. PKK attacks against tourists in Turkey last year
were particularly violent, although the overall number of terrorist
attacks was significantly lower than in 1993. Three attacks on
tourist sites in Istanbul in May killed two foreign touristsũthe
first to be killed by the PKKũand injured several others. In June,
the PKK was also responsible for several small bombs that exploded
in two Turkish resort towns on the Mediterranean coast, killing a
British woman and injuring at least 10 other tourists. In the latest
in a series of kidnappings of foreign travelers, the PKK abducted
two Finnish tourists on 8 August and released them unharmed three
weeks later. The PKK also attacked government and commercial targets
in major Turkish cities, presenting an incidental risk to foreign
visitors, as well as Turks. PKK terrorist attacks on Turkish
citizens, including ethnic Kurds, continued unabated.
The PKK continued to expand its activities in Western Europe, where
its members clashed with police frequently throughout the year. For
the first time, the PKK also directly targeted Western interests in
Europe. It blocked highways in Germany with burning tires in March
and conducted demonstrations in a number of German cities, some of
which turned into violent confrontations with the police. After
German police killed a Kurdish youth in Hannover, the PKK organized
protests and sit-ins at the German Embassy in Athens and a German
Consulate in Denmark. The PKK also mounted demonstrations in several
West European countries after British immigration authorities
detained Kani Yilmaz, the senior PKK leader in Europe, in October.
The PKK also opened offices of its political wing (ERNK) in Italy
and Greece.
The Marxist/Leninist terrorist group Dev Sol (Devrimci Sol), or
Revolutionary Left, remained a threat to US interests and personnel
in Turkey, despite a series of setbacks the group has suffered over
the last two years. Dev Sol's two factions were largely inactive
last year as they continued to battle each other and as the Turkish
police arrested numerous operatives. Some members of the group
sprang into action after French authorities arrested Dursun Karatas,
the head of the major Dev Sol faction, on 9 September as he tried to
enter France from Italy on falsified documents. Over the next
several weeks, Dev Sol supporters protested in Austria, Belgium, and
the Netherlands demanding Karatas' release. Dev Sol operatives in
Turkey assassinated former Justice Minister Mehmet Topac on 29
September in Ankara and also killed a policeman in Istanbul.
Several groups of loosely organized Turkish Islamic extremists, who
advocate an Islamic government for Turkey, attacked targets
associated with the Turkish secular state. They claimed attacks
under a variety of names, such as Islamic Jihad, the Islamic
Movement Organization, and the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
The Islamic extremists also pursue a strong anti-Western agenda. In
May 1994, Islamic terrorists claimed responsibility for bombing the
Ankara branch of the Freemason organization. In September, a Turkish
political scientist known for his secular writings escaped death
when a car bomb planted by Islamic extremists failed to explode.
United Kingdom
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) announced a "complete
cessation of military operations" beginning on 1 September. Other
Republican splinter groups in Northern Ireland also ceased attacks
after that date, although most have not formally agreed to a cease-
fire. PIRA's leadership denied authorizing the use of firearms in a
robbery on 10 November carried out by a lower-level unit in Newry
that resulted in the death of a postal worker. The Combined Military
Loyalist Command, an umbrella group comprising three loyalist
paramilitary groups, announced its own cease-fire beginning 14
October.
Both Loyalists and Republicans carried out a number of international
and domestic terrorist attacks before the cease-fire. Loyalists
carried out several attacks in the Republic of Ireland, including a
lethal attack in May on a Dublin pub during a Sinn Fein fundraiser.
In March three separate attacks by PIRA on Heathrow International
Airport in London failed when the mortar rounds used did not
detonate.
On 26 October, British authorities arrested Faysal Dunlayici, a.k.a.
Kani Yilmaz, a high-ranking leader of the PKK based in Europe. The
arrest sparked protests from PKK supporters in the United Kingdom,
and Germany and Turkey have requested his extradition.
On 26 July, a bomb contained in a car exploded outside the Israeli
Chancery in London at approximately noon causing substantial
structural damage and injuring 14 persons. The car carrying the
explosives was driven by a woman described as in her fifties and
"Middle Eastern" in appearance. On 27 July, shortly after midnight,
another bomb contained in a car exploded in north London outside
Balfour House, a Jewish fundraising organization. This bomb caused
some structural damage to the building but resulted in limited
casualties, primarily because of the time it was detonated. Five
passers-by were injured by the blast.
Former Yugoslavia
Ethnic conflict and endemic violence plagued the former Yugoslavia
for a third year, although in 1994 the fighting was largely
restricted to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, a Bosnian Muslim,
claiming that he wanted to focus world attention on the plight of
his kinsmen, hijacked an SAS airliner during a domestic flight in
Norway on 3 November. He surrendered peacefully to Norwegian
authorities after landing in Oslo. This was the first such incident
on behalf of one of the warring factions of the former Yugoslavia.
Latin American Overview
Latin America continued to have a high level of international
terrorist activity, although the number of attacks decreased by 40
percent from the previous year to 58 attacks.
In July, an attack on the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association
(AMIA) in Buenos Aires killed nearly 100 persons and injured more
than 200. The leading suspect in this incident is Hizballah. Twenty-
one persons, of whom 12 were Jewish, were killed when a Panamanian
commuter aircraft was bombed in July, apparently by a suicide
bomber. These attacks raised concerns about the reported presence of
members of Hizballah in Latin America, especially in the triborder
area where Brazilian, Argentine, and Paraguayan territories meet.
Colombia continued to suffer the highest incidence of terrorist
violence in the region. Guerrillas attacked the democratic process
by attempting to sabotage Colombia's 1994 presidential,
congressional, and departmental elections. Rebel organizations also
targeted petroleum companies and infiltrated trade unions,
particularly in the banana and petroleum industries, intimidating
rank-and-file union members. US business interests and Mormon
missionaries were attacked by guerrillas, and nine US citizens were
being held hostage by guerrillas at the end of the year. Six of
these were US missionaries. Kidnapping continued as a major source
of income for the Colombian guerrillas.
Guerrillas in the region continued to attack national interests
causing damage to local economies particularly in Colombia, Peru,
and Guatemala. In the Andean Region, the connection between
guerrilla groups and narco-
traffickers remained strong. Guerrillas forced coca and amapola
cultivators to pay protection money and attacked government efforts
to reduce production.
Terrorist violence decreased in Peru during the year. The Sendero
Luminoso (Shining Path) assassinated 150 persons, down from 516 the
previous year when its leader was imprisoned. Various Peruvian
terrorist groups suffered setbacks due to arrests, casualties, and
defections under the government's amnesty program. Government
actions in Chile also resulted in a decline of terrorist violence.
In reaction to the terrorist violence in the region, the heads of
state of the Western Hemisphere nations adopted a plan of action
against terrorism at the December Summit of the Americas. The plan
called for cooperation among nations in combating terrorism and for
the prosecution of terrorists while protecting human rights. The
nations of the hemisphere also agreed to convene a special OAS
conference on the prevention of terrorism and reaffirmed the
importance of extradition treaties in combating terrorism.
Argentina
Argentina suffered the worst terrorist attack perpetrated in Latin
America during 1994. On 18 July, a suicide bomber detonated a
vehicle loaded with explosives in front of the AMIA. The powerful
bombing killed nearly 100 people, many of whom were crushed by the
collapsing building. The bombing of Argentina's main Jewish center
was operationally similar to the 1992 bombing directed against the
Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which left 29 persons dead and
destroyed the building. The Islamic Jihad organization, an arm of
the Lebanese Hizballah, claimed responsibility for the 1992 bombing.
According to media reports, an organization using the name Ansar
Allah, or Followers of God, issued a statement expressing support
for the 1994 operation. The Argentine Government dedicated
substantial resources to investigate the bombing, but the crime
remained unsolved at yearend.
Chile
Politically motivated violence in Chile declined dramatically in
1994 as Chilean security forces reined in the nation's terrorist
groups. In June, the government all but eliminated the Lautaro
terrorist organization by capturing its founder and leader,
Guillermo Ossandon, one of the most wanted outlaws in Chile. A
second round of arrests was made against second-tier Lautaro leaders
in August. Two prominent members of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic
Front (FPMR) voluntarily returned from exile to Chile and were
arrested by police. One of them, Sergio Buschmanũwanted for his role
in directing a multiton shipment of Cuban-supplied weapons into
Chile in 1986ũhad escaped from a Chilean prison in 1987 and lived
several years in Nicaragua.
Colombia
Colombia's two main guerrilla groupsũthe Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army
(ELN)ũintensified political violence during 1994, particularly
preceding presidential, congressional, and municipal elections. In
part to intimidate politicians and government officials, the
insurgents conducted dozens of bombings, kidnappings of candidates,
and assassinations of local officials and members of the security
forces. In July, the FARC assassinated an Army general, the highest
ranking Army casualty in two decades.
While the vast majority of the violence in the nation was directed
against local targets, Colombia was the location of 41 international
terrorist attacks in 1994, the highest in the region. Oil pipelines
owned jointly by the Government of Colombia and Western companies
continued to be bombed by the rebels, but at a slower pace than in
1993. US interests sustained several terrorist attacks during the
year, more than in any other Latin American country. For instance,
suspected ELN rebels bombed a Coca-Cola plant in January, and FARC
and ELN guerrillas attacked at least five Mormon churches during the
year. The rebels also conducted a series of kidnappings of US
citizens; the FARC is suspected of kidnapping at least five US
citizens in 1994. At yearend, both rebel groups held hostage as many
as nine Americans, six of whom are US missionaries. This appears to
be the largest number of Americans held in Colombia at any one time.
In 1994 there were 1,378 reported kidnappings, a 35-percent increase
from 1993. This figure, however, is considered low because many
families deal with the kidnappers directly without reporting the
crime. It is estimated that 50 percent of these recorded instances
were by guerrillas who rely on the ransom payments to finance their
activities.
In November, after only a few months in office, President Ernesto
Samper announced his administration's willingness to negotiate with
the nation's violent guerrilla organizations, emphasizing that the
insurgents need to demonstrate a genuine desire for reaching a
negotiated settlement. Unlike his predecessor, the President did not
condition negotiations on a rebel cease-fire. While both the FARC
and ELN have characterized the government's proposal as positive,
government officials cautioned against expectations that
negotiations would begin soon.
The government is also exposing further links between the guerrillas
and narcotraffickers. Various guerrilla fronts, particularly in
southeastern Colombia, provide security and other services for
different narcotics trafficking organizations.
Ecuador
The only significant act of domestic terrorism in 1994 was the
dynamiting of a power transmission tower in May by a group known as
the Red Sun, which led to the rapid apprehension of the group's
leadership. The group was disbanded following the arrest of its
leaders.
[INSET]
HAMAS Attacks
Operations by the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) against
Israelis in the occupied territories and inside Israel have
increased in number and lethality. While most of these incidents,
which are aimed at the peace process, do not qualify as
"international terrorism" and as such do not appear in the
statistics in the appendix of this book, they are a very disturbing
trend.
HAMAS attacks killed 55 Israelis and wounded more than 130 in 1994,
resulting in the highest number of Israeli casualties inside Israel
since the intifadah began in 1987:
-- Car bomb attacks in April on commuter buses in Afula and a bus
station in Hadera killed 14 and wounded approximately 75. A bomb on
a commuter bus in downtown Tel Aviv in October during the early
morning commuter hours killed 22 and wounded at least 48, and a 25
December bomb attack on an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bus in
Jerusalem wounded 12.
-- HAMAS militants conducted other high-profile attacks that did
not involve bombs: a shooting on a busy tourist street in
Jerusalemũa few blocks from the King David Hotel where Secretary of
State Warren Christopher was stayingũthat killed two and wounded 14,
and the kidnapping of IDF Corporal Nachshon Wachsman on the same
day. After intense security sweeps by the Israelis and the
Palestinian Authority, the kidnappers' hideout was eventually
discovered and a rescue attempted on 14 October. During the attempt,
Wachsman, another IDF soldier, and three HAMAS personnel were
killed. Wachsman held dual US-Israeli citizenship.
-- The Movement kept up a steady drumbeat of small-scale attacks
during 1994. According to press reports, HAMAS members killed at
least 13 IDF soldiers and settlers in small-scale knife attacks,
shootings, and at least one ax murder of a female IDF soldier.
HAMAS attacks would have killed even more Israelis during the past
year, but several miscarried. According to press reports, at least
two HAMAS car bombs exploded prematurely, killing only the bombers.
In the 25 December attack, the IDF's bus driver in Jerusalem did not
allow the bomber to enter the bus. The bomber detonated the device
on the street, killing himself but no passengers, although 12 were
injured.
[END INSET] (###)
Guatemala
Despite on-again/off-again peace talks, Guatemala's34-year-old
insurgency continues. There are three major armed guerrilla
groupsũthe FAR (Revolutionary Armed Forces), the ORPA (Revolutionary
Organization of the People in Arms), and the EGP (Guerrilla Army of
the Poor). These groups, along with the Communist PGT (Guatemalan
Workers' Party), are allied in the URNG (Guatemalan National
Revolutionary Union).
Panama
On 19 July a bomb aboard a commuter plane flying between Colon and
Panama City detonated, killing all 21 persons aboard, including
three American citizens. Twelve of the passengers were Jews.
According to media reports, an organization using the name Ansar
Allah, or Followers of God, issued a statement expressing support
for the bombing, which appeared to be a suicide operation by a
person with a Middle Eastern name. Panama has made no arrests in
connection with the bombing, but it is cooperating closely with a US
law enforcement investigation.
At yearend, Panamanian authorities had outstanding arrest warrants
for two of the three individuals sought for questioning in
connection with the 1992 murder of US Army Corporal Zak Hernandez.
On 23 September, Panamanian President Ernesto Perez Balladares
granted amnesties to 216 individuals, including six former
Panamanian Defense Force personnel linked to the 1989 kidnapping,
torture, and murder of American citizen Raymond Dragseth during
Operation Just Cause.
Peru
Political violence and the number of international terrorist
incidents in Peru declined in 1994. Both of Peru's terrorist
organizationsũSendero Luminoso (Shining Path) and the Tupac Amaru
Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)ũsuffered serious reversals during the
year, including numerous arrests, casualties, and defections under
the government's amnesty program for terrorists, which was phased
out in November. The MRTA, the smaller of the two groups, was hit
hard by the government's counterterrorism effort and is virtually
defunct.
Two years after the capture of Abimael Guzman, Sendero Luminoso's
founder and leader, the Maoist terrorist group is struggling,
attempting to rebuild and resolve its leadership problems. Guzman's
1993 peace offer continued to divide the organization between
Sendero militants in favor of continuing the armed struggle and
those preferring to adhere to their jailed leader's proposal.
Consequently, recruitment of new cadres has been hindered. Moreover,
during the past two years Sendero's financial lifelineũthe narcotics
industry in the coca-rich Upper Huallaga Valley (UHV)ũwas disrupted,
largely because of a coca plant fungus in UHV and a more active
government counternarcotics policy.
The Fujimori government continued to maintain its momentum against
Sendero in 1994. Peruvian police detained two Sendero Central
Committee members operating in Lima, weakening the group's urban
infrastructure and a planned terrorism campaign to commemorate a
revered Sendero anniversary in June. The arrests further exacerbated
logistic and financial problems in the organization. One of the
detainees, Moises Limaco, was one of the most senior Sendero leaders
reportedly responsible for coordinating logistics and personnel.
Despite these setbacks, Sendero proved it can still inflict serious
damage. During 1994, Sendero murdered more than 150 Peruvians, down
from 516 in 1993. In February, suspected Sendero militants detonated
an 80-
kilogram car bomb against the Air Force headquarters building in
central Lima, killing two persons. In October, the group destroyed
six electrical towers, cutting off power temporarily in nearly all
of Lima, much of the Peruvian coast, and part of the Sierra
highlands.
Uruguay
Three suspected members of the Basque separatist movement ETA were
extradited to Spain in August by the Uruguayan Supreme Court.
President Luis Alberto Lacalle's refusal to grant political asylum
for the three prompted death threats against Uruguayan diplomats in
Spain. Riots outside the hospital where the hunger strikers were
held on the day of their extradition resulted in one death, 90
injuries, and 28 arrests.
Middle Eastern Overview
Terrorist violence in the Middle East continued at a high level in
1994. Extremist Muslim groups, such as the Islamic Resistance
Movement (HAMAS) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), demonstrated
an increasingly deadly and sophisticated capability to mount
terrorist attacks aimed at destroying the Middle East peace process.
In Algeria, a brutal internal conflict escalated, posing new threats
to the foreign community and the safety of civil aviation.
In Israel and the occupied territories, the peace process came under
sustained attack by militants determined to derail the negotiations
between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Government of Israel.
Both HAMAS and the PIJ increased their activities within Israel, in
the process demonstrating an improved ability to mount more
sophisticated and deadly attacks. In the worst such incident during
the year, the military wing of HAMAS, the Izz el-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, claimed responsibility for the 19 October suicide bombing
of a commuter bus in the heart of downtown Tel Aviv that killed 22
Israelis. PIJ also claimed numerous attacks on Israelis, including
the 11 November suicide bombing at Netzarim junction in Gaza that
killed three Israeli soldiers. The Chairman of the PA, Yasir Arafat,
condemned these attacks and took some steps to counter anti-Israeli
terrorism. PA security cooperation with Israeli authorities was
generally close, as demonstrated by the substantial assistance
provided by Palestinian security authorities to Israel during the
hunt for a kidnapped Israeli Army corporal in October. Nevertheless,
Israeli officials called for a more effective crackdown by the PA on
Palestinian terrorist elements. Violent Jewish opposition to the
peace process also occurred; in March, the Israeli Government banned
the extremist Kach and Kahane Chai groups as terrorist organizations
after a Kach member murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers in a Hebron
mosque in February.
The security situation in Algeria continued to deteriorate as the
Armed Islamic Group (AIG) stepped up attacks against the Algerian
regime and civilians. Foreigners resident in Algeria were key
targets as well; 63 were killed during 1994 by AIG forces. A French
Consulate employee was slain in January, and in August an attempt
was made to explode a car bomb at a French diplomatic housing
compound. The AIG employed an ominous new tactic in December, when
AIG militants hijacked an Air France jet at Algiers airport, killing
a French Embassy cook and a Vietnamese diplomat in the process.
Efforts by the major Islamist and non-Islamist opposition parties to
establish a political dialogue with the regime were unsuccessful,
increasing the likelihood of intensified political violence.
In Egypt, the security services scored numerous successes against
militants seeking to overthrow the government and establish an
Islamic state. Intensified counterterrorism efforts, improved police
work, and the death of an important Islamic Group (IG) leader in a
police raid in April helped disrupt IG activities and stem the tide
of antiforeigner attacks, which killed five tourists in 1994. IG
threats against the UN-
sponsored International Conference on Population and Development did
not result in any security incidents, most likely due to the efforts
of Egyptian security authorities and a still disorganized IG. The IG
does, however, retain the capacity to attack foreign targets and
disrupt the tourism industry, as evidenced by shooting assaults in
September and October that killed three foreigners and three
Egyptians.
Jordanian authorities continued in 1994 to maintain a tight grip on
the internal security situation. Dozens of individuals were arrested
in terrorism-related cases during the year, including 20 persons
suspected of involvement in a series of bombings and other planned
terrorist incidents. Jordan and Israel signed a full treaty of peace
on 26 October 1994. Under the terms of the treaty, Jordan and Israel
are committed to cooperation in combating terrorism of all kinds.
However, HAMAS and other Palestinian extremists continue to maintain
a presence in Amman.
Security conditions in Lebanon improved during 1994 as the
government continued to take steps to extend its authority and
reestablish the rule of law. In January, the government promptly
arrested and prosecuted persons associated with the ANO and who
assassinated a Jordanian diplomat. In April a prominent Iraqi
expatriate oppositionist residing in Beirut was assassinated. The
Government of Lebanon stated that it had firm evidence linking the
killing to the Government of Iraq, arrested two Iraqi diplomats in
connection with the incident, and broke diplomatic relations with
Iraq. In March, the government banned armed demonstrations after a
public celebration by the militant organization Hizballah. The
government also put on trial former Lebanese Forces warlord Samir
Ja'ja on charges of domestic terrorism and announced that the
investigation into the 1983 bombings of the US and French
peacekeepers' barracks would be "revived." However, significant
threats to the safety of foreigners remained. Hizballah publicly
threatened American interests and continued to operate with impunity
in areas of Lebanon not controlled by the central government,
including the south, the Biq'a Valley, and Beirut's southern
suburbs. Numerous Palestinian groups with a history of terrorist
violence maintain a presence in Lebanon; these include the Popular
Front for the Liberation of PalestineöGeneral Command and the ANO.
Moroccan authorities, alarmed by an attack on a hotel in Marrakech
in August that killed two Spanish tourists, sought evidence that the
incident was linked to other assaults in the country. Allegations
surfaced that these attacks were politically related to the crisis
in Algeria. Criminal motivations, however, are another strong
possibility, and the August attack was not followed by other such
incidents as of the end of the year.
Algeria
The overall security situation deteriorated even further in 1994 as
violence intensified throughout the country, affecting Algerians
from all walks of life. Although Islamic extremists remained highly
fractionalized, most of the violence was focused against regime and
military targets. The extremist AIG waged a bloody war against
Algerian civilians. The AIG also targeted foreigners, with 63 killed
in 1994.
The influence of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) over the
extremist elements appeared to slip even further in 1994 as most of
the group's leaders remained in prison. In September the government
released into house arrest FIS president Abassi Madani and vice
president Ali Belhadj. The overall level of violence on all sides
nonetheless increased.
The extremist AIG instead intensified its attacks against Algerian
civilians, including journalists, unveiled women and girls, the
intelligentsia, and anyone it accused of "cooperating" with the
regime. The group often used tactics such as beheading and throat-
slitting. Attacks against foreigners also increased markedly since
the AIG began its antiforeigner campaign in September 1993. On 15
January a French Consulate employee was murdered; the campaign
against French residents in Algeria reached a peak with the 3 August
attack on a French diplomat housing compound where extremists
attempted to detonate a car laden with explosives.
Other examples of attacks against foreigners included the 8 May
murders of two French priests, the 11 July attack against five
foreigners on their way to work at a state-owned oil site, the one-
week hostage holding of the Omani and Yemeni Ambassadors, and the 18
October execution of two Schlumberger employees at a Sonatrach oil
site. The AIG's attacks against foreigners grew more sophisticated
throughout 1994, and the group's operations demonstrated a
significant level of coordination in some cases. While the AIG was
responsible for most of the attacks against foreigners in 1994,
there are many extremist cells operating in Algeria that do not fall
under a central authority that may also be responsible for such
attacks.
On 24 December, members of the AIG hijacked an Air France flight in
Algeria. The plane arrived in Marseille, France, on 26 December. A
French antiterrorist unit stormed the plane, ending the 54-hour
siege in which three hostages were killed by the terrorists. All
four terrorists were killed during the rescue.
Despite the Algerian regime's "carrot and stick" approach, the
security situation at the end of 1994 remained grim. Efforts by the
major Islamist and non-Islamist opposition parties to establish a
political dialogue with the regime were unsuccessful; at no point
during these efforts did the military halt its campaign against the
Islamists. President Zeroual announced in November 1994 that
presidential elections would take place by the end of 1995 but left
open the question of who would be allowed to participate. The major
opposition parties denounced the election proposal. Continued
bloodshed appeared to be the most likely scenario for the beginning
of 1995.
Egypt
The pace of attacks by Islamic extremists on tourist sites in Egypt
fell off somewhat during 1994. Five foreign tourists were killed in
separate attacks, and more than 20 Egyptian civilians were killed in
various attacks throughout Egypt in 1994. Egypt's tourism industry,
which had suffered greatly from the sustained 1993 campaign of
attacks against tourist sites, began to recover somewhat in 1994 as
the Egyptian Government made some successful gains in stemming the
attacks.
Most attacks against Egyptian official and civilian targets, and
against foreign tourists, were claimed by the extremist Islamic
Group (IG). The IG seeks the violent overthrow of the Egyptian
Government and began attacking tourist targets in 1992. The IG
considers Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman its "spiritual" leader; at
yearend, he awaited trial in the United States on charges related to
the conspiracy to attack various New York City landmarks and the
United Nations.
In February, the IG initiated a limited bombing campaign against
Western banks in the Cairo area. Over two months, seven banks were
bombed, and an additional four bombs planted at other banks were
defused. Injuries were limited, and only one of the banks suffered
major damage. Nonetheless, the bank bombing campaign represented an
extension of the IG's antiforeigner attacks, and it coincided with
another IG campaign of attacks against trains in Assiut, upper
Egypt. Eight tourists were injured in February in a series of
shooting attacks against trains running in that province. The bank
bombings ended in March with the arrests of the alleged
perpetrators.
In April, Egypt stepped up its counterterrorism efforts, focusing
particularly on the Cairo area. An important IG leader was killed
during a police raid, which appeared to disrupt the organization of
the group. There was a significant drop in the number of violent
incidents from April through August throughout Egypt, but
particularly in Cairo. This was accomplished by more effective
police work, enhanced security in the troubled Assiut Province, and
perhaps a dropoff in recruitment levels of extremists.
In August, the IG attacked a tourist bus in upper Egypt, killing one
Spanish tourist and warning foreigners not to come to Egypt for the
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The
UN-
sponsored ICPD was held in September in Cairo; no incidents occurred
in Cairo during the conference, probably due in part to greatly
enhanced security and a still disorganized IG.
The IG continued to pose a limited threat to foreigners in Egypt at
the close of 1994, as a September shooting attack on a market street
in the Red Sea resort area of Hurghada resulted in the death of one
German tourist and two Egyptians. In the fall, the IG appeared to
shift the venue of its attacks to the upper Egyptian Provinces of
Minya and Qena. An October attack on a minibus traveling in upper
Egypt, which led to the death of a British tourist, demonstrated
that the IG retained the capability to inflict injuries and damage
the tourism industry.
Israel and the Occupied Territories
Terrorist attacks and violence instigated by Palestinians continued
at a high level in 1994. Seventy-three Israeli soldiers and
civilians were killed and more than 100 wounded in 1994, up slightly
from 1993. There was a significant increase in the number of
Israelis killed inside Israelũas compared with only 14 in 1993.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) killed roughly 55 Israelis
and wounded more than 150 in 1994 as part of a terror campaign to
derail the peace process. HAMAS's armed wing, the Izz el-Din al-
Qassam, claimed responsibility for the April bombings of buses in
Afula and Hadera, which together killed 14 Israelis and wounded
nearly 75. In October, al-
Qassam launched three high-profile attacks on Israelis: the 9
October shooting of people on the streets of Jerusalem, which left
two dead; the kidnapping of Israel Defense Force Corporal Nachshon
Wachsman, which resulted in the killing of Wachsman and one other
Israeli soldier; and the bombing of a commuter bus in Tel Aviv,
which killed 22. HAMAS spokesmen announced that these attacks were
part of the group's policy of jihad against the "Israeli occupation
of all of Palestine" and retaliation for the Hebron Massacre.
Other Palestinian groups that reject the Gaza-Jericho accord and the
peace process also attacked Israelis. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ)ö
Shiqaqi faction claimed responsibility for a suicide bomber who
attacked an Israeli patrol in Gaza in November killing three Israeli
soldiers. PIJ claimed at least 18 other attacks on Israelis,
including a shooting on a commuter bus stop on 7 April that killed
two in Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv. The Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli
settlers and soldiers.
Yasir Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA), tried to
rein in Palestinian violence against Israel in 1994. The PA police
force took some steps to curtail anti-Israeli attacks, including
several mass detentions and a strong effort to find where Corporal
Wachsman was detained by HAMAS. Arafat and other senior PA officials
condemned acts of terrorism by HAMAS and the PIJ, but did not do so
when individuals associated with the Fatah Hawks, nominally aligned
with Arafat's Fatah organization, were responsible for a few attacks
in early 1994. Israeli officials urged the PA to take tougher
measures against terrorists.
Intra-Palestinian violence has increased since the implementation of
the Gaza-Jericho accord began on 4 May. On 18 November, 13
Palestinians were killed and more than 150 wounded when Palestinian
Police clashed with HAMAS and PIJ supporters who were planning to
demonstrate in Gaza. This incident followed several protests by
weapons-bearing Islamists in the weeks following the HAMAS
kidnapping of Corporal Wachsman and the PA's mass roundup of HAMAS
supporters. In 1994, Fatah Hawks and HAMAS killed at least 20
Palestinians whom the extremists labeled as collaborators.
The Israeli Cabinet outlawed the Jewish extremist groups Kach and
Kahane Chai in March, declaring them to be terrorist organizations
after Baruch Goldstein, who was a Kach member, attacked Palestinian
worshippers at Hebron's al-Ibrahimi Mosque in February, killing 29
persons and wounding more than 200. Neither Kach nor Kahane Chai
assisted or directed Goldstein in his attack, but both organizations
vocally supported him. The leading figures of these groups were
arrested and held in Israeli prisons on charges of calling for
attacks on Palestinians and Israeli Government officials. In
September, Shin Bet arrested 11 Jewish extremists who were planning
terrorist attacks against Palestinians.
Israel's intense border security appeared effectively to prevent
infiltrations from Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. In March, a team of
four DFLP terrorists was intercepted by Israel Defense Force troops.
Katyusha rocket attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel
by Hizballah and Palestinian rejectionist groups decreased in 1994,
and no Israelis were killed in the attacks. Hizballah guerrillas,
often in response to Israeli attacks on a Lebanese village, fired
Katyusha rockets on four occasions from January to July 1994 and
launched several Katyushas in October hours before the signing of
the Jordanian-Israeli peace accord attended by President Clinton.
Jordan
Jordanian security and police closely monitor extremists inside the
country and detain individuals suspected of involvement in violent
acts aimed at destabilizing the government or undermining its
relations with neighboring states. Jordan maintains tight security
along its border with Israel and has interdicted individuals
attempting to infiltrate into Israel. On 26 October 1994 Jordan and
Israel signed a full treaty of peace that commits the two parties to
cooperation in a variety of areas, including combating terrorism. In
1994 two new international border crossing points were established
between Jordan and Israel.
Jordanian authorities arrested dozens of people in terrorism-related
cases during 1994. On 20 February, authorities arrested 30 persons
in Amman, including 15 suspected members of the ANO. The arrests
reportedly occurred in connection with the assassination of a
Jordanian diplomat in January in Beirut by the ANO. In 1994, 25
Islamists (referred to as the "Arab Afghans") were arrested and
tried for planning to overthrow the government, assassinate
prominent Jordanians, and attack public and private institutions.
The State Security Court handed down verdicts on 21 December and
sentenced 11 defendants to death, sentenced seven to various prison
terms with hard labor, and acquitted the remaining defendants of all
charges. Two individuals were also arrested for stabbing tourists in
downtown Amman on 27 February, two days after the massacre of
Palestinian worshippers on the West Bank by a Jewish extremist.
A variety of Palestinian rejectionist groups have offices in Jordan,
including the PFLP, PFLP-GC, DFLP, PIJ, and HAMAS. In April, King
Hussein announced that HAMAS was an "illegal" organization in
Jordan. After the King's announcement, HAMAS spokespersons in Jordan
were more circumspect in their statements and often issued
statements from other locations.
Lebanon
The security situation in Lebanon continued to improve during 1994
as Beirut endeavored to reestablish its authority and rebuild the
country in the wake of the devastating 16-year civil war. Although
the Lebanese Government has made some moves to limit the autonomy of
individuals and powerful groupsũspecifically Hizballahũthere are
still considerable areas of relative lawlessness throughout Lebanon.
Beirut and its environs are safer for some non-Lebanese now than as
recently as a year ago, but the Bekaa Valley and other Hizballah
strongholds are considerably more dangerous than the capital,
especially for Westerners, who are still subject to attacks. In
June, for example, a German citizen was the victim of an apparent
kidnapping attempt perpetrated by Hizballah in Ba'labakk. The would-
be victim's assailants fled after passers-by noticed the commotion.
There is credible evidence that Hizballah continues its surveillance
of Americans; Hizballah also continues to issue public threats
against American interests.
Hizballah has yet to be disarmed, but Beirut is making efforts to
restrict activities by the group that challenge the government's
authority. For example, the government banned armed demonstrations
after Hizballah's celebration of Martyr's Day in the Bekaa Valley in
March and issued arrest warrants for participants who were
brandishing weapons during the march. In February when Hizballah,
without reference to the state authority, tried and executed a
teenager in Ba'labakk accused of murder, prominent members of
Parliament publicly admonished the group and said such acts by
nongovernmental organizations should not be tolerated. However,
neither the judiciary nor law enforcement agencies made any effort
to interfere in or investigate the affair.
The Lebanese Government took judicial steps during 1994 to signal
that violence is not an acceptable means for achieving domestic
political change. In January, the government promptly arrested and
prosecuted persons associated with the ANO and who assassinated a
Jordanian diplomat.
On 12 April, a prominent Iraqi expatriate oppositionist residing in
Beirut was assassinated. The Government of Lebanon stated that it
had firm evidence linking the killing to the Government of Iraq and
arrested two Iraqi diplomats in connection with the incident.
Lebanon subsequently broke diplomatic relations with Iraq.
In July a Lebanese criminal court refused to convict two defendants
in the 1976 killings of the US Ambassador, Francis Meloy, and the
economic counselor, Robert Waring. The Lebanese Court of Cassation
agreed to order a retrial after intervention by the government's
prosecutor general. The trial is set to begin in March 1995.
Lebanese authorities arrested Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Ja'ja on
charges of domestic terrorismũincluding the bombing of a Maronite
church in Zuk in February that killed 11 persons and wounded 59. His
trial was ongoing as of the end of the year. In November, the
government suggested it would "revive" the investigation into the
1983 bombings of the US and French Marine barracks. Although viewed
by some as a message to Hizballah of government intention to
reassert authority, the government has not yet followed its
announcement with concrete action. In December the government
accepted an invitation from the US Government to send an official
delegation to Washington to discuss means to improve the security
situation in Lebanon.
Morocco
On 24 August two Spanish tourists were killed when gunmen opened
fire at the Atlas Asni hotel in Marrakech during an apparent robbery
attempt. After initial investigations, Moroccan officials linked the
hotel attack to other assaults throughout Morocco, including the
attempted robberies of a bank and a McDonald's restaurant in 1993.
Nine suspects were arrested, and Moroccan authorities claimed to
have discovered an arms cache hidden by the group.
There have been allegations that Islamic extremists related to the
Algerian militant movement were behind the Marrakech incident. But
some Moroccan officials have also claimed that members of the
Algerian security services were behind the attack, hoping to foment
instability in Morocco to take the international focus off the
Algerian crisis. The real motives of the attackers remain unclear,
and the incident could easily have been an ordinary criminal attack.
As of 31 December, the Marrakech attack was not followed by similar
incidents in Morocco.
State-Sponsored Terrorism Overview
The provision of funding, safehaven, and weapons and logistic
support to terrorists by sovereign states is crucial to the
operation of many international terrorist organizations. Such
support continues in defiance of the international community's
unequivocal condemnation of terrorism and those who support it.
Recognizing the danger that such support represents, a primary aim
of our counterterrorism policy has been to apply pressure to such
states to stop that support and to make them pay the cost if they
persist. We do this by publicly identifying state sponsors and by
imposing economic, diplomatic, and sometimes military sanctions.
Seven nations are designated as states that sponsor international
terrorism: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
Cuba is no longer able to actively support armed struggle in Latin
America and other parts of the world as the Castro regime has become
preoccupied with its struggle for existence. Although there is no
evidence of direct sponsorship of terrorist acts in 1994, Havana
does provide safehaven for several international terrorists. Cuba
has not renounced political support for groups that engage in
international terrorism.
Iran is still the most active state sponsor of international
terrorism. Iranian terrorist operations concentrate on Iranian
dissidents living outside Iran. While Tehran has tried to moderate
its public image in the West, Iran continues to use terrorism as
ruthlessly as it did under Khomeini and supports groups, such as
Hizballah, that pose a threat to Americans. In December, a French
court handed down a decision in the trial of three Iranians accused
of participating in the 1991 murder of former Iranian Prime Minister
Bakhtiar and an assistant. One was sentenced to life and one to 10
years in prison, while the third, an employee of the Iranian Embassy
in Bern, was acquitted. Iran remains committed to carrying out the
death sentence imposed on British author Salman Rushdie. Iran's main
client, Hizballah, could well have been responsible for the 18 July
bombing of the Argentine-Israel Mutual Association (AMIA) that left
nearly 100 persons dead. Iran supports many other radical
organizations that have resorted to terrorism, such as the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), HAMAS, and the Popular Front for
the Liberation of PalestineöGeneral Command (PFLP-GC).
Throughout 1994 Iraq remained out of compliance with UN Security
Council resolutions, including those requiring it to renounce
terrorism. Iraq continued its terrorist attacks against political
dissidents, both at home and abroad. It also continued its terrorist
war of attrition aimed at driving UN and other foreign aid agencies
out of northern Iraq and depriving the Kurdish population of relief
supplies. There were at least 17 attacks against UN and
international relief personnel reported in 1994. Iraq continues to
provide safehaven and training facilities for several terrorist
organizations, including Abu Abbas' Palestine Liberation Front
(PLF), the ANO, and the Arab Liberation Front (ALF). In June, a
Kuwaiti court rendered verdicts in the trial of the 14 individuals
accused of participating in the plot to assassinate former President
Bush during his April 1993 visit to Kuwait.
Libya continued to defy the demands of UN Security Council
resolutions adopted in response to Tripoli's involvement in the
bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772. The resolutions
demand that Tripoli turn over the two Libyan intelligence agents
suspected of carrying out the bombing plot for trial either in a US
or UK court, pay compensation to the victims, cooperate in the
ongoing investigation, and cease all support for terrorism.
Available evidence suggests Libya was behind the disappearance of
prominent Libyan dissident and human rights activist Mansour Kikhia
from his hotel room in Egypt in December 1993. Leaders of terrorist
groups HAMAS and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) publicly
announced that Qadhafi had pledged to provide them with aid for the
"Liberation of Palestine."
North Korea is not known to have sponsored any international
terrorist attacks since 1987, when it conducted the midflight
bombing of a KAL airliner. North Korea has publicly condemned
terrorism but maintains contact with groups that practice terrorism
and continues to provide sanctuary to Japanese Communist LeagueöRed
Army Faction terrorists who hijacked a Japan Airlines flight to
North Korea in 1970.
While there is no evidence that the Government of Sudan conducted or
sponsored a specific act of terrorism in 1994, the regime provided
safehaven and support for members of several international terrorist
groups operating in Sudan. These include some of the world's most
violent organizations: the ANO, the Lebanese Hizballah, HAMAS, the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Egypt's Islamic Group. Some of
Sudan's neighbors have complained that insurgents in North Africa
have received training, funds, weapons, travel documents and
indoctrination from Sudan. In December, Eritrea severed diplomatic
relations with Sudan for its support for subversive activities and
hostile acts. Sudan turned over the international terrorist Carlos
to France in August, after offering him safehaven in Khartoum since
late 1993. The regime has stated that the turnover was a one-time
occurrence and would not affect other terrorists currently harbored
in Sudan.
There is no evidence that Syrian officials have been directly
involved in planning or executing terrorist attacks since 1986, but
Syria continues to provide safehaven and support, inside Syria or in
areas of Lebanon under Syrian control, for terrorist groups such as
Ahmad Jibril's PFLP-GC, HAMAS, PIJ, the Japanese Red Army, and the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Syria also permits Iran to resupply
Hizballah via Damascus. Nevertheless, Damascus continues to restrain
the international activities of some of these groups.
Cuba
The Castro regime, which is preoccupied with its existence, is no
longer able to support armed struggle actively in Latin America and
other parts of the world. In years past, Havana provided significant
levels of military training, weapons, funds, and guidance to leftist
subversives. Currently, the regime's focus is largely on economic
survival, and the government is attempting to upgrade diplomatic and
trade relations within Latin America. Cuba's economy continued to
deteriorate, and a large antiregime demonstration broke out for the
first time in 1994.
Although there is no evidence that Cuban officials have been
directly involved in sponsoring a specific act of terrorism during
the past year, Havana did provide safehaven in 1994 to several
terrorists in Cuba. A number of ETA Basque terrorists who sought
sanctuary in Cuba several years ago continue to live on the island.
Some of the more than 40 Chilean terrorists from the Manuel
Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) who escaped from a Chilean prison
in 1990 also probably still reside in Cuba. Colombia's two main
guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
and the National Liberation Army (ELN), reportedly maintain
representatives in Havana.
Iran
Iran is still the most active state sponsor of international
terrorism and continues to be directly involved in planning and
executing terrorist acts. This year Tehran seems to have maintained
its terrorist activities at the level of 1993, when there were four
confirmed and two possible Iranian attacks on dissidents living
outside Iran. Iranian terrorist operations concentrate on Iranian
dissidents, particularly members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and
the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). Iran supports extremist
Palestinian groups that have used terrorism to try to halt the
Middle East peace process. Tehran also gives varying degrees of
assistance to an assortment of radical Islamic and secular groups
from North Africa to Central Asia.
While President Rafsanjani has tried to moderate Iran's public image
to expand its economic and political ties to Western Europe and
Japan, Iran continues to use terrorism as ruthlessly as it did under
Khomeini. Tehran supports groups, such as its main client Hizballah,
that pose a threat to Americans. Due to the continuing threat from
Tehran and Hizballah, American diplomatic missions and personnel
remain at risk.
Confirmed attacks on Iranian dissidents in the past year include the
following: the 7 January killing of Taha Kirmeneh, a dissident who
was a member of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), by
gunmen in Coru, Turkey; the 10 January wounding of a member of the
KDPI by a letter bomb in Stockholm, Sweden; the killing of a KDPI
leader in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on 10 March; and the killing of two
members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) in Qabbiyah, Iraq, while
driving to Baghdad on 29 May. While the MEK has been victimized by
Iranian terrorism, the group has itself employed terrorist tactics.
The 24 June murder of dissident Osman Muhammed Amini at his home in
Copenhagen and the 12 November murder of dissident Ali Mohammed
Assadi in Bucharest may also have been carried out at the Iranian
Government's behest.
On 6 December, a French court handed down a decision in the trial of
three Iranians accused of participating in the 1991 murder of former
Iranian Prime Minister Bakhtiar and an assistant. One defendant
received life imprisonment. A second, an Iranian radio correspondent
who is reputed to be a nephew of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, was
sentenced to 10 years in jail. The third, an employee of the Iranian
Embassy in Bern, was acquitted.
Iran remains committed to implementation of the death sentence
imposed on British author Salman Rushdie. When speaking to Western
audiences, Iranian leaders claim that the fatwa (or religious
finding) against Rushdie is a religious matter that does not involve
the Government of Iran.
However, the Iranian Government continued its propaganda campaign
against Rushdie. In February, the fifth anniversary of the fatwa,
Tehran Radio stated that "The least punishment for (Rushdie)·is·his
execution." Ayatollah Hassan Sanei, the head of a quasi-governmental
foundation that has offered a $2 million reward for the murder of
Rushdie, said that supporters of Rushdie who campaign for the
lifting of the fatwa deserved to be "punished." A Revolutionary
Guards official vowed publicly that the death sentence would be
carried out. The influence of this campaign has been felt outside
Iran. In September, the head of a Muslim organization in Norway
threatened to kill Rushdie if he attended a conference on freedom of
expression in Stavanger.
Iran is also the world's preeminent state sponsor of extremist
Islamic and Palestinian groups, providing funds, weapons, and
training. Hizballah, Iran's closest client, could well have been
responsible for the 18 July bombing of the Argentine Israel Mutual
Association that left nearly 100 persons dead. This operation was
virtually identical to the one conducted in March 1992 against the
Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, for which Hizballah claimed
responsibility. Hizballah had stated that it would seek retaliation
against Israel for the kidnapping of a well-known Lebanese Shia
terrorist and the Israeli airstrike in June on a Hizballah camp in
Lebanon that killed more than 20 militants.
Iran supports many other radical organizations that have engaged in
terrorism. Tehran opposes any compromise with or recognition of
Israel and, as the peace process moves ahead, has worked to
coordinate a rejectionist front to oppose the Israeli-PLO accords,
particularly with the PIJ, the PFLP-GC, and HAMAS, as well as
Hizballah.
Tehran continues to provide safehaven to the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) in Iran. The PKKũseeking to establish a Kurdish
state in southeastern Turkeyũin 1994 conducted a violent campaign
against Turkish tourism, including attacks on tourist spots
frequented by foreigners, while continuing unabated the use of
terrorism against Turkish citizens, including ethnic Kurds.
Iraq
Iraq continued to engage in state-sponsored internal and
international terrorism in 1994. It is rebuilding its ability to
mount terrorist attacks abroad, despite financial and diplomatic
constraints imposed in the wake of the Gulf war.
The Government of Iraq provides safehaven and logistic support to
several terrorist groups and individuals, including elements of the
ANO, based in Lebanon; the Mojahedin-e Khalq, which is opposed to
the government in Tehran; Abu Abbas' Palestine Liberation Front
(PLF); and notorious bomb-maker Abu Ibrahim. Both Abbas and Ibrahim
enjoy sanctuary in Iraq.
Political killings and terrorist actions are directed against
civilians, foreign relief workers, journalists, and opposition
leaders. On 12 April, a prominent Iraqi expatriate oppositionist
residing in Beirut, Lebanon, was assassinated. The Government of
Lebanon stated that it had firm evidence linking the killing to the
Government of Iraq and arrested two Iraqi diplomats in connection
with the incident. Lebanon subsequently broke diplomatic relations
with Iraq.
Since 1991, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the
Government of Iraq has obstructed the international community's
provision of humanitarian assistance. We believe that Iraq is
responsible for more than 100 attacks on relief personnel and aid
convoys over the past four years. Moreover, the Government of Iraq
has offered monetary "bounties" to anyone who assassinates UN and
other international relief workers.
A German journalist and her Kurdish bodyguard were shot to death on
3 April in an ambush near Suleymaniya. Kurdish authorities arrested
several suspects who reportedly confessed that the government had
paid them to commit the murders. Several other international
personnel, including UN guards and journalists, were critically
injured in bombing and shooting attacks. At least 16 such attacks
were reported. On 2 January, two UN vehicles were fired on while
approaching the Aski Kalak bridge between Mosul and Irbil. One
vehicle was hit seven times. On 21 January a handmade device using
TNT exploded in the garden of a UN residence. Two Swedish
journalists were injured on 14 March near Aqrah when a bomb exploded
under their car. On 24 May two vehicles carrying representatives
from the NGO OXFAM were shot at while returning to Suleymaniyah from
a UN-NGO meeting in Salaheddin. On 1 June handgrenades were thrown
at a warehouse in Suleymaniyah belonging to the French relief group
Equilibre.
In July, three members of a prominent Shi'a family, the al-Khoeis,
and their driver died under suspicious circumstances in an
automobile crash in southern Iraq, near Al Najaf. Evidence points to
involvement by the Government of Iraq. The al-Khoei family had long
been targeted for harassment and abuse by the government.
On 4 June, a Kuwaiti court returned verdicts in the trial of the 14
individuals accused of participation in the plot to assassinate
former President Bush during his April 1993 visit to Kuwait. Six of
the 14 were sentenced to death, seven were sentenced to prison for
terms ranging from six months to 12 years, and one was acquitted.
Libya
The Libyan regime continued to defy the demands of UN Security
Council Resolutions 731, 748, and 883 adopted in response to
Tripoli's involvement in the bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA
Flight 772. UNSCR 731 was adopted following the November 1991
indictments by British and US authorities of two Libyan intelligence
agents for their role in the 1988 Pan Am bombing. The resolution
incorporated US and British demands that Tripoli turn over the two
suspects for trial in either a US or UK court, pay compensation to
the victims, cooperate in the ongoing investigation, and cease all
support for terrorism. UNSCR 731 also demanded that Tripoli
cooperate with French authorities in their separate investigation of
the UTA 772 bombing in 1989.
In April 1992, UNSCR 748 imposed sanctions against the Libyan regime
for its refusal to comply with the demands of UNSCR 731. Those
sanctions involved embargoing Libyan civil aviation and military
procurement efforts, as well as requiring all states to reduce
Libya's diplomatic presence. In November 1993, UNSCR 883 imposed
additional sanctions to increase the pressure on Libya to comply
with previous demands. The 883 sanctions added a limited assets
freeze and oil technology ban and strengthened existing sanctions.
By the end of 1994, Libya had taken no serious steps toward
compliance with any of the UNSC demands. Instead, the Libyan regime
continued to propose half measures and "compromise" solutions to the
trial venue for the two suspects. Tripoli's proposals appeared
disingenuous from the start, as none satisfy the demands of UNSC
resolutions or meet the requirements of American or British judicial
systems.
Even while Libya continued its efforts to convince international
public opinion that it had abandoned terrorism, Qadhafi and his
senior advisers vehemently attacked the Libyan opposition, calling
them "stray dogs" and publicly threatening them. Indeed, available
evidence strongly suggests Libya was behind the disappearance of
prominent Libyan dissident and human rights activist, Mansour
Kikhia, from his hotel room in Egypt in December 1993.
Throughout 1994, Tripoli demonstrated its willingness to support
groups that oppose Western interests with terrorism. Qadhafi
repeatedly urged radical rejectionists of the Middle East peace
process to use "whatever means" possible to oppose it. Libya opened
its arms to leaders of well-
known militant groups opposed to the Gaza-Jericho accord and hosted
several meetings of the rejectionist groups in 1994. In addition,
Libya hailed the 19 October bus-bombing attack in Tel Aviv by HAMAS
as a "courageous operation." In addition, the leaders of HAMAS and
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad publicly announced that Qadhafi had
pledged to provide them with aid for the "liberation of Palestine."
North Korea
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) is
not known to have sponsored any international terrorist attacks
since 1987, when it conducted the midflight bombing of a KAL
airliner. A North Korean spokesman in April 1993 condemned all forms
of terrorism, including state terrorism, and said his country
resolutely opposed the encouragement and support of terrorism.
Nevertheless, North Korea maintains contact with groups that
practice terrorism and continues to provide political sanctuary to
members of the Japanese Communist Leagueö
Red Army Faction who hijacked a Japan Airlines flight to North Korea
in 1970.
Sudan
The Government of Sudan provided safehaven and support for members
of several international terrorist groups operating in Sudan. The
regime also permitted Tehran to use Sudan as a secure transit point
and meeting site for Iranian-backed extremist groups. There is no
evidence that Sudan, which is dominated by the National Islamic
Front (NIF), conducted or sponsored a specific act of terrorism in
1994.
The list of groups that maintain a presence or operate in Sudan is
disturbing and includes some of the world's most violent
organizations: the ANO, the Lebanese Hizballah, the Palestinian
Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ), and Egypt's Islamic Group. The NIF also supports Islamic
opposition groups from Algeria, Tunisia, Kenya, and Eritrea. Some of
Sudan's neighbors have complained that insurgents in North Africa
have received assistance from Sudan in the form of training, funds,
weapons, travel documents, and indoctrination. In December, Eritrea
severed diplomatic relations with Sudan for its support for
subversive activities and hostile acts.
In a positive development, Sudan turned over the international
terrorist "Carlos" (Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez) to France in August.
Carlosũwho bragged about his ties to senior government officials,
carried a weapon, and flaunted Sudan's lawsũhad been living in Sudan
since late 1993 with full knowledge and protection of senior levels
of the NIF and Sudanese Government.
While the reasons for the expulsion of Carlos are not entirely
clear, the regime emphasized that the affair did not signal a shift
in Sudanese policy and that the fate of Carlos would not affect
other terrorist elements currently harbored in Sudan. President
Bashir stated publicly it was Sudan's duty to protect "mujahedin"
who sought refuge. In a press interview on the suicide bus bombing
in Tel Aviv by a HAMAS militant in October, which left 22 persons
dead, NIF leader Hassan Turabi praised the attack, calling it "an
honorable act."
The Sudanese regime regularly denied there are terrorists in Sudan,
and it refused to investigate information the US Ambassador supplied
in September about the training of terrorists at the Merkhiyat
Popular Defense camp located northwest of Khartoum. The Foreign
Minister categorically dismissed the information without even
offering to look into it.
Syria
There is no evidence that Syrian officials have been directly
involved in planning or executing terrorist attacks since 1986.
Damascus is publicly committed to the Middle East peace process and
has taken some steps to restrain the international activities of
these groups. Syria also uses its influence with Hizballah to limit
outbreaks of violence on the border between Lebanon and Israel, but
permits Iran to resupply Hizballah via Damascus.
However, Syria continues to provide safehaven and support for
several groups that engage in international terrorism; spokesmen for
some of these groups have publicly claimed responsibility for
attacks in Israel and the occupied territories. Several radical
terrorist groups maintain training camps or other facilities on
Syrian territory. Ahmad Jibril's PFLP-GC has its headquarters near
Damascus. In addition, Damascus grants a wide variety of groups
engaged in terrorism basing privileges or refuge in areas of
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley under Syrian control: these include HAMAS,
the PFLP-GC, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Japanese
Red Army (JRA).
The terrorist group PKK continues to train in the Bekaa Valley, and
its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, resides at least part-time in Syria.
The PKK in 1994 conducted a violent campaign against Turkish tourist
spots frequented by foreigners, as well as other terrorist violence
across Europe. Syrian safehaven for PKK operations was vigorously
protested by Turkey and is the subject of discussions between Syria
and Turkey.
Appendix A
Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1994
4 January
Ireland
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) claimed responsibility for two mail
bombs sent to Sinn Fein's Dublin offices.
Turkey
Iranian state agents are believed responsible for the assassination
of a member of the Iranian KDP Central Committee in Corum.
9 January
Iran
An armed attack was carried out against the British Embassy in
Tehran. No one was injured, and no one has claimed responsibility
for the attack.
10 January
Italy
A bomb detonated in front of the NATO Defense College building in
Rome. That evening, copies of an eight-page Red Brigades bulletin,
claiming responsibility on behalf of the "Combatant Communist
Nuclei" (NCC), were found in several provinces.
11 January
Peru
A suspected Sendero Luminoso (SL) satchel bomb exploded in front of
the Peruvian-Japanese cultural center in Lima, causing minimal
damage to the structure.
14 January
Colombia
Suspected members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped US
citizen Russell Vacek, his wife Elizabeth, and other family members
as they were traveling in El Playon.
29 January
Lebanon
A Jordanian diplomat was shot and killed outside his home in Beirut.
The Government of Lebanon arrested and prosecuted ANO terrorists for
the attack.
2 February
Azerbaijan
Several bombs exploded inside railcars, killing five persons and
injuring several others at the Baku train station.
3 February
Greece
A bomb detonated at the German Goethe (culture) Institute in Athens.
A local newspaper received a warning a half hour before the
detonation from the Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) terrorist
group.
Italy
A bomb was placed underneath the car of a Spanish Military Attache,
Lt. Col. Fernando Sagristano, in Rome. The device severely injured
an embassy driver.
19 February
Egypt
Unknown assailants fired upon a passenger train and wounded a Polish
woman, a Thai woman, and two Egyptian citizens in Asyut. The al-
Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) claimed responsibility for the
attack.
23 February
Egypt
A bomb explosion aboard a passenger train in Asyut injured six
foreign touristsũtwo New Zealanders, two Germans, and two
Australiansũand five Egyptian citizens. The Islamic Group (IG)
claimed responsibility for the incident.
4 March
Egypt
Unknown gunmen opened fire at a Nile cruise ship and wounded a
German tourist near the Sohag Governorate. The Islamic Group (IG)
claimed responsibility for the incident.
Iraq
Unidentified gunmen fired on a European Relief Organization vehicle
and wounded two local guards near Irbil.
9-13 March
United Kingdom
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) fired mortars at
London's Heathrow International Airport in three separate attacks.
There were no injuries because the fully primed mortars failed to
detonate.
13 March
Lebanon
A grenade detonated on the British Embassy compound, causing minor
damage and no injuries. No arrests or claims of responsibility were
reported.
24 March
Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is believed responsible for
bombing the Central Bazaar in Istanbul's historic tourist district.
Four tourists, including two Romanian women, were injured by the
blast.
27 March
Turkey
A bomb detonated in the gardens of the Saint Sophia Mosque and
Museum in Istanbul, injuring three tourists: one German, one
Spanish, and one Dutch. The Metropole Revenge Team of the political
wing of the PKK claimed responsibility.
29 March
Iraq
Six assailants fired on a United Nations guard contingency bus
traveling from Irbil to Mosul and seriously wounded two Austrian
guards.
1 April
Colombia
Six members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
kidnapped US citizen Raymond Rising, Security Chief of the Summer
Linguistic Institution, as he rode his motorcycle from the Municipal
Capital of Puerto Lleras.
2 April
Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for
bombing the IC Bedesten, the old bazaar at the center of the bazaar
complex, in Istanbul. Two foreign tourists, one Spanish and one
Belgian, were killed, and 17 others were injured.
3 April
Iraq
Assailants fired on a German journalist and her bodyguard while they
were traveling in their car near Suleymaniyah. Both occupants of the
vehicle were killed instantly.
8 April
Sri Lanka
A small bomb exploded inside a bathroom at the Marriott Hotel in
Colombo, causing minor damages and no casualties.
11 April
Greece
The 17 November terrorist group claimed responsibility for planting
rockets aimed at a British aircraft carrier, the Arc Royal. The
rockets were defused by explosives experts.
13 April
Lebanon
Five individuals, including two Iraqi diplomats, were arrested for
assassinating Iraqi opposition figure Shaykh Talib Ali al-Suhayl in
his house near West Beirut.
27 April
South Africa
A car bomb exploded at Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg, injuring
16 persons, including two Russian diplomats and a Swiss Air pilot.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, white separatists
opposed to South Africa's first multiracial election are believed
responsible.
8 May
Algeria
Two French priests were shot and killed by two male assailants in
the lower Casbah district of Algiers. In its weekly publication, the
Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility.
17 May
Greece
A time-detonated rocket was fired at an IBM office in downtown
Athens. The 17 November terrorist group claimed responsibility in a
warning call to a radio station.
29 May
Iraq
At least two unknown assailants shot and killed an Iranian
dissident, Seyeed Ahmad Sadr Lahijani, as he drove his car through
Ghalebieh.
17 June
Uganda
A driver for the Catholic Relief Services was badly beaten by Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels who ambushed the truck he was driving.
21-22 June
Turkey
In the coastal towns of Fethiye and Marmaris, bombs killed one
foreign national and injured 10 others at tourist sites. The PKK
claimed responsibility for the attacks on German television.
22 June
Turkey
Two bombs detonated within minutes of each other at a beach and park
in the resort town of Marmaris, wounding 12 persons, including four
British nationals, one of whom died five days later.
24 June
Greece
The Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA/1 May) claimed
responsibility for a bombing outside the offices of the European
Community in downtown Athens. There were no injuries reported.
4 July
Greece
A senior Turkish diplomat in Athens, Omer Sipahioglu, was killed by
three gunmen as he sat in his car. "November 17öTheofilos Georgiadis
Commandos" claimed responsibility for the attack.
11 July
Greece
A bomb detonated in a Lindos restaurant on the Island of Rhodes,
seriously injuring an Italian tourist and a Greek citizen.
18 July
Argentina
A car bomb exploded at the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association
(AMIA), killing nearly 100 persons and wounding more than 200
others. The explosion caused the seven-story building to collapse
and damaged adjacent buildings.
19 July
Panama
A commuter plane exploded in flight over the Santa Rita mountains.
Among the 21 victims were Israeli nationals, dual Israeli-Panamanian
citizens, three US citizens, and 12 Jewish persons.
23 July
West Bank
Two unknown Palestinians stabbed and seriously injured a US woman in
the Arab quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The assailants
escaped unharmed.
26 July
Cambodia
The Khmer Rouge attacked a train traveling in Kompong Trach and
kidnapped a number of passengers, among them an Australian, a
Briton, and a Frenchman.
United Kingdom
A car bomb exploded at the Israeli Embassy in London, injuring 14
persons. Police said the bomb was planted by a woman who was driving
an Audi.
27 July
United Kingdom
A car bomb detonated outside a building that houses Jewish
organizations in London. Five persons were injured in the attack.
3 August
Algeria
Five French Embassy employees were killed and one injured when
guerrillas from the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) attacked a French
residential compound in Algiers.
8 August
Turkey
The PKK kidnapped two Finnish nationals, stating that they did not
have "entry visas for Kurdistan." The Finns were held for 22 days
before being released unharmed.
12 August
Turkey
A bomb detonated in the Topkapi Bus Terminal, killing one Romanian
consular official and wounding seven other people. The PKK is
suspected.
18 August
Chile
A bomb exploded at a Santiago office building that houses the
American company Fluor Daniel. The Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front
(FPMR) claimed responsibility and stated that the incident was
carried out in solidarity with Cuba and against the US economic
blockade of the island.
26 August
Angola
A Portuguese priest and four nuns were kidnapped by suspected
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebels
near Choba.
27 August
Philippines
Seven South Korean engineers and 30 Filipino workers were taken
captive by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
23 September
Colombia
Twelve terrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) kidnapped US citizen Thomas Hargrove when he stopped at a
guerrilla roadblock.
27 September
Egypt
Three persons were killed and two were wounded when an assailant
fired on a downtown tourist area in Hurghada. Two Egyptians and one
German were killed in the attack. The Islamic Group claimed
responsibility for the attack.
9 October
Israel
Two Arabs armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked
pedestrians in Jerusalem. The gunmen killed two persons and injured
14 others. Two US citizens were among the injured. HAMAS has claimed
responsibility for the incident.
18 October
Algeria
Approximately 30 members of the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) attacked
an oil base, killing a French and an Italian worker.
23 October
Egypt
Assailants shot and killed a British tourist and wounded three
others in an attack on a bus near Luxor. The Islamic Group is
believed responsible for the attack.
11 December
Philippines
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) claimed responsibility for an explosion
aboard a Philippine airliner. One Japanese citizen was killed, and
at least 10 others were injured.
12 December
Turkey
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is believed responsible for a
bomb blast outside a store in Istanbul, which injured eight persons,
including four Romanian tourists.
24 December
Algeria
Members of the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) hijacked an Air France
flight in Algeria. The plane arrived in Marseille, France, on 26
December. A French antiterrorist unit stormed the plane, ending the
54-hour siege in which three hostages were killed by the terrorists.
All four terrorists were killed during the rescue.
25 December
Israel
An American was among 12 persons injured when a HAMAS supporter
carrying a bag of explosives blew himself up at a West Jerusalem bus
stop.
27 December
Algeria
The Armed Islamic Group (AIG) claimed responsibility for the murders
of four Catholic priests. The murders were apparently in retaliation
for the deaths of four GIA hijackers the previous day in Marseille.
Appendix B
Background Information on Major Groups Discussed in the Report
Abu Nidal organization (ANO) a.k.a.: Fatah Revolutionary
Council, Arab Revolutionary Council, Arab Revolutionary Brigades,
Black September, Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims
Description
International terrorist organization led by Sabri al-Banna. Split
from PLO in 1974. Made up of various functional committees,
including political, military, and financial.
Activities
Has carried out over 90 terrorist attacks since 1974 in 20
countries, killing or injuring almost 900 people. Targets include
the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate
Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab countries, depending on
which state is sponsoring it at the time. Major attacks include Rome
and Vienna airports in December 1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in
Istanbul, the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking in Karachi in September
1986, and the City of Poros day-
excursion ship attack in July 1988 in Greece. Suspected of carrying
out assassination on 14 January 1991 in Tunis of PLO deputy chief
Abu Iyad and PLO security chief Abu Hul. ANO members assassinated a
Jordanian diplomat in Lebanon in January 1994.
Strength
Several hundred plus ``militia'' in Lebanon and overseas support
structure.
Location/Area of Operation
Headquartered in Iraq (1974-83) and Syria (1983-87); currently
headquartered in Libya with substantial presence in Lebanon (in the
Bekaa Valley and several Palestinian refugee camps in coastal areas
of Lebanon). Also has a presence in Sudan. Has demonstrated ability
to operate over wide area, including the Middle East, Asia, and
Europe.
External Aid
Has received considerable support, including safehaven, training,
logistic assistance, and financial aid from Iraq and Syria (until
1987); continues to receive aid from Libya, in addition to close
support for selected operations.
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
Description
Islamic extremist group operating in the southern Philippines led by
Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani. Split from the Moro National
Liberation Front in 1991.
Activities
The organization uses bombs, assassinations, kidnappings for ransom,
and extortion payments from companies and businessmen in its efforts
to promote an Iranian-style Islamic state in Mindanao, an island in
the southern Philippines heavily populated by Muslims. The ASG is
suspected of mounting more than 60 terrorist attacks. Recent attacks
have been mounted in opposition to ongoing peace negotiations
between Manila and other Islamic groups.
Strength
About 200 members, mostly younger Muslims, many of whom have studied
or worked in the Gulf states, where they were exposed to radical
Islamist ideology.
Location/Area of Operation
The ASG operates almost exclusively on Mindanao Island, although it
bombed a light railway in Manila in 1993. A person purporting to be
an ASG member claimed responsibility for the midair bombing of a
Philippines Airlines jumbo jet flying from Manila to Tokyo in
December 1994.
External Aid
Probably has ties to Islamic extremists in the Middle East.
Al-Fatah
a.k.a.: Al-'Asifa
Description
Headed by Yasser Arafat, Fatah joined the PLO in 1968 and won the
leadership role in 1969. Its commanders were expelled from Jordan
following violent confrontations with Jordanian forces during the
period 1970-71, beginning with Black September in 1970. The Israeli
invasion of Lebanon in 1982 led to the group's dispersal to several
Middle Eastern countries, including Tunisia, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq,
and others. Maintains several military and intelligence wings that
have carried out terrorist attacks, including Force 17 and the
Western Sector. Two of its leaders, Abu Jihad and Abu Iyad, were
assassinated in recent years.
Activities
In the 1960s and the 1970s, Fatah offered training to a wide range
of European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African terrorist and
insurgent groups. Carried out numerous acts of international
terrorism in Western Europe and the Middle East in the early-to-
middle 1970s. Arafat signed the Declaration of Principles (DOP) with
Israel in 1993 and renounced terrorism and violence. There has been
no authorized terrorist operation since that time.
Strength
6,000 to 8,000.
Location/Area of Operation
Headquartered in Tunisia, with bases in Lebanon and other Middle
East countries.
External Aid
Has had close political and financial ties to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
and other moderate Gulf states. These relations were disrupted by
the Gulf crisis of 1990-91. Also had links to Jordan. Received
weapons, explosives, and training from the former USSR and the
former Communist regimes of East European states. China and North
Korea have reportedly provided some weapons.
Armed Islamic Group (AIG)
a.k.a. GIA
Description
An Islamic extremist group, the AIG aims to overthrow the secular
Algerian regime and replace it with an Islamic state. The AIG began
its violent activities following the ouster of President Bendjedid
in early 1992 and the cancellation of elections, which the Islamic
Salvation Front was leading.
Activities
Frequent attacks against regime targetsũparticularly security
personnel and government officialsũcivilians, journalists, teachers,
and foreign residents. Since announcing its terrorist campaign
against foreigners living in Algeria in September 1993, the AIG has
killed almost 90 expatriate men and womenũmostly Euro-peansũin the
country. The AIG uses assassinations and bombings, including car
bombs, and it is known to favor kidnapping victims and slitting
their throats. In December 1994, four AIG terrorists hijacked an Air
France flight in Algiers and killed three passengers before flying
to Marseille, France, where French police stormed the plane, killing
the hijackers. Since 1992, between 10,000 and 35,000 people have
died in Algerian violence.
Strength
Unknown, probably several hundred to several thousand.
Location
Algeria.
External Aid
Algerian expatriates, many of whom reside in Western Europe, provide
some financial and logistic support. In addition, the Algerian
Government has accused Iran and Sudan of supporting Algerian
extremists and severed diplomatic relations with Iran in March 1993.
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)
a.k.a.: The Orly Group, 3rd October Organization
Description
Marxist-Leninist Armenian terrorist group formed in 1975 with stated
intention to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly
its alleged responsibility for the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians
in 1915, pay reparations, and cede territory for an Armenian
homeland. Led by Hagop Hagopian until he was assassinated in Athens
in April 1988.
Activities
Initial bombing and assassination attacks directed against Turkish
targets. Later attacked French and Swiss targets to force release of
imprisoned comrades. Made several minor bombing attacks against US
airline offices in Western Europe in early 1980s. Bombing of Turkish
airline counter at Orly International Airport in Paris in 1983, in
which eight persons were killed and 55 were wounded, led to split in
group over rationale for causing indiscriminate casualties.
Suffering from internal schisms, the group has been relatively
inactive.
Strength
A few hundred members and sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
Lebanon, Western Europe, Armenia, the United States, and the Middle
East.
External Aid
Has received aid, including training and safehaven, from Syria. May
also receive some aid from Libya. Has extensive ties to radical
Palestinian groups, including the PFLP and PFLP-GC.
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
Description
Founded in 1959 with the aim of creating an independent homeland in
Spain's Basque region. Has muted commitment to Marxism.
Activities
Chiefly bombings and assassinations of Spanish Government targets,
especially security forces. Since arrest of ETA members in France in
March 1992, ETA also has attacked French interests. Finances
activities through kidnappings, robberies, and extortion.
Strength
Unknown; may have hundreds of members, plus supporters.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates primarily in the Basque autonomous regions of northern
Spain and southwestern France but also has bombed Spanish interests
in Italy and Germany and French interests in Italy.
External Aid
Has received training at various times in Libya, Lebanon, and
Nicaragua. Also appears to have close ties to PIRA.
Chukaku-Ha (Nucleus or Middle Core Faction)
Description
An ultraleftist/radical group with origins in the fragmentation of
the Japanese Communist Party in 1957. Largest domestic militant
group; has political arm plus small, covert action wing called
Kansai Revolutionary Army. Funding derived from membership dues,
sales of its newspapers, and fundraising campaigns.
Activities
Participates in mass street demonstrations and commits sporadic
attacks using crude rockets and incendiary devices usually designed
to cause property damage rather than casualties. Protests Japan's
imperial system, Western ``imperialism,'' and events like the Gulf
war and the expansion of Tokyo's Narita airport. Launched four
rockets at the US Army base at Camp Zama, near Tokyo, at the start
of the G-7 Summit in July 1993.
Strength
3,500.
Location/Area of Operation
Japan.
External Aid
None known.
CNPZ (see Nestor Paz Zamora Commission under National
Liberation Army [ELN]-Bolivia)
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
Description
Marxist group that split from the PFLP in 1969. Believes Palestinian
national goals can be achieved only through revolution of the
masses. Opposes the Declaration of Principles (DOP) signed in 1993.
In early 1980s, occupied political stance midway between Arafat and
the rejectionists. Split into two factions in 1991, one pro-Arafat
and another more hardline faction headed by Nayif Hawatmah (which
has suspended participation in the PLO).
Activities
In the 1970s, carried out numerous small bombings and minor assaults
and some more spectacular operations in Israel and the occupied
territories, concentrating on Israeli targets such as the 1974
massacre in Ma'alot in which 27 Israelis were killed and more than
100 wounded. Involved only in border raids since 1988.
Strength
Estimated at 500 (total for both factions).
Location/Area of Operation
Syria, Lebanon, and the Israeli occupied territories; attacks have
taken place entirely in Israel and the occupied territories.
External Aid
Receives financial and military aid from Syria and Libya.
Devrimci Sol (Revolutionary Left)
a.k.a.: Dev Sol
Description
Formed in 1978 as a splinter faction of the Turkish People's
Liberation Party/Front. Espouses a Marxist ideology, intensely
xenophobic, and virulently anti-US and anti-NATO; seeks to unify the
proletariat to stage a national revolution. Finances its activities
chiefly through armed robberies and extortion.
Activities
Since the late 1980s, has concentrated attacks against current and
retired Turkish security and military officials. Began new campaign
against foreign interests in 1990. Protesting Gulf war, claimed
assassination of two US military contractors and attempted
assassination of a US Air Force officer. Launched rockets at US
Consulate in Istanbul in April and July 1992. Recent terrorist
activities have been less ambitious as Dev Sol works to recover from
internal factionalism and police raids that netted several
operatives and large weapons caches.
Strength
Several hundred members, several dozen armed militants.
Location/Area of Operation
Carries out attacks in Turkey, primarily in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir,
and Adana. Conducts fundraising operations in Western Europe.
External Aid
Possible training support from radical Palestinians.
ELN (see National Liberation Army).
ETA (see Basque Fatherland and Liberty)
FARC (see Revolutionary Army Forces of Colombia)
Fatah (see Al-Fatah)
15 May Organization
Description
Formed in 1979 from remnants of Wadi Haddad's Popular Front for the
Liberation of PalestineöSpecial Operations Group (PFLP-SOG). Led by
Muhammad al-Umari, who is known throughout Palestinian circles as
Abu Ibrahim or the bomb man. Group was never part of PLO. Reportedly
disbanded in the mid-1980s when several key members joined Colonel
Hawari's Special Operations Group of Fatah.
Activities
Claimed responsibility for several bombings in the early-to-middle
1980s, including hotel bombing in London (1980), El Al's Rome and
Istanbul offices (1981), and Israeli Embassies in Athens and Vienna
(1981). Anti-US attacks include an attempted bombing of a Pan Am
airliner in Rio de Janeiro and a bombing on board a Pan Am flight
from Tokyo to Honolulu in August 1982.
Strength
50 to 60 in early 1980s.
Location/Area of Operation
Baghdad until 1984. Before disbanding, operated in Middle East,
Europe, and East Asia. Abu Ibrahim is reportedly in Iraq.
External Aid
Probably received logistic and financial support from Iraq until
1984.
Force 17
Description
Formed in early 1970s as a personal security force for Arafat and
other PLO leaders.
Activities
According to press sources, in 1985 expanded operations to include
terrorist attacks against Israeli targets. No confirmed terrorist
activity outside Israel and the occupied territories since September
1985, when it claimed responsibility for killing three Israelis in
Cyprus, an incident that was followed by Israeli air raids on PLO
bases in Tunisia.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Based in Beirut before 1982. Since then, dispersed in several Arab
countries. Now operating in Lebanon, other Middle East countries,
and Europe.
External Aid
PLO is main source of support.
FPM (see Morazanist Patriotic Front)
FPMR (see Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front)
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya(a.k.a.: The Islamic Group)
Description
An indigenous Egyptian Islamic extremist group active since the late
1970s; appears to be loosely organized with no single readily
identifiable operational leader. Shaykh Umar abd al-Rahman is the
preeminent spiritual leader. Goal is to overthrow the government of
President Hosni Mubarak and replace it with an Islamic state.
Activities
Armed attacks against Egyptian security and other officials, Coptic
Christians, Western tourists, and Egyptian opponents of Islamic
extremism. It assassinated the speaker of the Egyptian assembly in
October 1990 and launched a series of attacks on tourists in Egypt
in 1992. The group wounded the Egyptian Information Minister in an
assassination attempt in April 1993.
Strength
Not known, but probably several thousand hardcore members and
another several thousand sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates mainly in the Al Minya, Asyut, and Qina Governorates of
southern Egypt. It also appears to have support in Cairo,
Alexandria, and other urban locations, particularly among unemployed
graduates and students.
External Aid
Not known. Egyptian Government believes that Iran, Sudan, and Afghan
militant Islamic groups support the group.
HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Description
HAMAS was formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian
branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and has become Fatah's principal
political rival in the occupied territories. Various elements of
HAMAS have used both political and violent means, including
terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian
state in place of Israel. HAMAS is loosely structured, with some
elements working openly through mosques and social service
institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities,
and distribute propaganda. Militant elements of HAMAS, operating
clandestinely, have advocated and used violence to advance their
goals. HAMAS's strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few
areas of the West Bank. It has also engaged in peaceful political
activity, such as running candidates in West Bank Chamber of
Commerce elections.
Activities
HAMAS activists especially those in the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Forces
have conducted many attacks against Israeli civilian and military
targets, suspected Palestinian collaborators, and Fatah rivals.
Strength
Unknown number of hardcore members; tens of thousands of supporters
and sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
Primarily the occupied territories, Israel, and Jordan.
External Aid
Receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, Iran, and private
benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab states. Some
fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe and
North America.
The Harakat-ul-Ansar (HUA)
Description
The Harakat-ul-Ansar (HUA)ũan Islamic militant group that seeks
Kashmir's accession to Pakistanũraised its visibility by kidnapping
two British citizens in June. The HUA was formed in October 1993
when two Pakistani political activist groups, Harakat-ul-Jihad al-
Islami and Harakat-ul-Mujahedin, merged. According to the leader of
the alliance, Maulana Saadatullah Kahn, the group's objective is to
continue the armed struggle against nonbelievers and anti-Islamic
forces.
Activities
This group recently has carried out a number of operations against
Indian troops and civilian targets in Kashmir. The HUA captured Lt.
Col. Bhobandar Singh in January and demanded that Indian forces turn
over an HUA commander in return for Singh's release. When Indian
authorities refused, the militants killed Singh. In mid-May, HUA
militants conducted two attacks in Doda district in which they
stopped buses, forced the passengers off, then singled out
individuals for executionũthe last victim was a 14-year-old Muslim
boy. The HUA also supports Muslims in Indian-controlled Kashmir with
humanitarian and military assistance.
Strength
The Harakat-ul-Ansar has several thousand armed members located in
Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, and in the southern Kashmir Valley and the
Doda regions of India. The HUA uses light and heavy machineguns,
assault rifles, mortars, explosives, and rockets. Membership is open
to all who support the HUA's objectives and are willing to take the
group's 40-day training course. It has a core militant group of
about 300, mostly Pakistanis and Kashmiris, but includes Afghans and
Arab veterans of the Afghan war.
Location/Area of Operation
The HUA is based in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, but HUA members have
participated in insurgent and terrorist operations in Kashmir,
Burma, Tajikistan, and Bosnia. The HUA is based in Muzaffarabad,
Pakistan, and is actively involved in supporting Muslims in Indian-
controlled Kashmir with humanitarian and military assistance. The
HUA's Burma branch, located in the Arakans, trains local Muslims in
weapons handling and guerrilla warfare. In Tajikistan, HUA members
have served with and trained Tajik resistance elements. The first
group of Harakat militants entered Bosnia in 1992.
External Aid
The HUA collects donations from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf and
Islamic states to purchase relief supplies, which it distributes to
Muslims in Tajikistan, Kashmir, and Burma. The source and amount of
HUA's military funding are unknown but is believed to come from
sympathetic Arab countries and wealthy Pakistanis and Kashmiris.
Hizballah (Party of God)
a.k.a.: Islamic Jihad, Revolutionary Justice Organization,
Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Islamic Jihad for the
Liberation of Palestine
Description
Radical Shia group formed in Lebanon; dedicated to creation of
Iranian-
style Islamic republic in Lebanon and removal of all non-Islamic
influences from area. Strongly anti-West and anti-Israel. Closely
allied with, and often directed by, Iran but may have conducted
rogue operations that were not approved by Tehran.
Activities
Known or suspected to have been involved in numerous anti-US
terrorist attacks, including the suicide truck-bombing of the US
Embassy and US Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and the US
Embassy annex in Beirut in September 1984. Group also hijacked TWA
Flight 847 in 1985. Elements of the group were responsible for the
kidnapping and detention of most, if not all, US and other Western
hostages in Lebanon. Islamic Jihad publicly claimed responsibility
for the car-bombing of Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires in March
1992.
Strength
Several thousand.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates in the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and
southern Lebanon; has established cells in Europe, Africa, South
America, North America, and elsewhere.
External Aid
Receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons,
explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran.
Jamaat ul-Fuqra
Description
Jamaat ul-Fuqra is an Islamic sect that seeks to purify Islam
through violence. Fuqra is led by Pakistani cleric Shaykh Mubarik
Ali Gilani, who established the organization in the early 1980s.
Gilani now resides in Pakistan, but most Fuqra cells are located in
North America. Fuqra members have purchased isolated rural compounds
in North America to live communally, practice their faith, and
insulate themselves from Western culture.
Activities
Fuqra members have attacked a variety of targets they view as
enemies of Islam, including Muslims they regard as heretics, and
Hindus. Several Fuqra members were convicted in a Canadian court in
late 1993 of conspiracy to commit murderũa charge related to their
plans to bomb a Hindu temple and a Hindu-owned cinema in Torontoũand
Fuqra members in the United States have also been convicted of
criminal violations, including murder and fraud. Attacks during the
1980s included assassinations and firebombings across the United
States.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
North America, Pakistan.
External Aid
None.
Japanese Red Army (JRA)
a.k.a.: Anti-Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB)
Description
An international terrorist group formed around 1970 after breaking
away from Japanese Communist League Red Army Faction. Now led by
Fusako Shigenobu, believed to be in Syrian-garrisoned area of
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Stated goals are to overthrow Japanese
Government and monarchy and to help foment world revolution.
Organization unclear but may control or at least have ties to Anti-
Imperialist International Brigade (AIIB); may also have links to
Antiwar Democratic Frontũan overt leftist political
organizationũinside Japan. Details released following November 1987
arrest of leader Osamu Maruoka indicate that JRA may be organizing
cells in Asian cities, such as Manila and Singapore. Has had close
and longstanding relations with Palestinian terrorist groupsũbased
and operating outside Japanũsince its inception.
Activities
Before 1977, JRA carried out a series of brutal attacks over a wide
geographical area, including the massacre of passengers at Lod
airport in Israel (1972) and two Japanese airliner hijackings (1973
and 1977). Anti-US attacks include attempted takeover of US Embassy
in Kuala Lumpur (1975). Since mid-1960s, has carried out several
crude rocket and mortar attacks against a number of US embassies. In
April 1988, JRA operative Yu Kikumura was arrested with explosives
on the New Jersey Turnpike, apparently planning an attack to
coincide with the bombing of a USO club in Naples and a suspected
JRA operation that killed five, including a US servicewoman. He was
convicted of these charges and is serving a lengthy prison sentence
in the United States.
Strength
About 30 hardcore members; undetermined number of sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
Based in Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon; often transits
Damascus.
External Aid
Receives aid, including training and base camp facilities, from
radical Palestinian terrorists, especially the PFLP. May also
receive aid from Libya. Suspected of having sympathizers and support
apparatus in Japan.
Jihad Group
a.k.a.: al-Jihad, Islamic Jihad, New Jihad Group, Vanguards of
Conquest, Talaa'al al-Fateh
Description
An Egyptian Islamic extremist group active since the late 1970s;
appears to be divided into at least two separate factions: remnants
of the original Jihad led by Abbud al-Zumar, currently imprisoned in
Egypt, and a new faction calling itself Vanguards of Conquest
(Talaa'al al-Fateh or the New Jihad Group), which appears to be led
by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is currently outside Egypt, specific
whereabouts unknown. In addition to the Islamic Group, the Jihad
factions regard Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman as their spiritual leader.
The goal of all Jihad factions is to overthrow the government of
President Hosni Mubarak and replace it with an Islamic state.
Activities
The Jihad groups specialize in armed attacks against high-level
Egyptian Government officials. The original Jihad was responsible
for the 1981 assassination of President Sadat. More recently, the
newer Jihad group led by Zawahiri claimed responsibility for the 18
August 1993 bomb attack in Cairo, which wounded Egyptian Interior
Minister Hassan al-Alfi and killed five others, and the 25 November
1993 car-bomb attack in Cairo on Prime Minister Sedky; although
Sedky was unharmed, a teenage girl was killed and 18 others were
injured. Unlike the Islamic Groupũ
which mainly targets mid- and lower-level security personnel, Coptic
Christians, and Western touristsũthe Jihad group appears to
concentrate primarily on high-level, high-profile Egyptian
Government officials, including cabinet ministers. It also seems
more technically sophisticated in its attacks than the al-Gama'a al-
Islamiyyaũnotably in its use of car bombs.
Strength
Not known, but probably several thousand hardcore members and
another several thousand sympathizers among the various factions.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates mainly in the Cairo area. Also appears to have members
outside Egypt, probably in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan.
External Aid
Not known. The Egyptian Government claims that Iran, Sudan, and
militant Islamic groups in Afghanistan support the Jihad factions.
Kach and Kahane Chai
Description
Stated goal of restoring the biblical state of Israel. Kach (founded
by radical Israeli-American rabbi Meir Kahane) and its offshoot
Kahane Chai, which means "Kahane Lives," (founded by Meir Kahane's
son Binyamin following his father's assassination in the United
States) were declared to be terrorist organizations on 13 March 1994
by the Israeli Cabinet under the 1948 Terrorism Law. This followed
the groups' statements in support of Dr. Baruch Goldstein's 25
February attack on the al-Ibrahimi MosqueũGoldstein was affiliated
with Kachũand their verbal attacks on the Israeli Government.
Activities
Organize protests against the Israeli Government. Harass and
threaten Palestinians in Hebron and the West Bank. Groups have
threatened to attack Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli Government
officials. They also claimed responsibility for several shooting
attacks on West Bank Palestinians in which four persons were killed
and two wounded in 1993.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Israel and West Bank settlements, particularly Qiryat Arba in
Hebron.
External Aid
Receives support from Jewish people in the United States and Europe.
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
a.k.a.: Kurdistan Workers' Party
Description
Marxist-Leninist insurgent group composed of Turkish Kurds
established in 1974. In recent years has moved beyond rural-based
insurgent activities to include urban terrorism. Seeks to set up an
independent Marxist state in southeastern Turkey, where there is a
predominantly Kurdish population.
Activities
Primary targets are Turkish Government forces and civilians in
eastern Turkey but becoming increasingly active in Western Europe
against Turkish targets. Conducted coordinated attacks on Turkish
diplomatic and commercial facilities in dozens of West European
cities on 24 June and 4 November. In May 1993, began a campaign
against Turkish tourism industry and kidnapped 19 Western tourists
traveling in eastern Turkey in summer 1993; released all unharmed.
Also has bombed tourist sites and hotels.
Strength
Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 full-time guerrillas, 5,000 to 6,000
of whom are in Turkey; 60,000 to 75,000 part-time guerrillas; and
hundreds of thousands of sympathizers in Turkey and Europe.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates in Turkey and Western Europe.
External Aid
Receives safehaven and modest aid from Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Lautaro Youth Movement (MJL)
a.k.a.: The Lautaro faction of the United Popular Action Movement
(MAPU/L) or Lautaro Popular Rebel Forces (FRPL)
Description
Violent, anti-US extremist group that advocates the overthrow of the
Chilean Government. Leadership largely from leftist elements but
includes criminals and alienated youths. Became active in late
1980s, but has been seriously weakened by government
counterterrorist successes in recent years.
Activities
Has been linked to assassinations of policemen, bank robberies, and
attacks on Mormon churches.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Chile; mainly Santiago.
External Aid
None.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Other known front organizations: World Tamil Association (WTA),
World Tamil Movement (WTM), the Federation of Associations of
Canadian Tamils (FACT), the Ellalan Force
Description
Founded in 1976, the LTTE is the most powerful Tamil group in Sri
Lanka and uses overt and illegal methods to raise funds, acquire
weapons, and publicize its cause of establishing an independent
Tamil state. The LTTE began its armed conflict with the Sri Lankan
Government in 1983 and relies on a guerrilla strategy that includes
the use of terrorist tactics.
Activities
The Tigers have integrated a battlefield insurgent strategy with a
terrorist program that targets not only key personnel in the
countryside but also senior Sri Lankan political and military
leaders in Colombo. Political assassinations have become commonplace
and culminated in May 1993 with the fatal bombing of President Rana-
singhe Premadasa. In April 1994, the Ellalan Force claimed credit
for setting off three bombs at major tourist hotels in Colombo.
Strength
Approximately 10,000 armed combatants in Sri Lanka; about 3,000 to
6,000 form a trained cadre of fighters. The LTTE also has a
significant overseas support structure for fundraising, weapons
procurement, and propaganda activities.
Location/Area of Operation
The Tigers control most of the northern and eastern coastal areas of
Sri Lanka but have conducted operations throughout the island.
Headquartered in the Jaffna peninsula, LTTE leader Velupillai
Prabhakaran has established an extensive network of checkpoints and
informants to keep track of any ``outsiders'' who enter the group's
area of control. The LTTE prefers to attack vulnerable government
facilities, then withdraw before reinforcements arrive.
External Aid
The LTTE's overt organizations support Tamil separatism by lobbying
foreign governments and the United Nations. The LTTE also uses its
international contacts to procure weapons, communications, and bomb-
making equipment. The LTTE exploits large Tamil communities in North
America, Europe, and Asia to obtain funds and supplies for its
fighters in Sri Lanka. Information obtained since the mid-1980s
indicates that some Tamil communities in Europe are also involved in
narcotics smuggling. Tamils historically have served as drug
couriers moving narcotics into Europe.
Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR)
Description
Original FPMR was founded in 1983 as armed wing of Chilean Communist
Party and named for hero of Chile's war of independence against
Spain. Group splintered into two factions in late 1980s, one of
which became a political party in 1991. The dissident wing FPMR/D is
one of Chile's most active terrorist groups.
Activities
The dissident wing (FPMR/D) frequently attacks civilians and
international targets, including US businesses and Mormon churches.
In 1993, FPMR/D bombed two McDonalds restaurants and attempted to
bomb a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Successful government
counterterrorist operations have significantly undercut
organization.
Strength
Now believed to have fewer than 500 members.
Location/Area of Operation
Chile.
External Aid
None.
Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)
a.k.a.: The National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA, the militant wing
of the MEK), the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), National Council
of Resistance (NCR), Muslim Iranian Student's Society (front
organization used to garner financial support)
Description
Formed in the 1960s by the college-educated children of Iranian
merchants, the MEK sought to counter what is perceived as excessive
Western influence in the Shah's regime. In the 1970s, the MEKũled by
Masud Rajavi after 1978ũconcluded that violence was the only way to
bring about change in Iran. Since then, the MEKũfollowing a
philosophy that mixes Marxism and Islamũhas developed into the
largest and most active armed Iranian dissident group. Its history
is studded with anti-
Western activity, and, most recently, attacks on the interests of
the clerical regime in Iran and abroad.
Activities
The MEK directs a worldwide campaign against the Iranian Government
that stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorist violence.
During the 1970s, the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside Iran to
destabilize and embarrass the Shah's regime; the group killed
several US military personnel and civilians working on defense
projects in Tehran. In 1979 the group supported the takeover of the
US Embassy in Tehran. In April 1992, the MEK carried out nearly
simultaneous attacks on Iranian embassies in 13 different countries
in North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The attacks caused
extensive property damage and demonstrated the group's ability to
mount large-scale operations overseas. Iran's belief that the MEK
was responsible for the bombing of the Mashhad Shrine and subsequent
attacks against Iranian oil facilities led Tehran in November 1994
to launch attacks against an MEK base.
Strength
Several thousand fighters based in Iraq with an extensive overseas
support structure. Most of the fighters are organized in the MEK's
National Liberation Army (NLA).
Location/Area of Operation
In the 1980s, the MEK's leaders were forced by Iranian security
forces to flee to France. Most resettled in Iraq by 1987. Since the
mid-1980s, the MEK has not mounted terrorists operations in Iran at
a level similar to its activities in the 1970s. Aside from the
National Liberation Army's attacks into Iran toward the end of the
Iran-Iraq war, and occasional NLA cross-border incursions since, the
MEK's attacks on Iran have amounted to little more than harassment.
The MEK has had more success in confronting Iranian representatives
overseas through propaganda and street demonstrations.
External Aid
Beyond support from Iraq, the MEK uses front organizations to
solicit contributions from expatriate Iranian communities.
MJL (see Lautaro Youth Movement)
Morazanist Patriotic Front (FPM)
Description
A radical, leftist terrorist group that first appeared in the late
1980s. Attacks made to protest US intervention in Honduran economic
and political affairs.
Activities
Attacks on US, mainly military, personnel in Honduras. Claimed
responsibility for attack on a bus in March 1990 that wounded seven
US servicemen. Claimed bombing of Peace Corps office in December
1988; bus bombing that wounded three US servicemen in February 1989;
attack on US convoy in April 1989; and grenade attack that wounded
seven US soldiers in La Ceiba in July 1989.
Strength
Unknown, probably relatively small.
Location/Area of Operation
Honduras.
External Aid
Had ties to former Government of Nicaragua and possibly Cuba.
MRTA (see Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement)
National Liberation Army (ELN)ũBolivia includes Nestor Paz
Zamora Commission (CNPZ)
Description
ELN claims to be resuscitation of group established by Che Guevara
in 1960s. Includes numerous small factions of indigenous subversive
groups, including CNPZ, which is largely inactive today.
Activities
ELN and CNPZ have attacked US interests in past years but focused
almost exclusively on Bolivian domestic targets in 1993.
Strength
Unknown; probably fewer than 100.
Location/Area of Operation
Bolivia.
External Aid
None.
National Liberation Army (ELN)ũColombia
Description
Rural-based, anti-US, Maoist-Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group formed
in 1963. Attempted peace talks with the government ended in May
1992.
Activities
Periodically kidnaps foreign employees of large corporations and
holds them for large ransom payments. Conducts frequent assaults on
oil infrastructure and has inflicted major damage on pipelines since
1986. Extortion and bombings against US and other foreign
businesses, especially the petroleum industry.
Strength
Has fallen off in recent years and now estimated at only about 700
combatants.
Location/Area of Operation
Colombia.
External Aid
None.
New People's Army (NPA)
Description
The guerrilla arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP),
an avowedly Maoist group formed in December 1969 with the aim of
overthrowing the government through protracted guerrilla warfare.
Although primarily a rural-based guerrilla group, the NPA has an
active urban infrastructure to carry out terrorism; uses city-based
assassination squads called sparrow units. Derives most of its
funding from contributions of supporters and so-called revolutionary
taxes extorted from local businesses.
Activities
The NPA is in disarray because of a split in the CPP, a lack of
money, and successful government operations. With the US military
gone from the country, NPA has engaged in urban terrorism against
the police, corrupt politicians, drug traffickers, and other targets
that evoked popular anger. Has vowed to kill US citizens involved in
counterinsurgency campaign. Has assassinated 10 US military and
private citizens since 1987. Has also attacked US businesses in
rural areas that refused to pay so-called revolutionary taxes.
Strength
16,000, plus support groups.
Location/Area of Operation
Philippines.
External Aid
Receives funding from overseas fundraisers in Western Europe and
elsewhere; also linked to Libya. Diverts some funding of
humanitarian aid.
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Description
Terrorist group that broke away from the PFLP-GC in mid-1970s. Later
split again into pro-PLO, pro-Syrian, and pro-Libyan factions. Pro-
PLO faction led by Muhammad Abbas (Abu Abbas), who became member of
PLO Executive Committee in 1984 but left it in 1991.
Activities
The Abu Abbasöled faction carried out abortive seaborne attack
staged from Libya against Israel on 30 May 1990. Abbas's group was
also responsible for October 1985 attack on the cruise ship Achille
Lauro and the murder of US citizen Leon Klinghoffer. A warrant for
Abu Abbas's arrest is outstanding in Italy. Others involved in the
hijacking are wanted elsewhere. Openly supported Iraq during Gulf
war.
Strength
At least 50.
Location/Area of Operation
PLO faction based in Tunisia until Achille Lauro attack. Now based
in Iraq.
External Aid
Receives logistic and military support mainly from PLO, but also
from Libya and Iraq.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)
On 9 September 1993, in letters to Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and
Norwegian Foreign Minister Holst, PLO Chairman Arafat committed the
PLO to cease all violence and terrorism. On 13 September 1993, the
Declaration of Principles between the Israelis and Palestinians was
signed in Washington, DC. Between 9 September and 31 December, the
PLO factions loyal to Arafat complied with this commitment except
for one, perhaps two, instances in which the responsible individuals
apparently acted independently. Two groups under the PLO umbrella,
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of PalestineöHawatmeh faction
(DFLP-H), suspended their participation in the PLO in protest of the
agreement and continued their campaign of violence. The US
Government continues to monitor closely PLO compliance with its
commitment to abandon terrorism and violence.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Description
The PIJ originated among militant Palestinian fundamentalists in the
Gaza Strip during the 1970s. The PIJ is a series of loosely
affiliated factions, rather than a cohesive group. The PIJ is
committed to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the
destruction of Israel through holy war. Because of its strong
support for Israel, the United States has been identified as an
enemy of the PIJ. The PIJ also opposes moderate Arab governments
that it believes have been tainted by Western secularism.
Activities
The PIJ demonstrated its terrorist credentials when it attacked a
tour bus in Egypt in February 1990 and killed 11 people, including
nine Israelis. The PIJ also has carried out cross-border raids
against Israeli targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The PIJ has
threatened to attack US interests in Jordan. PIJ agents were
arrested in Egypt in September 1991 while attempting to enter the
country to conduct terrorism.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Primarily Israel and the occupied territories and other parts of the
Middle East, including Jordan and Lebanon. The largest faction is
based in Syria.
External Aid
Probably receives financial assistance from Iran and possibly some
assistance from Syria.
The Party of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge)
Description
The Khmer Rouge is a Communist insurgency that is trying to
destabilize the Cambodian Government. Under Pol Pot's leadership,
the Khmer Rouge conducted a campaign of genocide in which more than
1million persons were killed during its four years in power in the
late 1970s.
Activities
The Khmer Rouge now is engaged in a low-level insurgency against the
Cambodian Government; although its victims are mainly Cambodian
villagers, the Khmer Rouge has occasionally kidnapped and killed
foreigners, including Westerners, traveling in remote rural areas.
Strength
The Khmer Rouge is made up of approximately 8,000 guerrillas.
Location/Area of Operation
The Khmer Rouge operates in outlying provinces in Cambodia,
particularly in pockets along the Thailand border.
External Aid
The Khmer Rouge is not currently receiving external assistance.
PKK (see Kurdistan Workers' Party)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Description
Marxist-Leninist group that is a member of the PLO founded in 1967
by George Habash. After Fatah, it is the most important military and
political organization in the Palestinian movement. Advocates a Pan-
Arab revolution. Opposes the Declaration of Principles signed in
1993 and has suspended participation in the PLO.
Activities
Committed numerous international terrorist attacks between 1970 and
1977. Since the death in 1978 of Wadi Haddad, its terrorist planner,
PFLP has carried out numerous attacks against Israeli or moderate
Arab targets.
Strength
800.
Location/Area of Operation
Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied territories.
External Aid
Receives most of its financial and military assistance from Syria
and Libya.
Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineöGeneral Command
(PFLP-GC)
Description
Split from the PFLP in 1968, claiming that it wanted to focus more
on fighting and less on politics. Violently opposed to Arafat's PLO.
Led by Ahmad Jabril, a former captain in the Syrian Army. Closely
allied with, supported by, and probably directed by Syria.
Activities
Claims to have specialized in suicide operations. Has carried out
numerous cross-border terrorist attacks into Israel, using unusual
means, such as hot-air balloons and motorized hang gliders. Hafiz
Kassem Dalkamoni, a ranking PFLP-GC official, was convicted in
Germany in June 1991 for bombing US troop trains. He faces
additional charges in Germany for other terrorist offenses,
including manslaughter.
Strength
Several hundred.
Location/Area of Operation
Headquarters in Damascus with bases in Lebanon and cells in Europe.
External Aid
Receives logistic and military support from Syria, its chief
sponsor. Financial support from Libya. Safehaven in Syria. Support
also from Iran.
Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineöSpecial Command
(PFLP-SC)
Description
Marxist-Leninist group formed by Abu Salim in 1979 after breaking
away from the now defunct PFLPöSpecial Operations Group.
Activities
Has claimed responsibility for several notorious international
terrorist attacks in Western Europe, including the bombing of a
restaurant frequented by US servicemen in Torrejon, Spain, in April
1985. Eighteen Spanish civilians were killed in the attack.
Strength
50.
Location/Area of Operation
Operates out of southern Lebanon, in various areas of the Middle
East, and in Western Europe.
External Aid
Probably receives financial and military support from Syria, Libya,
and Iraq.
Popular Struggle Front (PSF)
Description
Radical Palestinian terrorist group once closely involved in the
Syrian-
dominated Palestinian National Salvation Front. Led by Dr. Samir
Ghosheh. Rejoined the PLO in September 1991. Group is internally
divided over the Declaration of Principles signed in 1993.
Activities
Terrorist attacks against Israeli, moderate Arab, and PLO targets.
Strength
Fewer than 300.
Location/Area of Operation
Mainly Syria and Lebanon, and elsewhere in the Middle East.
External Aid
Receives support from Syria and may now receive aid from the PLO.
Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA)
a.k.a.: The Provos
Description
A radical terrorist group formed in 1969 as the clandestine armed
wing of Sinn Fein, a legal political movement dedicated to removing
British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying Ireland. Has a
Marxist orientation. Organized into small, tightly knit cells under
the leadership of the Army Council.
Activities
Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, extortion, and robberies.
Targets senior British Government officials, British military and
police in Northern Ireland, and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary
groups. PIRA's operations on mainland Britain have included truck
bombings and bombing campaigns against train and subway stations
and shopping areas.
Strength
Several hundred, plus several thousand sympathizers.
Location/Area of Operation
Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, and Western Europe.
External Aid
Has received aid from a variety of groups and countries and
considerable training and arms from Libya and, at one time, the PLO.
Also is suspected of receiving funds and arms from sympathizers in
the United States. Similarities in operations suggest links to ETA.
Red Army Faction (RAF)
Description
The small and disciplined RAF is the successor to the Baader-Meinhof
Gang, which originated in the student protest movement in the 1960s.
Ideology is an obscure mix of Marxism and Maoism; committed to armed
struggle. Organized into hardcore cadres that carry out terrorist
attacks and a network of supporters who provide logistic and
propaganda support. Has survived despite numerous arrests of top
leaders over the years.
Activities
Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and robberies. With decline
of world Communism, has had trouble recruiting replacements for
jailed members. Now concentrating on domestic targets, particularly
officials involved in German or European unification and German
security and justice officials. Carried out one operation in 1993,
destroying a new prison with at least 400 pounds of commercial
explosives. Police shootout with two members ended in death of GSG-9
officer and group member Wolfgang Grams. Group temporarily
galvanized afterward. RAF has targeted US and NATO facilities in the
past. During the Gulf war, RAF shot up US Embassy in Bonn with
assault rifle rounds. There were no casualties.
Strength
10 to 20, plus several hundred supporters.
Location/Area of Operations
Germany.
External Aid
Self-sustaining, but during Baader-Meinhof period received support
from Middle Eastern terrorists. East Germany gave logistic support,
sanctuary, and training during the 1980s.
Red Brigades (BR)
Description
Formed in 1969, the Marxist-Leninist BR seeks to create a
revolutionary state through armed struggle and to separate Italy
from the Western Alliance. In 1984 split into two factions: the
Communist Combatant Party (BR-PCC) and the Union of Combatant
Communists (BR-UCC).
Activities
Original group concentrated on assassination and kidnapping of
Italian Government and private-sector targets; it murdered former
Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, kidnapped US Army Brig. Gen. James
Dozier in 1981, and claimed responsibility for murdering Leamon
Hunt, US chief of the Sinai Multinational Force and Observer Group,
in 1984.
Strength
Probably fewer than 50, plus an unknown number of supporters.
Location/Area of Operation
Based and operates in Italy. Some members probably living
clandestinely in other European countries.
External Aid
Currently unknown; original group apparently was self-sustaining but
probably received weapons from other West European terrorist groups
and from the PLO.
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Description
Established in 1966 as military wing of Colombian Communist Party.
Goal is to overthrow government and ruling class. Organized along
military lines; includes at least one urban front.
Activities
Armed attacks against Colombian political and military targets. Many
members have become criminals, carrying out kidnappings for profit
and bank robberies. Foreign citizens often are targets of FARC
kidnappings. Group traffics in drugs and has well-documented ties to
narcotraffickers.
Strength
Approximately 4,500 to 5,500 armed combatants and an unknown number
of supporters, mostly in rural areas.
Location/Area of Operation
Colombia.
External Aid
None.
Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November)
Description
A radical leftist group established in 1975 and named for the
November 1973 student uprising protesting the military regime. Anti-
US, anti-
Turkish, anti-NATO; committed to violent overthrow of the regime,
ouster of US bases, removal of Turkish military presence from
Cyprus, and severing of Greece's ties to NATO and the European Union
(EU). Organization is obscure, possibly affiliated with other Greek
terrorist groups.
Activities
Initial attacks were selected handgun assassinations of senior US
officials, including US Embassy official Richard Welch in 1975 and
US Navy Capt. George Tsantes in 1983. Began assassinating Greek
officials and public figures in 1976 and added bombings, including
attacks against US military buses in 1987 and assassination of US
defense attache William Nordeen in 1988. Since 1990, has expanded
targets to include EU facilities and foreign firms investing in
Greece and added improvised rocket attacks to its methods. Such an
attack against the Greek Finance Minister in 1992 killed a passer-
by, 17 November's first ``civilian'' casualty. In 1991 was
responsible for at least five of the 15 terrorist attacks against
Coalition targets in Greece during the Gulf war, including the
assassination in March of a US Army sergeant. Also attacked two
Turkish Embassy officials in 1991.
Strength
Unknown, but presumed to be small.
Location/Area of Operation Greece, primarily in Athens metropolitan
area.
External Aid
May receive support from other Greek terrorist group cadres.
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path, SL)
Description
Larger of Peru's two insurgencies, SL is among the world's most
ruthless guerrilla organizations. Formed in the late 1960s by then
university professor Abimael Guzman. Stated goal is to destroy
existing Peruvian institutions and replace them with peasant
revolutionary regime. Also wants to rid Peru of foreign influences.
Guzman's capture in September 1992 was a major blow, as were arrests
of other SL leaders, defections, and President Fujimori's amnesty
program for repentant terrorists.
Activities
SL engages in particularly brutal forms of terrorism, including the
indiscriminate use of car bombs. Almost every institution in Peru
has been a target of SL violence. Has bombed diplomatic missions of
several countries represented in Peru. Carries out bombing campaigns
and selective assassinations. Involved in cocaine trade.
Strength
Approximately 1,500 to 2,500 armed militants; larger number of
supporters, mostly in rural areas.
Location/Area of Operation
Originally rural based, but has increasingly focused its terrorist
attacks in the capital.
External Aid
None.
17 November (see Revolutionary Organization 17 November)
Sikh Terrorism
Description
Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who
want to carve out an independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land
of the Pure) from Indian territory. Sikh violence outside India,
which surged following the Indian Army's 1984 assault on the Golden
Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine, has decreased significantly since
mid-1992, although Sikh militant cells are active internationally
and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh communities. Active
groups include Babbar Khalsa, Azad Khalistan Babbar Khalsa Force,
Khalistan Liberation Front, and Khalistan Commando Force. Many of
these groups operate under umbrella organizations, the most
significant of which is the Second Panthic Committee.
Activities
Sikh attacks in India are mounted against Indian officials and
facilities, other Sikhs, and Hindus; they include assassinations,
bombings, and kidnappings. Sikh extremists probably bombed the Air
India jet downed over the Irish Sea in June 1985, killing 329
passengers and crew. On the same day, a bomb planted by Sikhs on an
Air India flight from Vancouver exploded in Tokyo's Narita Airport,
killing two Japanese baggage handlers. In 1991, Sikh terrorists
attempted to assassinate the Indian Ambassador in Romania once
India's senior police officer in Punjab from 1986 to 1989 and
kidnapped and held the Romanian Charge in New Delhi for seven weeks.
In January 1993, Indian police arrested Sikhs in New Delhi as they
were conspiring to detonate a bomb to disrupt India's Republic Day,
and, in September 1993, Sikh militants attempted to assassinate the
Sikh chief of the ruling Congress Party's youth wing with a bomb.
Sikh attacks in India, ranging from kidnappings and assassinations
to remote-controlled bombings, have dropped markedly since mid-1992,
as Indian security forces have killed or captured a host of senior
Sikh militant leaders. Total civilian deaths in Punjab have declined
more than 95 percent since more than 3,300 civilians died in 1991.
The drop results largely from Indian Army, paramilitary, and police
successes against extremist groups.
Strength
Unknown.
Location/Area of Operation
Northern India, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America.
External Aid
Sikh expatriates have formed a variety of international
organizations that lobby for the Sikh cause overseas. Most prominent
are the World Sikh Organization and the International Sikh Youth
Federation.
Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA)
Description
Traditional Marxist-Leninist revolutionary movement formed in 1983.
Currently struggling to remain viable. Has suffered from defections
and government counter-terrorist successes in addition to infighting
and loss of leftist support. Objective remains to rid Peru of
``imperialism'' and establish Marxist regime.
Activities
Bombings, kidnappings, ambushes, assassinations. Previously
responsible for large number of anti-US attacks; recent activity has
dropped off dramatically.
Strength
Unknown; greatly diminished in recent years.
Location/Area of Operation
Peru; provided assistance in Bolivia to Bolivian ELN.
External Aid
None.
Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army (EGTK)
Description
Indigenous, anti-Western Bolivian subversive organization.
Activities
Frequently attacks small, unprotected targets, such as power pylons,
oil pipelines, and government offices. Has targeted Mormon churches
with firebombings and attacked USAID motorpool in January 1993.
Strength
Fewer than 100.
Location/Area of Operation
Bolivia, primarily the Chapare region, near the Peru border, and the
Altiplano.
External Aid
None.
Appendix C
Statistical Review
Appendix D
International Terrorist Incidents, 1994
[Editorâs Note: Appendixes C and D are not available in this
electronic version of the report]
Department of State Publication 10239
Office of the Secretary
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
[END OF PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM, 1994]
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