1995 Patterns of Global Terrorism
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Release Date: April 1996
Contents:
IntroductionThe Year in ReviewAfrica Overview Angola Chad Ethiopia Sierra
Leone SomaliaAsia Overview Afghanistan Cambodia India Japan Pakistan Sri
LankaEurope and Eurasia Overview Austria Croatia France Georgia Germany
Greece Italy Russia Spain Turkey Ukraine United KingdomLatin America Overview
Argentina Colombia Guatemala Panama PeruMiddle East Overview Algeria Egypt
Israel and the Occupied Territories/Palestinian Autonomous Areas Jordan
Lebanon Morocco Saudi Arabia TunisiaOverview of State-Sponsored Terrorism
Cuba Iran Iraq Libya North Korea Sudan Syria
Appendixes A. Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1995 B. Background
Information on Major Groups Discussed in the Report
Patterns of GlobalTerrorism: 1995
Introduction
Acts of international terrorism in 51 countries in 1995 continued to threaten
civil society and peacemaking, including the Israeli-Palestinian peace process,
while international cooperation to combat terrorism intensified. Terrorists
failed to achieve ultimate political goals, as in the past, but they continued
to cause major political, psychological, and economic damage.
Lethal acts of international terrorism and the number of deaths declined
in 1995, but a gas attack in Japan raised the spectre of mass casualties
by chemical terrorism. Except for Iran, which actively continued to support
terrorism in 1995, international pressure and sanctions largely contained
terrorism by other state sponsors such as Libya and Iraq. Furthermore, individual
and group-sponsored terrorist acts overshadowed state-sponsored terrorism.
Many of these terroristsósome loosely organized and some representing
groupsó claimed to act for Islam and operated, increasingly, on a
global scale. These transnational terrorists benefit from modern communications
and transportation, have global sources of funding, are knowledgeable about
modern explosives and weapons, and are more difficult to track and apprehend
than members of the old established groups or those sponsored by states.
Many of these transnational terrorists were trained in militant camps in
Afghanistan or are veterans of the Afghan war. In 1995 a conspiracy discovered
in the Philippines to bomb US airliners over the Pacific and led by the
suspected mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing, exemplified this
kind of transnational terrorism.
Terrorism by extremist individuals or groups claiming to act for religious
motives continued to dominate international terrorism in 1995. In Israel
new suicide bombings by radical Islamic Palestinians and the assassination
of Prime Minister Rabin by a Jewish Israeli extremist continued previous
efforts by terrorists to derail the peace process. Islamic extremists also
waged a series of terrorist acts in Egypt, France, Algeria, and Pakistan.
Ethnic-based terrorism also continued in 1995. The Kurdish group, the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), pressed its terrorist campaign in Turkey and Western
Europe. Terrorist attacks or threats erupted in the Caucasus, and Tamil
separatists used terrorism to advance their cause in Sri Lanka.
One of the most chilling terrorist acts of the year was the gas attack on
the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, indicating that terrorism involving
materials of mass destruction is now a reality.
Hostage taking continued to be a major form of terrorist activity, especially
in countries like Colombia, where terrorists often have been able to extort
ransom payments.
This report describes attacks of international terrorism by country and
region and patterns that can be derived from these attacks. It comments
on, but does not provide details on, domestic terrorism and other forms
of political violence. These are more widespread phenomena than international
terrorism, which involve citizens or property of more than one country.
The United States believes that implementing a strict counterterrorist policy
is the best way to reduce the global terrorist threat. US policy follows
three general rules:
-- First, make no deals with terrorists or submit to blackmail. We have
found over the years that this policy works.
-- Second, treat terrorists as criminals, pursue them aggressively, 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 by urging
other states to do likewise.
Nations around the world are working together increasingly to fight terrorism
through law enforcement cooperation. Several governments turned over major
terrorists to US authorities for prosecution in 1995, including the reputed
mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef. Some of
Yousef's suspected gang members also were apprehended by other governments
and extradited or rendered to US authorities.
Another major victory for the rule of law occurred in October, when a US
court convicted Umar Abd al-Rahman and nine codefendants of conspiring to
wage a war of urban terrorism against the United States.
Several multilateral conferences on counterterrorism in 1995 were a sign
of recognition that international cooperation against terrorists is critical.
Argentina, for example, convened a regional ministerial meeting on counterterrorism
in August in the wake of two major car bombings in Buenos Aires in 1992
and 1994. Senior officials from Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, the United
States, and the host nation discussed practical measures against the threat
posed in the region.
The Group of Seven plus Russia also held an unprecedented counterterrorist
conference at the ministerial level in Ottawa in December, responding to
a mandate from the heads of state at the Halifax Summit in June. In their
Declaration, the ministers of the G-7 and Russia pledged to take action
in the following areas:
-- Strengthening the sharing of intelligence on terrorism.-- Pursuing measures
to prevent the terrorist use of nuclear, chemical, and biological materials.--
Inhibiting the movement of terrorists.-- Enhancing measures to prevent the
falsification of documents.-- Depriving terrorists of funds.-- Increasing
mutual legal assistance.-- Strengthening protection of aviation, maritime,
and other transportation systems against terrorism.
-- Working toward universal adherence to international treaties and conventions
on terrorism by the year 2000.
The United States, for its part, has made progress in many of these areas.
For example, the Clinton administration has sought to increase the use of
extradition as a counterterrorist tool. We are engaged in an active program
of negotiating new and updated extradition treaties with nations around
the world. At year's end, five new extradition treaties were pending before
the US Senate for advice and consent to ratification, and nearly 20 others
were at various stages of negotiation.
In addition, President Clinton signed an Executive Order in January 1995
blocking the assets in the United States of terrorists and terrorist groups
who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process and prohibiting financial
transactions with these groups.
President Clinton and Secretary Christopher stressed the high priority of
counterterrorist efforts in their addresses to the 50th United Nations General
Assembly in October. In his UNGA speech, President Clinton challenged all
the world's governments to negotiate and sign an international declaration
on citizen security, including a call for enhanced cooperation on counterterrorism.
Last year, at the dedication of a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
to commemorate those killed in 1988 in the Pan Am 103 bombing, President
Clinton said: "Today, America is more determined than ever to stand
against terrorism, to fight it, to bring terrorists to answer for their
crimes." More and more nations are demonstrating that same determination
as the international battle against terrorism gets stronger each year.
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 organizations,
or umbrella groups known to be responsible for the kidnapping or death of
any US 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.
-- 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. Domestic terrorism is probably a more
widespread phenomenon than international terrorism. Because international
terrorism has a direct impact on US interests, it is the primary focus of
this report. However, the report also describes, but does not provide statistics
on, significant developments in domestic terrorism.
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 those
small groupsóand their actionsóthat are 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.
Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.Coordinator for Counterterrorism
____________________(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.____________________
Patterns of GlobalTerrorism: 1995
The Year in Review
In most countries, the level of international terrorism in 1995 continued
the downward trend of recent years, and there were fewer terrorist acts
that caused deaths last year than in the previous year. However, the total
number of international terrorist acts rose in 1995 from 322 to 440, largely
because of a major increase in nonlethal terrorist attacks against property
in Germany and in Turkey by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). (The PKK
also committed lethal acts of terrorism.) The decline in lethal acts of
international terrorism was not matched by a reduction in domestic terrorism
or other forms of political violence that continued at a high level.
International terrorist attacks against US interests rose to 99 in 1995
from 66 in 1994, and the number of US citizens killed rose from four to
12. The total number of fatalities from international terrorism worldwide
declined from 314 in 1994 to 165 in 1995, but the number of persons wounded
increased by a factor of tenóto 6,291 persons; 5,500 were injured
in a gas attack in the Tokyo subway system in March.
Significant acts of international terrorism during the year were:
-- Two US employees of the US Consulate in Karachi, Jacqueline Keys Van
Landingham and Gary C. Durell, were killed on 8 March when their shuttle
bus came under armed attack. A third employee, Mark McCloy, was injured.
-- On 20 March members of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo placed containers
of the deadly chemical nerve agent sarin on five trains of the Tokyo subway
system during the morning rush hour. The cultists then punctured the containers,
releasing poisonous gas into the trains and subway stations. The attack
killed 12 persons, but despite the extreme toxicity of sarin, 5,500 escaped
with injuries, including two US citizens. The attack was the first major
use of chemical weapons by terrorists.
-- Two US missionaries, Steve Welsh and Timothy Van Dyke, were killed by
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) during a confrontation
with a Colombian Army patrol on 19 June . The guerrillas kidnapped the two
New Tribes Mission members in January 1994 initially to force the withdrawal
of US military personnel engaged in military assistance projects in Colombia.
FARC later changed this demand to a monetary ransom. Four other US citizens
still were held hostage by guerrillas in Colombia as of the end of 1995.
-- On 26 June gunmen attempted to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
during his visit to Ethiopia. The attempt was foiled by Ethiopian counterterrorist
forces and Egyptian security forces. Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group
or IG) claimed responsibility, and the suspects are believed to have fled
to Sudan.
-- Terrorists bombed the Riyadh headquarters of the Office of the Program
Manager/Saudi Arabian National Guard on 13 November, killing seven people,
including five US citizens, and seriously injuring 42 others.
Western Europe experienced more international terrorist attacks during 1995
than any other region. However, most of the 272 incidents that occurred
there were the low-level PKK arson attacks mentioned above. There were only
11 attacks in Western Europe that were lethal, that is, that resulted in
the death of one or more victims.
In Israel, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish Israeli
extremist in November, and Palestinian terrorists continued a series of
massive suicide bombings and shootings in Israel, killing 47.
A high level of terrorism continued in Algeria by the Armed Islamic Group
(GIA), and terrorists probably associated with the GIA launched a series
of bombings or attempted bombings in France.
There was no known international involvement in the 19 April bombing of
a federal building in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people and wounded
more than 500.
Twelve US citizens were killed in international terrorist attacks last year.
In addition to the two US Consulate employees killed in Karachi, the two
missionaries killed in Colombia, and the five citizens killed in Riyadh,
a US tourist was murdered in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge, a US citizen was
killed in a suicide attack on an Israeli bus in Gaza, and another died in
a similar attack on a bus in Jerusalem. Forty-eight US citizens were wounded
during all of 1995.
Various foreign governments cooperated with the United States in 1995 in
arresting and transferring to US custody major international terrorist suspects
wanted for alleged violation of US counterterrorism laws. Ramzi Ahmed Yousef,
who is under indictment as a key figure in the bombing in 1993 of the World
Trade Center in New York City, was arrested and extradited to the United
States by Pakistan in February. In August, Eyad Mahmoud Ismail Najim, a
suspected accomplice of Yousef's in the New York bombing, was rendered to
the United States by Jordan. In April, Abdul Hakim Murad was arrested and
handed over to US custody by the Philippines for suspected involvement with
Yousef in a plot to blow up US aircraft over Asia, and Wali Khan Amin Shahóanother
suspected coconspirator in this plotówas rendered to the United States
by another foreign government in December.
On 1 October, Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman and nine codefendants were convicted
in Manhattan federal court of conspiring to bomb the United Nations, the
FBI building in New York, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, and other New
York landmarks, and for the terrorist bombing in 1993 of the World Trade
Center. Abd al-Rahman, known as the "Blind Shaykh," also was found
guilty of plotting to murder Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and defendant
El Sayyid Nosair also was convicted of "murder in aid of racketeering"
in relation to the death of Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990. Trial evidence showed
that Abd al-Rahman was the leader of an organization whose aim was to wage
a self-styled "holy war" of terror against the United States because
he considered it an enemy of Islam. Abd al-Rahman and Nosair were sentenced
to life in prison; the others received prison terms ranging from 25 to 57
years.
Senior HAMAS official Musa Abu Marzuq, who is suspected of involvement in
terrorist activities in Israel, was detained in New York on 25 July as he
tried to enter the United Statesówhere he had lived previously as
a legal permanent residentóafter immigration officials found his
name on a watchlist of suspected terrorists. Israel has requested his extradition.
At year's end, that request was pending before US courts.
Africa Overview
Ten international terrorist attacks occurred in Africa last year, down from
24 during 1994. Ethiopia was the scene of an attempted assassination of
visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by members of an Egyptian terrorist
group. Other attacksóprimarily kidnappingsóoccurred in Angola,
Chad, Sierra Leone, and Somalia.
Angola
The United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM) was attacked by
unknown perpetrators on 11 November. Two handgrenades were thrown into the
UNAVEM III campsite in Cabinda city, seriously injuring one Bangladeshi
police observer and damaging the facility.
Chad
On 18 March, an American UN worker, a Malian, and two Chadians were kidnapped
in the city of Mao by the Movement for Democracy and Development, an armed
Chadian opposition group. The US citizen was released on 27 March.
Ethiopia
Ethiopian counterterrorist forces foiled an assassination attempt against
visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 26 June. Mubarak had just arrived
in Addis Ababa to attend the Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit
when several members of the Egyptian extremist al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (also
known as the Islamic Group, or IG) attacked his motorcade. Ethiopian forces
killed five of the attackers and captured three others. Ethiopia and Egypt
have charged the Government of Sudan with complicity in the attack and harboring
suspects and pursued the matter in both the OAU and the United Nations.
On 26 February, unknown assailants threw two grenades into the USAID compound
in Addis Ababa, damaging the facility's windows and three vehicles. No one
was injured.
Sierra Leone
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) took several foreigners hostage in
the first half of 1995 in an apparent attempt to force foreigners out of
the country. On 5 January, a Swiss national working for a French-owned lumber
firm was taken hostage. On 18 January, two Britons, a German, a Swede, and
a dual Swiss/Australianóall employed by the Swiss-owned Sierra Leone
Ore and Metal Company (Sieromco)ówere kidnapped. On 25 January, six
Italian nuns and one Brazilian nun were taken hostage. The seven nuns were
released on 21 March, and the others were released on 20 April. On 23 May,
three Lebanese businessmen were abducted.
Somalia
On 30 April, a foreign businessman was kidnapped and killed near the southern
port city of Chisimayu, probably by radical Islamic extremists as a political
statement against the presence of foreigners.
Asia Overview
The most serious terrorist attack in Asia in 1995 was the nerve gas attack
on the Tokyo subway system in March carried out by the religious cult Aum
Shinrikyo. The attackóthe first large-scale use of chemical agents
by terroristsóapparently was meant to destabilize Japan and pave
the way for the cult to seize control of the nation. The attack killed 12,
injured thousands, and damaged Japan's sense of security. Japanese authorities
have since arrested the leaders of Aum Shinrikyo and suppressed the organization.
The Khmer Rouge murdered a US tourist in Cambodia in January, the only terrorist-related
death of a US citizen in East Asia last year.
The East Asia/Pacific region was also the locale of a plot, discovered by
the Philippine Government, by Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and his accomplices to
assassinate the Pope and plant bombs on US airliners flying over the Pacific.
In the South Asia region, the continued presence of Islamic militant training
camps in Afghanistan contributed to terrorist incidents in Europe, Africa,
the Middle East, East Asia, and South Asia. Camps are supported by nearly
all Afghan factions, and the nominal Rabbani government does not exercise
control or authority over much of Afghanistan. The Rabbani regime has been
accused by the Government of Pakistan of sponsoring a spate of bombings
and assassinations in the Peshawar area in late October and early November.
A group of Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri terrorists kidnapped six Westerners
in Indian-held Kashmir in July, demanding the release of militants belonging
to the Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA), a militant group based in Pakistan. One hostage
was killed and another escaped. Other Kashmiri groups claimed responsibility
for bombings at Republic Day celebrations in Kashmir in January and at the
office of the BBC correspondant in Kashmir in September. Credible reports
continue to indicate official Pakistani support for militant groups fighting
in Kashmir, including some groups that engage in terrorism, such as the
HUA. The Sikh terrorist group, Babbar Khalsa, assassinated the Punjab Chief
Minister in August.
Two US Consulate employees were assassinated in Karachi in March. The Egyptian
Embassy in Islamabad was destroyed by a bomb in November, and three Egyptian
groups claimed responsibility. In February, Pakistan extradited Ramzi Yousef,
alleged mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing, to the United States.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, which lacks an effective or recognized central government,
remained a training ground for Islamic militants and terrorists in 1995.
Nearly all of the factions competing for political power, including the
nominal government in Kabul led by Burhanuddin Rabbani, are involved to
some extent in harboring or facilitating camps that have trained terrorists
from many nations who have been active in worldwide terrorist activity.
Terrorists who trained in camps in Afghanistan perpetrated attacks in Europe,
Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, and South Asia, including the World
Trade Center bombing in 1993, the attempted assassination of Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in June, bombings in France by Algerian militants,
and the Manila-based plot to attack Western interests. Ramzi Ahmed Yousef,
suspected of involvement in this plot as well as the World Trade Center
bombing in 1993, is linked to Afghan training. The group that claimed responsibility
for the bombing in November of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan,
also has extensive ties to the Afghan network.
Individuals who trained in Afghanistan in 1995 were involved in wars or
insurgencies in Kashmir, Tajikistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, and the Philippines.
In Tajikistan, the government claimed in May to have arrested a group of
Afghan-trained Tajiks who were responsible for attacking a bus carrying
Russian border guards in Dushanbe in February. Manila claims that veterans
of Afghan camps are working with Philippine opposition groups that attacked
and destroyed a village in April.
The Rabbani regime in Kabul has done little to curb the training of foreign
militants. Indeed, one regime backer, Abd al-Rasul Sayyaf, continues to
harbor and train potential terrorists in his camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan;
the Government of Pakistan raided his facilities near Peshawar in November
after the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad. The Rabbani regime
did arrest foreign militants from camps run by other factions. Many remain
in jail in Kabul, but some have been released.
Kabul has been accused by Islamabad of sponsoring a spate of bombings in
the Peshawar area in late October and early November. Pakistani authorities
claim to have arrested one Afghan in connection with the first bombing incident.
The Taliban, an Afghan opposition movement that Kabul has accused Islamabad
of supporting, forced a privately chartered Russian-flagged transport aircraft
from Tatarstan to land on 3 August, and the seven-man crew was still held
hostage in Qandahar at year's end. The Taliban has claimed that the crew
members are prisoners of war, since the aircraft was carrying munitions
for the Kabul regime. The group has demanded that, in exchange for the crew,
Russia cease its aid to Kabul and provide information on thousands of Afghans
who the Taliban claim have been missing since the Afghan-Soviet war.
Cambodia
The Khmer Rouge (KR) continued to decline in strength, relying on rural
banditry and terror to support its policy of undermining the duly elected
government. The KR threat was strongest in the north and west, particularly
along the Thai border. However, in this region there is no official US presence
and only a small number of US citizens or other Westerners, who work mostly
with the UN and NGOs. Nevertheless, on 15 January a group of bandits, believed
to have included Khmer Rouge, killed a US citizen, Susan Ginsburg Hadden,
wounded her husband, and killed her Cambodian guide while the victims were
touring temple areas near Angkor Wat. Several people were tried and sentenced
to 15-to-20-year prison terms in connection with the killings. The government
also followed up on past KR atrocoties; six Khmer Rouge were sentenced to
15-year terms (five in absentia) for the murders of two Britons and an Australian
in April 1994.
India
India continues to face significant security problems as a result of insurgencies
in Kashmir and the northeast. A group of Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri terrorists
kidnapped six Westernersótwo US citizens, two Britons, a German,
and a Norwegianóhiking near Srinagar, Kashmir, in July. The Norwegian
hostage was beheaded, one US citizen escaped, and the othersóstill
held captive at year's endóhave been threatened with execution if
India does not release several prisoners belonging to the Harakat ul-Ansar
(HUA), a militant group headquartered in Pakistan.
Bombings claimed by Kashmiri groups occurred throughout the year, including
explosions in a stadium in Kashmir during Republic Day festivities on 26
January. The targets were primarily Indian Government officials, military
offices, and infrastructure facilities, but most of those killed and wounded
were civilians. Kashmiri terrorists also targeted journalists in Srinagar.
An AFP correspondent in Srinagar was killed on 7 September by a package
bomb intended for the BBC correspondent. There are credible reports of official
Pakistani support for militants fighting in Kashmir, including for the groups
that claimed responsibility for the bombings.
In October, India signed an intelligence-sharing agreement with Egypt to
combat international terrorism and organized crime.
The Government of India has been largely successful in controlling the Sikh
separatist movement in Punjab State, but Sikh groups committed several acts
of terrorism in India in 1995. The Babbar Khalsa group assassinated the
Punjab Chief Minister outside his offices in Chandigarh on 31 August. Another
Sikh group, the Khalistan Liberation Force, claimed responsibility for the
bombing of three civilian targets in New Delhi and Panjpit on 26 September.
Indian authorities suspect that the same Sikh group is responsible for a
bombing in New Delhi on 21 November, which was claimed by both Sikh and
Kashmiri groups. India claims that Pakistan harbors and supports Sikh militant
groups. Pakistan claims that India supports a Pakistani separatist group
in Sindh Province, which Islamabad claims has carried out terrorist attacks
in Karachi.
Japan
In 1995, Japan suffered the world's first large-scale terrorist chemical
gas attack when a Japanese religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Aum Supreme
Truth, attacked the Tokyo subway system on 20 March. Five subway trains
were simultaneously attacked, killing 12 persons and sending about 5,500
to area hospitals for treatment of symptoms of chemical poisoning from sarin
gas. Foreigners, including two US citizens, one Swiss, one Irishman, and
two Australians, were among those who sought treatment for chemical exposure.
After an investigation, the Japanese police also charged the Aum for the
sarin gas attack on June 1994 in Matsumoto that killed seven and injured
about 500. Most of the suspected perpetrators of the gas attack and most
of the group's leadersóincluding its founder Shoko Asaharaóhave
been arrested and are awaiting trial.
On 15 November, an unknown perpetrator placed explosives on a powerline
pylon, causing minor damage but no injury or power outage to a US military
housing complex near Tokyo, five days before President Clinton was scheduled
to visit the city.
Pakistan
Two US employees of the US Consulate in Karachi were killed by unknown gunmen
on 8 March. On 19 November, the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad was destroyed
by a car bomb, for which three Egyptian militant opposition groups claimed
responsibility. Pakistan continues to experience terrorist-related violence
as a result of domestic conflicts and instability in Afghanistan. Pakistan
claimed that the current Afghan regime was behind a spate of bombings and
assassinations in the Peshawar area in October and November. Pakistan claims
that India provides support for separatists in Sindh Province, especially
in Karachi, where terrorism and other violence resulted in over 100 deaths
each month during 1995.
Pakistan took steps in 1995 to curb the activities of Afghan mujahedin and
sympathetic Arabs and Pakistanis in the Pakistani regions that border Afghanistan.
In February, Pakistan arrested and extradited to the United States Ramzi
Ahmed Yousef, suspected of masterminding the World Trade Center bombing
in 1993 and a plot against US airlines in East Asia in 1995. Pakistan's
discovery through subsequent investigations that Yousef had plotted to assassinate
Prime Minister Bhutto led to arrests of his associates throughout Pakistan.
Islamabad also undertook a partial crackdown in several Pakistani cities
on nongovernmental organizations suspected of aiding militant organizations
and terrorists. Under an extradition treaty with Egypt signed in late 1994,
Pakistan returned to Egypt several suspected terrorists before the Egyptian
Embassy bombing. As a result of this bombing, Pakistan rounded up suspects
and their associates in several Pakistani cities, including a refugee camp
in Pakistan run by Afghan leader Abd al-Rasul Sayyaf.
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 continued to be credible reports in 1995, however,
of official Pakistani support to militants fighting in Kashmir, including
Pakistani, Afghan, and Arab nationals, some of whom engage in terrorism.
One Pakistan-backed group, Harakat ul-Ansar (HUA), is believed to be linked
to Al-Faran, the group that claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in
July in Kashmir of two US citizens, two Britons, a German, and a Norwegian.
One US citizen escaped. The Norwegian was later beheaded, and at year's
end the other hostages were still being held. In October there were reports
that HUA was involved in an arms-smuggling ring with Pakistani military
officers accused of plotting to overthrow the Bhutto government. Other Pakistan-backed
groups claimed responsibility for numerous bombings in Kashmir, including
one against foreign journalists.
Philippines
The Philippine Government continued its efforts to negotiate a settlement
with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF); its cease-fire with the
group mostly was observed while the talks continued. Other Islamists and
leftist groups, however, continued to use terrorism to achieve their aims.
On 6 January, Philippine police in Manila discovered a plot by foreign Islamic
extremists to place bombs on US airliners flying over the Pacific. They
also made plans to assassinate the Pope, who was about to visit the Philippines,
and to attack foreign embassies. The plots were directed by Ramzi Ahmed
Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing in New
York City in February 1993. Yousef escaped but was later arrested in Pakistan
and extradited to the United States. Abdul Hakim Murad, another suspected
conspirator, was arrested by Philippine officials and handed over to the
United States.
On 26 March the leftist Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) hurled a grenade at
the Singapore Airlines offices in Manila, damaging an armored car in the
parking lot of an adjacent bank. The group claimed the attack was to show
its displeasure with Singapore's decision to execute a Philippine maid who
had pleaded guilty to murder.
In December threats from the Abu Sayyaf Group led Philippine authorities
to arrest 30 Filipinos and foreigners allegedly engaged in plans to carry
out terrorist attacks in Manila. In response to Abu Sayyaf and ABB activities,
the Philippine Government urged passage of legislation designed to facilitate
police counterterrorist operations. Public opposition to the legislation,
however, makes quick passage unlikely.
Also in December, the ABB carried out three ambushes, resulting in the death
of a prominent Philippine-Chinese industrialist, his driver, and a small
boy. ABB claimed the attacks were in response to labor violations at factories
owned by the murdered industrialist and others. President Ramos called the
attacks "a declaration of war" and ordered police to high alert,
resulting in the arrest of a number of ABB operatives.
Sri Lanka
The separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued to
plague the government in 1995, with insurgency and terrorism directed against
senior Sri Lankan political and military leaders, economic infrastructure-related
facilities, and civilians. The LTTE withdrew from government-initiated peace
talks in April and renewed its attacks. The government then launched the
largest offensive of the 12-year war. Although the LTTE suffered heavy casualties,
and at least temporarily lost its main base on the Jaffna Peninsula, it
continued to pose a serious terrorist threat. In October, in their first
attack on Sri Lanka's economic infrastructure in several years, the Tigers
attacked oil and natural gas storage facilities in the Colombo suburbs and
significantly reduced Sri Lanka's oil storage capability. The Tigers also
conducted or planned suicide bombings against Indian Prime Minister Rao,
Sri Lankan Army headquarters, other senior military and government officials,
and government offices in Colombo.
The LTTE has refrained from targeting Western tourists possibly out of fear
that foreign governments would crack down on Tamil expatriates involved
in fundraising activities abroad. In July, however, the Ellalan Force, an
LTTE front group, exploded bombs in Colombo's zoological gardens, in a park,
and on a beach frequented by tourists; there were no casualties. They intended
to damage the tourist trade rather than to harm foreigners. These attacks
followed a threat by the Ellalan Force to carry out bomb strikes in Colombo
unless the government agreed to investigate the military's alleged use of
civilians as human shields.
Europe and Eurasia Overview
The number of lethal terrorist incidents in Europe declined from 46 in 1994
to 11 in 1995, although the total number of incidents rose from 88 to 272.
In Eurasia, however, the total number dropped from 11 in 1994 to five in
1995. Most of the terrorist incidents that occurred in Europe and Eurasia
were acts of arson or vandalism against Turkish-owned businesses largely
in Germany. These acts are widely believed to be the work of the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK); several European nations permit the PKK to operate
known front companies within their borders.
Islamic extremists upset with French Government policy toward the conflict
in Algeria are suspected of being responsible for terrorist bombings in
France during 1995 that left eight dead and 160 wounded. The bombers targeted
subways, markets, and other public places to achieve a maximum effect. Islamic
extremists also probably conducted a car bombing in front of police headquarters
in Rijeka, Croatia, which killed the driver of the car. The Egyptian al-Gama'at
al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) claimed responsibility.
Radical nationalism and xenophobia provoked a campaign of letter bombs directed
at foreigners in Austria and in Germany, where neo-Nazi violence against
foreigners continued. The terrorist group Basque Fatherland and Liberty
(ETA) continued its campaign of murder and intimidation in Spain, including
an attack on Partido Popular leader Jose Maria Aznar, and Spanish police
in August foiled a plot to assassinate King Juan Carlos. In Greece the indigenous
leftist Revolutionary Organization 17 November and other domestic terrorist
groups continued to threaten US and Turkish diplomats and to target Greek
business interests.
In Turkey, the PKK continued to engage in terrorism with the goal of creating
a separate state. In addition, Marxist terrorist groups and Islamist radicals
conducted terrorist attacks aimed at official Turkish interests and progovernment
figures. The Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front, known
by the Turkish initials DHKP/Cóthe successor to the group formerly
known as Dev Solóapparently continued to target US interests. The
PKK also continued to attack sites frequented by US and other tourists but
at a level sharply reduced from its height in 1993.
Austria
Attacks on foreigners that began in 1993 continued in 1995, killing four
and injuring another 11 persons, including two in neighboring Germany. In
June a third series of letter bombs linked to neo-Nazi elements included
two that were mailed from Austria to an Austrian-born black TV commentator
in Munich and to the mayor of Luebeck, injuring colleagues of the intended
victims. The letters carried the logo of the Bajuwarian Liberation Front
(also known as the Bavarian Liberation Army), an obscure rightwing group
that had claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in Austria. In December
another round of bombings was timed to try to embarrass Austrian authorities.
Two of four letter bombs in a public mailbox exploded as the trial of two
rightwing suspects in the bombings of December 1993 was wrapping up. (They
were acquitted.)
On 20 September a leftwing group called the Red Daughters of Rage firebombed
a German pharmaceutical firm in Vienna that was hosting US visitors and
flying a US flag. The group claimed the firm was affiliated with a US genetic
company that they alleged was involved in forced sterilization in developing
countries. A leftwing group calling itself the Cell for Internationalism
claimed responsibility for a similar firebombing the next day against the
American International School. The same group claimed it was also involved
in a firebombing on 20 December against an American Express office in Salzburg.
In February, Austrian officials released suspected Abu Nidal terrorist Bahij
Younis from a Vienna prison, where he had served 13 years for complicity
in the murder in 1981 of the president of the Austro-Israeli Society Nittel
in Vienna. Younis is also believed to have masterminded the attack against
a synagogue in Vienna in 1981. In March, Austria extradited to Belgium Rajeh
Heshan Mohamed Baghdad, a PLO terrorist sentenced to life in 1982 for his
role in a murder and terrorist attack in 1981.
Croatia
A car bomb detonated outside police headquarters in Rijeka on 20 October,
injuring 29 bystanders and killing the driver of the car. The Egyptian organization
al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (also known as the Islamic Group or IG) claimed
responsibility for the bombing. The car bomb was detonated to press Croatian
authorities into releasing IG spokesman Tala'at Fuad Kassem, who had been
detained by Croatian police in Zagreb on 12 September. After the bombing,
Croatian authorities said Kassem was no longer in the country.
France
A series of terrorist incidents in France in 1995 appeared to be the work
of Algerian extremists. In July a cofounder of the Algerian opposition group
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), Abdelbaki Sahraoui, was murdered in Paris.
Suspicion focused on another Algerian opposition group, the Armed Islamic
Group (GIA), which had earlier put Sahraoui on a "death list"
for his supposed conciliatory posture toward the Algerian Government.
A blast on 25 July in a Paris metro station kicked off a campaign of eight
bombings or attempted bombings in France. Eight people were killed and 160
wounded in the attacks, which were staged in train stations, markets, and
other public places to maximize civilian casualties. Although there were
various claims of responsibility for the blasts, suspicions centered on
the violent Islamic opposition to the Algerian Government. Some commentators
argued that the GIA wanted to punish the Government of France for its supposed
support for the Algerian Government; others claimed that the bombings were
in retribution for the killing of four Algerian hijackers of an Air France
Airbus in December 1994.
French police achieved a breakthrough in September when they traced fingerprints
found on an unexploded bombódiscovered on high-speed train tracks
near Lyonóto a French citizen of Algerian descent, Khaled Kelkal.
The police killed Kelkal in a shootout later that month. In November fingerprints
found on another unexploded device and other information led police to arrest
several more people of North African descent, two of whom were formally
charged with involvement in the bombings. There were no additional terrorist
blasts in 1995 following these arrests. The French judiciary may reveal
more about its understanding of the structure behind the crimes when the
judicial cases against the accused come to trial.
In August assailants threw a molotov cocktail at a Turkish sporting and
cultural association in Paris, injuring six and causing minor damage. The
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) probably is responsible.
Georgia
On 29 August unidentified assailants attempted to assassinate President
Eduard Schevardnadze by detonating a car bomb near his motorcade as it left
the presidential compound in T'bilisi. Schevardnadze suffered minor injuries,
but four of his bodyguards were injured, one seriously.
Six armed men detonated a small bomb in front of the residence of the Russian
Ambassador to Georgia on 9 April, shattering windows and causing minor damage
to nearby houses. The Algeti Wolves claimed responsibility for that attack
and for an armed assault two hours later on Russian troops in the city,
citing Russian involvement in Chechnya as the reason for both attacks. There
were no injuries.
Germany
Authorities continued to pursue and prosecute Red Army Faction (RAF) members.
In September, a German court sentenced RAF member Sieglinde Hofmann to life
imprisonment for assisting in five murders and three attempted murders,
including the bomb attack in 1979 in Belgium on then-NATO Commander Alexander
Haig. In October, Johannes Weinrich, a former RAF member and alleged deputy
to international terrorist Illych Ramirez Sanchez (Carlos), was indicted
in Berlin for transporting explosives into Germany that were later used
to bomb the French cultural center; Weinrich had been extradited to Germany
from Yemen. Germany released several former RAF terrorists who had served
from 11 to 20 years of their sentences.
Although German officials say the RAF has largely disintegrated, they worry
about successor organizations that have assumed the RAF's ideological mantle.
The emerging Anti-Imperialist Cells (AIZ), for example, mounted several
bombing attacks against German interests in 1995. Among far-right groups,
German authorities noted an increasing tendency to link up with neo-Nazi
groups abroad, especially through the use of electronic communication networks.
The number of arson attacks with proven or probable connections to foreign
extremist groups were more than five times those carried out in 1994, largely
because of two waves of attacks in March-April and July-August by the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK). In more than 200 attacks on Turkish establishmentsósome
of which may have been "copycat" attacks perpetrated by antiforeigner
Germans rather than the PKKótwo foreigners died and several others
were injured. Although Germany banned the PKK and several associated Kurdish
organizations in 1993, new PKK front organizations appear frequently in
Germany, thus presenting a continuing problem for the government.
Attacks against US interests were rare, although US-owned Chrysler dealerships
were targeted to protest the scheduled execution in the United States of
convicted murderer Mumia Abu Jamal. In Kassel, vandals smashed car and showroom
windows, and, elsewhere, the Anti-Imperialistic Group Liberty for Mumia
Abu Jamal claimed responsibility for firebombing a vehicle parked outside
a dealership.
In November a group calling itself Anti-Imperialist Freedom Connection for
Benjamin claimed responsibility for setting fire to and destroying a vehicle
belonging to a German-Spanish automobile joint venture; the claim letter
protested the deportation trial of Benjamin Ramos-Vega, a member of the
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist group.
Greece
Greek leftist and anarchist groups in 1995 again conducted numerous terrorist
attacks against public and private Greek and foreign targets. The Revolutionary
Organization 17 November, for example, fired two rockets at a MEGA TV station
facility in March, causing extensive damage but no casualties. Greek terrorist
groups also conducted several operations against foreign interests, including
the August bombings of the American Express and Citibank offices in Athens.
Greece had some counterterrorist successes in 1995, including the successful
conviction of Georgios Balafas, a suspected 17 November terrorist sentenced
to 10 years in prison for stockpiling weapons. Greek counterterrorist efforts,
however, could benefit from the passage of tougher, more comprehensive counterterrorist
regulations. Since 1975 no one has been convicted of any of 17 November's
terrorist attacks, including the murder of four US officials and a Greek
employee of the US Embassy. While official statements indicate the government's
resolve to confront Greece's domesticterrorist problem, frequent turnover
of key personnel involved in the fight against terrorismóthree public
order ministers in the past yearóhampers these efforts.
Greek authorities continued in 1995 to deny public Turkish charges that
the anti-Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) conducts operational terrorist
training and receives assistance in Greece. As is the case in certain other
European countries, however, Greece permits the PKK to operate a known front
organization in Athens. In May it also allowed the successor group to Dev
Sol, another anti-Turkish and anti-US terrorist group, to open an office
in Athens under its new name, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front
(DHKP/C).
Italy
In the culmination of what journalists said was a two-year investigation,
Milan police arrested 11 persons on 26 June at Milan's Islamic Center and
made additional arrests a few days later. Police officials told the press
that the group provided support for an international network of Islamic
terrorist organizations, including the Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya
(Islamic Group or IG). A police spokesman also said the arrestees maintained
contact with the "Blind Shaykh," Umar Abd al-Rahman, who was convicted
in October for conspiring to commit terrorism in the United States. Charges
against the accused include conspiracy, extortion, armed robbery, falsifying
documents, and arms smuggling.
On the basis of a French warrant, Italian police arrested former Red Army
Faction member Margo Froehlich in October. A German national, she was wanted
for complicity in a Paris attack in 1982 carried out by international terrorist
Illych Ramirez Sanchez (Carlos) that killed one person and injured 63.
Russia
On the afternoon of 13 September, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the sixth
floor of the US Embassy in Moscow. The grenade penetrated the wall and exploded
inside, causing some damage to office equipment but no casualties. No group
claimed responsibility.
In December 1995, Russia participated in a first-of-its-kind counterterrorism
ministerial conference that was called by the heads of the G-7 nations plus
Russia at their June summit in Halifax.
Spain
In 1995, Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorists conducted attacks
on Spanish rail lines and stations, banks, police officers, and political
figuresóincluding the assassination of the Partido Popular mayoral
candidate in San Sebastian and the attempted assassination of the leading
contender for the prime ministership. In addition, ETA targeted French interests
in Spain in 1995. In February a suspected ETA bomb exploded at a French-owned
bank. Following a joint Spanish-French operation that thwarted a plot to
assassinate King Juan Carlos while he vacationed in Majorca last August,
suspected ETA members or supporters tossed molotov cocktails at a Citroen
car dealership in Navarre, destroying five vehicles. In mid-December suspected
ETA members detonated a car bomb in Madrid, one of the worst attacks in
years that claimed at least six lives and wounded 15others.
Turkey
Turkey continued its vigorous pursuit of several violent leftist and Islamic
extremist groups, especially the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), responsible
for terrorism in Turkey.
The PKK launched hundreds of attacks in 1995 in Turkey, including indiscriminate
bombings in areas frequented by Turkish and foreign civilians, as part of
its campaign to establish a breakaway state in southeastern Turkey. For
example, the group set off a bomb outside a cafe/grocery store in Izmir
on 17 September, killing five and wounding 29. The PKK also continuedóalbeit
with less successóits three-year-old attempt to drive foreign tourists
away from Turkey by attacking tourist sites. In August two US citizens were
injured by shrapnel in a bombing of Istanbul's popular Taksim Square. Moreover,
the PKK continued to expand its activities in Western Europe, especially
in Germany, where its members frequently attacked ethnic Turks and Turkish
commercial establishments.
A successor to the Marxist/Leninist Devrimci Sol (Dev Sol)óknown
as the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)óand
several Islamic extremist groups were active in 1995. Dev Sol has been responsible
for several anti-US attacks since 1990, and the DHKP/C continues to target
US citizens. In July the group took over a restaurant in Istanbul, holding
several civiliansóincluding three US touristsóhostage. All
of the hostages eventually were released unharmed. Loosely organized Islamic
extremist groups, such as the Islamic Movement Organization and IBDA-C,
continued to launch attacks against targets associated with Turkish official
facilities and functions. They may have been responsible for the attempted
assassination in June of a prominent Jewish community leader in Ankara.
Ukraine
On 24 May, an explosive device detonated near the Austrian Airlines office
in the Odessa airport in southern Ukraine. Austrian Airlines is the only
Western airline that flies out of Odessa. Press reports said the device
consisted of about six pounds of plastic explosive. There were no injuries.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which may not have been
politically motivated.
United Kingdom
The cease-fires begun in the autumn of 1994, led by the Provisional Irish
Republican Army (PIRA) and followed by other Republican splinter groups
and the three major Loyalist paramilitaries, still held at year's end. Nevertheless,
sporadic incidents of politically motivated killings, arson, attempted bombings,
punishment beatings, and abductions were reported. No progress was made
on the decommissioning of weapons, and paramilitaries were combat ready.
In November, Irish and British police forces intercepted a van loaded with
hundreds of pounds of explosives in Ireland near the border with Northern
Ireland. Authorities believe a Republican fringe group known as the Irish
National Liberation Army (INLA) was intending to attack British security
forces in Northern Ireland. A subsequent police sweep of the area discovered
another cache of explosives and bombmaking equipment at a farm a few miles
from the first operation.
In January an unidentified assailant shot and killed a Sikh newspaper editor.
The victim may have been killed because of his support for an independent
Sikh state in India. No one claimed responsibility.
A British court ruled on 25 July to extradite Kani Yilmaz, European chief
of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), to Germany, where he faces charges
of conspiracy to commit arson. The ruling sparked a large crowd of PKK supporters
to battle London police, pelting them with bottles, bricks, and road signs,
injuring more than a dozen police officers and an unknown number of others.
The United Kingdom permits the PKK to operate a known front organization
within its borders.
Latin America Overview
International terrorist activity rose in Latin America mostly due to the
high number of attacks against international entities in Colombia. In 1995
the number of attacks in that country increased by 85 percent to 76 attacks.
In all of Latin America, however, a total of eight international terrorist
attacks last year were lethal.
Guerrillas continued to target the democratic process in Colombia through
intimidation and violence. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
held at least four US citizens hostage at the end of the year. The group
killed two US missionaries in June after kidnapping them in 1994. Ransoms
continued to provide guerrillas with significant income, making up for a
decrease in protection payments from coca growers, who had lower production
as a result of the government's eradication program. Government efforts
to negotiate a peaceful settlement were met with increased guerrilla violence.
There were no international terrorist incidents reported in Argentina during
1995. The investigation into the bombing in 1994 of the Argentine Jewish
Mutual Association remains unsolved. The Government of Argentina organized
and hosted a regional counterterrorist conference in August in an effort
to encourage cooperation in countering the international terrorist threat.
Peru successfully continued to counter its terrorist organizations, significantly
lowering the level of violence in the country. While Peru's terrorist organizations,
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path or SL) and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary
Movement (MRTA) have significantly declined in strength, they still have
the capacity to inflict damage against international targets. At year's
end, the Government of Peru was planning to host an Organization of American
States (OAS) conference on terrorism in 1996, which will focus on promoting
cooperation among Western Hemisphere nations in combating terrorism while
protecting human rights.
Argentina
Throughout 1995 the Argentine Government continued its investigation of
the bombing in July 1994 of the Jewish community center building (AMIA)
that killed nearly 100 persons. In September, Investigating Judge Juan Jose
Galeano filed additional charges against detained suspect Carlos Telleldin,
accusing him of criminal conspiracy relating to the stolen-car ring that
allegedly provided the van used in the attack on the AMIA. The police detained
other suspects in December to review their possible roles in the bombing
attack.
The investigation into the bombing in March 1992 of the Israeli Embassy
failed to develop any new leads. Paraguay extradited seven suspected terrorists
to Argentina, where they were released after questioning. The Argentine
Supreme Court now has responsibility for the case. The Iranian-backed Lebanese
Hizballah remains the key suspect in both the 1992 and 1994 attacks.
One of Argentina's most wanted fugitives, Enrique Gorriaran Merlo, was detained
on 28 October in Mexico and expelled shortly thereafter to Buenos Aires
to stand trial. Gorriaran was involved in the kidnapping of the general
manager of an Exxon refinery and managed the negotiations for the captive's
release after a ransom was paid. Gorriaran was also an organizer of an attack
on a military base in 1989 that left nearly 40 dead. He had been a leader
of Argentina's People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), a largely leftist urban
terrorist group that operated in the 1970s, and he personally took responsibility
for the assassination of former Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza in
Paraguay in 1980. If convicted of the several charges, Gorriaran faces life
imprisonment.
Argentina took a leading role in regional cooperation against international
counterterrorism in 1995. Buenos Aires hosted a regional counterterrorist
conference in August to improve cooperation among its neighborsóBrazil,
Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as well as the United States and Canada. The
Government of Argentina also is pressing for greater cooperation with Brazil
and Paraguay to improve border controls in the "triborder" area,
where their three frontiers meet. Argentina will introduce a new machine-readable
passport in early 1996.
Colombia
Colombia continued to be wracked by violence in 1995, suffering numerous
terrorist bombings, murders, and kidnappings for ransom. Drug traffickers,
leftist insurgents, paramilitary squads, and common criminals committed
scores of crimes with impunity, killing their targets as well as many innocent
bystanders. Although most of the politically motivated violence was directed
at local targets, Colombia recorded 76 international terrorist incidents
during 1995, the highest number in Latin America and nearly twice the 41
such incidents in 1994.
The nation's two main guerrilla groupsóthe Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN)óintensified
political violence during the year, ignoring offers for peace talks with
the government. Rebel attacks against oil pipelines owned jointly by the
Government of Colombia and Western companies escalated, accounting for most
of the international incidents in Colombia in 1995.
Kidnapping for ransom continued to be a profitable business in Colombia;
leftist guerrillas conducted approximately half of all abductions in the
country, increasing their war chests by several million dollars. Colombians
were the primary victims, but many foreign nationals also were abducted.
At year's end, FARC rebels held at least four US citizens, three of whom
were detained in 1993 and one in 1994. In August presumed FARC guerrillas
released one US citizen kidnapped near Cali in 1994. Another US citizen,
kidnapped in January, was released in April.
Kidnappings of foreigners sometimes have ended with the murder of the hostage.
A British citizen kidnapped by guerrillas in June was found dead in August
near Bogota. The guerrillas also kidnapped and subsequently released a UK
Embassy employee. In June, FARC guerrillas murdered two US missionaries,
held since January 1994, during a chance encounter with a Colombian army
patrol. Police have issued arrest warrants for eight guerrillas suspected
of kidnapping the two missionaries.
Despite President Samper's willingness to negotiate with the nation's guerrilla
organizations, FARC and ELN insurgents did not demonstrate a sincere desire
to pursue a negotiated settlement in 1995. Instead, they continued to attack
government forces and other targets. On the anniversary of President Samper's
inauguration in August, FARC rebels attacked a police counternarcotics base
in Miraflores (in Guaviare Department), killing six and wounding 29 police
officers. Unknown assailants, possibly guerrillas, bombed a sculpture in
a crowded Medellin square, which left 28 persons dead and injured more than
175. FARC guerrillas operating in areas of heavy coca cultivation often
fired onóand in one case shot downógovernment aircraft engaged
in US-supported drug eradication efforts.
Twice during 1995, President Samper declared a "state of internal commotion,"
invoking exceptional measures because of increased violence nationwide and
the assassination on 2 November of Conservative Party patriarch Alvaro Gomez
Hurtado. On that date, President Samper announced that he was empowering
the military, governors of the 32 departments (states), and all mayors to
authorize the evacuation of civilians from municipalities to combat illegal
armed groups, including the guerrilla organizations operating in Colombia.
Guatemala
Guatemala's 35-year-old insurgency continues at a low level, as talks toward
a negotiated settlement progress. The three major armed guerrilla groupsóthe
Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), the Revolutionary Organization of the
People in Arms (ORPA), and the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP)óare
allied in the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (URNG), along with
the Communist Guatemalan Workers' Party (PGT).
In April a bomb was detonated outside the Presidential Palace during a visit
by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Evidence points to guerrilla
involvement, but no group claimed responsibility. In May presumed guerrillas
fired on a US Embassy antinarcotics helicopter on a training flight over
Palin. The aircraft sustained minor damage.
Panama
The bombing in July 1994 of a commuter airliner that killed all 21 persons
aboard, including three US citizens, remained under investigation in 1995.
Panama has made no arrests but continues to cooperate closely with US authorities.
Progress was made in two other terrorist cases. Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, one
of the suspects in the murder in 1992 of US Army Corporal Zak Hernandez,
turned himself over to Panamanian authorities in January 1995; his case
had not yet gone to trial by the end of the year. Two others sought in connection
with the murder of the US serviceman remained at large. Juan Barria, who
confessed to having murdered a US citizen and a US Embassy employee during
Operation Just Cause in 1989, was convicted after a jury trial on 19 November.
Peru
Peruvian Government security forces in 1995 continued to reduce the activities
of Peru's terrorist organizationsóSendero Luminoso (Shining Path
or SL) and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Numerous detentions,
casualties, and defections further weakened the two groups, and continued
arrests of several terrorist leaders kept the level of violence by these
groups low compared to previous years. Most of the violence in 1995 took
place in rural areas, particularly the coca-rich Upper Huallaga Valley.
Violence in Lima and other cities declined. In Lima there were two car bombings,
the lowest number in years.
Police arrests helped disrupt Sendero's terrorist plans for the national
elections in April 1995. In a major coordinated operation, counterterrorist
police arrested approximately 20 members of Sendero Luminoso in the cities
of Lima, Callao, Huancayo, and Arequipa. Among those captured was Sendero
Central Committee member, and number-two leader of Sendero militants still
at large, Margi Clavo Peralta. Clavo later publicly announced her support
for peace talks with the government, which jailed Sendero leader and founder
Abimael Guzman first advocated in 1993.
Three years after the capture of SL chieftain Guzman, the Maoist terrorist
group is struggling, attempting to rebuild and resolve its leadership problems.
Sendero Luminoso has become less active, its operations smaller and less
sophisticated. While SL's capability to target international targets has
diminished, it retains the capability to cause considerable harm, and its
"anti-imperialist" animus has not changed. In May the group detonated
a car bomb in front of a luxury Lima hotel, killing four and injuring several
dozen persons. In July, Sendero terrorists killed a Peruvian employee of
a US mining company after seeking by name a US geologist who had left the
site a few days earlier.
On 1 December the number-two leader of MRTA still at large, Miguel Rincon,
surrendered to police after a firefight that followed a raid of a MRTA safehouse.
The police arrested more than a dozen other MRTA members and uncovered weapons
and explosives in the residence. The police effort inflicted a severe blow
to the weakened terrorist organization, disrupting its plans to conduct
attacks.
Middle East Overview
The deadliest terrorist attack against US interests in the Middle East since
the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut took place on 13 November
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A vehicle bomb badly damaged the headquarters of
the Office of the Program Manager/Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM/SANG),
a military training mission. Seven persons, including five US citizens,
were killed and 42 were wounded. Several shadowy groups, including the "Islamic
Movement for Change," claimed responsibility for the incident. Saudi
Arabian authorities are aggressively investigating the incident in close
cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Fatalities from extremist violence in Egypt rose slightly above 1994 totals.
Nevertheless, Egyptian authorities continued a successful crackdown against
extremists, arresting some important leaders and confining violence to upper
Egypt. In November, al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (the Islamic Group or IG) renewed
efforts to target Egypt's tourist industry. In two shooting attacks against
trains traveling through Qina and Al Minya Governorates in upper Egypt,
two Europeans and 10 Egyptians were wounded.
For the first time, Egyptian extremists extended their campaign of violence
outside Egypt's borders. The IG claimed responsibility for an assassination
attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in June, and
in November the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, was bombed, killing
16 and wounding 60. Both the IG and the Jihad Group claimed responsibility
for this attack.
In Algeria widespread terrorism continued the trend of recent years. Armed
insurgents turned increasingly to the use of indiscriminate bombings in
their offensive against the government, deemphasizing their reliance on
military-style attacks on Algerian security units. While attacks against
foreigners in Algeria decreased overall, Islamic militants expanded their
offensive to include targets overseas and US targets in Algeria. In November,
Islamic militants set fire to a US Embassy warehouse; this was consistent
with threats against foreignóincluding USóinterests in Algeria
issued by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). The same group is suspected of
responsibility for the murder in Paris in July of a prominent activist from
the Islamic Salvation Frontóanother Algerian Islamist opposition
groupóas well as a bombing campaign in Paris that killed eight persons
and wounded scores.
Elsewhere in North Africa, incidents of terrorist violence were low. Tunisian
authorities maintained effective control of the internal security situation
and, in particular, closely followed the activities of the Tunisian Islamic
Front, which claimed responsibility for the murders of four policemen and
has warned all foreigners to leave Tunisia. In Morocco, an Egyptian detonated
a bomb in the consular section of the Russian Embassy, evidently to protest
Russian policy in Chechnya. Islamic extremists continued efforts to smuggle
weapons through Morocco into Algeria to support extremists there.
In Israel and the occupied territories/Palestinian autonomous areas, incidents
of political violence and terrorism continued to plague the Palestinian-Israeli
peaceprocess. On 4 November, a Jewish Israeli extremist assassinated Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin at a propeace rally in Tel Aviv. In subsequent statements
the assassin said he acted to protest Rabin's peace process policies.
The overall number of anti-Israeli attacks declined to 33 in 1995 from 79
in 1994 due to a change in the nature of attacks, that is, less frequent
but more lethal suicide bombings. Casualty figures thus remained high, with
45 Israeli soldiers and civilians killed, two US civilians killed, and nearly
280 persons wounded in 1995, compared to 55 persons killed and more than
150 wounded in the previous year. The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS)
and the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for most of
these attacks, including several devastating suicide bombings. Chairman
Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority (PA) launched a campaign to crack down
on Islamic militants while at the same time initiating political dialogue
with HAMAS to bring it into the political process. HAMAS announced a temporary
suspension of military activities in August while engaging in talks with
the PA; there were no major HAMAS attacks against Israelis through the end
of 1995.
Lebanon witnessed small improvements in the internal security situation
during the year, including in Beirut. Despite government efforts to extend
its control, however, many parts of the country remained outside the central
government's authority. The terrorist organization Hizballah has yet to
be disarmed and still operates freely in several areas of the country, particularly
the south. Incidents of internal political violence continued to trouble
many parts of the country.
Algeria
The security situation in Algeria did not improve substantially in 1995.
Accurate casualty figures are difficult to acquire, but as many as 50,000
Algeriansómilitants, security personnel, and civiliansóhave
died as a result of the nearly four-year-old insurgency. Islamic extremists
slowed their attacks against foreign nationals inside Algeria in 1995, but
suspicions centered on the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) for a series
of terrorist attacks in France in July, September, and October.
Last year extremists carried out their first attack against a US target
in Algeria since Islamic militants began targeting foreigners in 1993. On
9 November, Islamic extremists set fire to a warehouse belonging to the
US Embassy. The militants threatened the life of the Algerian security guard
because he was working for the United States, and they specifically demanded
to know whether there were any US citizens present. The GIA probably carried
out the attacks. The group had threatened to strike US and other foreign
targets in Algeria, and the modus operandi of the attack was consistent
with past GIA operations against foreign facilities.
The GIA was responsible for the deaths of 31 foreigners in Algeria in 1995,
compared to at least 64 in 1994. Most of the foreigners killed were "soft
targets," such as teachers and nuns. From July to October a terrorist
bombing campaign in France began against civilian targets, killing eight
persons and wounding 160. Suspicion centered on the GIA as a protest of
French support for Algiers. Suspicion also focused on the GIA for the death
of FIS leader Abdelbaki Sahraoui in Paris in July; the group earlier had
published Sahraoui's name in a list of FIS members marked for death due
to their conciliatory posture toward negotiating with the Algerian regime.
Algerian militants changed their tactics slightly in 1995, relying more
heavily on the use of homemade bombsóespecially car bombsóand
decreasing their reliance on more traditional military-style attacks on
Algerian security units. The GIA claimed responsibility for the suicide
car bombing of a police headquarters in downtown Algiers in January that
killed more than 40 persons. Insurgents stepped up attacks on infrastructure
targets this year, disabling bridges and electric power facilities throughout
the country. In May, GIA commandos attacked foreign workers along a newly
constructed gas pipeline, killing five. The GIA continued its attacks against
civilian targets, killing women for refusing to wear the hidjab, intellectuals,
and others it perceived as "cooperating" with the regime and "spreading
Western influence." Over 25 journalists were killed in 1995, making
Algeria the most dangerous place in the world for practitioners of this
profession.
Violence in Algeria slowed significantly in the weeks before the presidential
election on 16 November, primarily because of extraordinary measures employed
by the security services. As these security measures were relaxed, however,
Algeria's fragmented Islamic movement continued to attack foreigners; two
Latvian sailors were shot within two weeks after the elections.
Egypt
Fatalities from Islamic extremist violence rose slightly in 1995, with the
number of victimsóincluding noncombatants and policeóand extremists
killed increasing from 286 in 1994 to 375 in 1995. Violence primarily was
confined to provinces in upper Egypt; there were no attacks in Cairo or
urban areas further north.
Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) continued to be the most active
Islamic extremist organization in Egypt in 1995. All attacks occurred in
upper Egypt, with much of the violence shifting from Asyu'tóthe previous
center of conflictóto Al Minya Governorate, specifically around Mallawi.
Some attacks also occurred in Qina Governorate. Police and security elements
were the focus of many attacks. The IG also is believed to have been the
culprit in the deaths of at least 28 Coptic Christians and at least 20 Muslims
alleged to be police informants. In November, the IG also resumed its efforts
to damage Egypt's tourist industry, claiming responsibility for two shooting
attacks that month against trains traveling through Qina and Al Minya Governorates
to tourist sites in upper Egypt. Two Europeans and 10 Egyptians were wounded
in the attacks. The IG claims of responsibility were accompanied by warnings
for all foreign tourists to leave the country.
Egypt has stepped up its counterterrorist campaign, preventing Islamic extremists
from carrying out attacks in Cairo and other urban areas to the north. A
police sweep in Al Minya in September resulted in the arrest of a key leader
of the IG's military wing, who had been sought since the assassination of
President Anwar Sadat in 1981.
During 1995, Egyptian Islamic extremist groups took their campaign of violence
outside Egypt for the first time. The IG claimed responsibility for an assassination
attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia on 26 June.
The IG also took responsibility for a car bombing in Rijeka, Croatia, in
October that injured 29 Croatian nationals and killed the car's driver.
The IG accused the Croatian Government of having arrested a visiting Gama'at
member who had been living in Denmark. Both the IG and the Jihad Group claimed
responsibility for the bombing on 19 November of the Egyptian Embassy in
Islamabad, Pakistan. Sixteen persons were killed in the attack and another
60 were injured. The previously unknown International Justice Group also
took responsibility for the bombing in Pakistan, as well as for the shooting
death of an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva on 13 November.
Israel and the Occupied Territories/Palestinian Autonomous Areas
Yigal Amir, a Jewish extremist associated with the little-known "Fighting
Jewish Organization" (EYAL), assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
at a propeace rally in Tel Aviv on 4 November. Amir claimed to have acted
alone, but Israeli security forces charged several other alleged conspirators.
Israel also stepped up its investigations of EYAL and other extremist groups
that may have had a hand in the murder. Kach and Kahane Chaiówhich
Israel outlawed as terrorist groups after the Hebron massacre in February
1994óremained active in 1995, though they maintained lower profiles.
The overall number of anti-Israeli attacks instigated by Palestinians declined
to 33 in 1995 from 79 in 1994 due to a change in the nature of attacks,
that is, to less frequent but more lethal suicide bombings. Casualty figures
remained high, with 45 Israeli soldiers and civilians and two US citizens
killed and nearly 280 persons wounded in 1995, compared to 55 persons killed
and more than 150 wounded the previous year. The increased lethality of
the attacks was due mainly to Palestinian extremist groups' increased use
of suicide bombings, which killed 39 and wounded 252.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) conducted five major anti-Israeli
attacks in 1995 as part of its campaign to derail the peace process. The
group claimed responsibility for three devastating suicide bombings, including
the bombing on 21 August of a bus in Jerusalem's Ramat Eshkol neighborhood
that resulted in the death of a US citizen, Joan Davenny, and three Israelis,
and the wounding of more than 100 civilians. Following that operation, HAMAS
temporarily suspended its military activities and entered into talks with
the Palestinian Authority (PA), in which HAMAS discussed the possibility
of ending anti-Israeli attacks and participating in the Palestinian elections
on 20 January 1996. There were no major HAMAS attacks against Israelis from
the August suicide bus bombing through the end of 1995.
Other Palestinian groups that reject the peace process also attacked Israelis.
The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)-Shaqaqi Faction claimed responsibility
for five suicide bombings that killed a total of 29 persons and wounded
107. One bus bombing on 9 April killed a US citizen, Alisa Flatow, and seven
Israelis and wounded 41 other persons. Although the group suffered a strong
blow when its leader, Fathi Shaqaqi, was assassinated in Malta on 26 October,
it remained capable of striking at Israeli targets. On 2 November, the PIJ
carried out two suicide bomb attacks against Israeli targets in Gaza to
retaliate for Shaqaqi's murder, which the group believes Israel sponsored.
No Israelis were killed in the attacks. The Democratic Front for the Liberation
of Palestine (DFLP) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Israelis
that occurred outside Palestinian Authority (PA) held areas in the West
Bank.
The PA increased its effort to rein in Palestinian violence against Israelis
in 1995. The PA security apparatus stepped up its campaign to register and
confiscate weapons, thwart terrorist plots, and convict Palestinians responsible
for anti-Israeli acts. The PA thwarted a PIJ attack planned for 10 June.
In August, the Palestinian Police Force arrested a HAMAS terrorist who was
preparing a bomb to be set off in Israel. Arafat and other senior PA officials
regularly condemned acts of terrorism as they occurred, especially the Rabin
assassination.
Israel's vigilant border security appeared to effectively prevent infiltrations
from Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Israeli troops on 12 August, for instance,
captured a heavily armed guerrilla attempting to infiltrate into Israel
from Jordan. Hizballah and Palestinian rejectionist groups continued to
launch occasionalónine times in 1995óKatyusha rocket salvos
into northern Israel from southern Lebanon. The most serious rocket attacks
occurred in November, when militants in Lebanon fired 30 to 40 Katyushas
into northern Israel over a two-day period, wounding six Israeli civilians.
Jordan
Jordanian security and police closely monitor secular and Islamic extremists
inside the country, detaining individuals suspected of involvement in violent
acts aimed at destabilizing the government or its relations with other states.
Jordanian authorities detained dozens of persons in terrorist-related cases
in 1995, including six members of the Islamic Renewal Movement planning
to attack foreign interests and two individuals suspected of shooting a
French diplomat in February. In late July, Jordan arrested a suspect in
the World Trade Center bombing, pursuant to a request from the United States,
and rendered him to US law enforcement authorities in early August.
Jordan's peace treaty with Israelósigned on 26 October 1994ócommits
the two parties to cooperate against terrorism. Amman maintains tight security
along its border with Israel and has stopped individuals attempting to infiltrate
into the West Bank.
Several Palestinian rejectionist groups maintain a closely watched presence
in Jordan, including the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Democratic Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine (PFLP), Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineñGeneral
Command (PFLP-GC), and the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS). The government
in April warned HAMAS spokesman Ibrahim Ghawsha, a Jordanian citizen, not
to issue statements supportive of anti-Israeli violence, as this was in
violation of Jordanian law. Under that law, Jordan expelled two senior HAMAS
leaders in May for making inflammatory statements against Israel. The two
did not hold Jordanian citizenship.
Lebanon
There was incremental improvement in the Lebanese security environment in
1995 as the Lebanese Government struggled to expand its authority throughout
the country. The situation in the Beirut metropolitan area is somewhat improved
but remains dangerous. Large sections of Lebanon, however, remain effectively
beyond the central government's control. There is a risk to Westerners,
in particular, in uncontrolled areas such as in the south and the Al Biqa'
(Bekaa Valley). An unknown number of Lebanese civilians were killed, injured,
or displaced in the fighting in southern Lebanon this year.
While the government has limited the activities of many violent individuals
and groups in Lebanon, the terrorist organization Hizballah has yet to be
disarmed and continues to operate as a separate polity within the country.
For example, Hizballah has announced that it will operate a separate judicial
system based on Islamic jurisprudence within areas under its direct control.
Hizballah's animosity toward the United States continues. In its public
rhetoric, the group routinely denounces the United States. In March, Hizballah
leader Fadlallah stated that Hizballah "continue(s) to oppose US policy
everywhere." Hizballah also continues to make public statements condemning
the Middle East peace process.
Militia personnel in February kidnapped two individuals and held them for
four days before releasing them. Thousands of people seized during the Lebanese
Civil War remain unaccounted for.
Ahmad al-Assad'ad, the son of former Lebanese Parliament speaker Kamel al-Assad'ad,
apparently escaped injury on 3 July when handgrenades were thrown at him
during a rally in Nabatiyah in southern Lebanon.
In August gunmen shot and killed Shaykh Nizar al-Halbi, the chairman of
the Sunni fundamentalist group "Islamic Charitable Projects Association,"
as he left his home in a West Beirut neighborhood. A group calling itself
the "Usama Kassass Organization" claimed responsibility. Two suspects
subsequently were arrested.
A car bombing in Jibshit killed a local Hizballah security official in November.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In December, Lebanese security forces reportedly broke up a terrorist ring
operating in northern Lebanon. This ring was planning to begin a violent
campaign of assassinations and bombings that month.
There were developments in several terrorism trials. In May, the Judicial
Council trying Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Ja'ja on charges of domestic
terrorismófor the bombing in February 1994 of a Maronite Church in
Zuq Mikha'il that killed 11 and wounded 59óissued an indefinite continuance
(Sine Die) that suspended the trial. A second defendant, Lebanese Forces
Deputy Commander Fu'ad Malik, was granted bail on 17 May for medical reasons.
Ja'ja remains imprisoned for the assassination of Dany Chamoun, a political
rival, in 1990.
In June, Lebanon's Permanent Military Court sentenced (in absentia) two
defendants to death for the Beirut car bombing in December 1994 that killed
Hizballah member Fu'ad Mughniyah and two others. Two other defendants received
prison sentences.
By the end of the year, following a number of postponements, a Lebanese
court was set to proceed with the trial of three members of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) for the murders in 1976 of
US Ambassador to Lebanon Francis E. Meloy and US diplomat Robert 0. Waring.
Several Palestinian groups that use terrorism to express their opposition
to the Middle East peace process maintain an active presence in Lebanon.
These include the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), the Abu Nidal organization
(ANO), the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the
Liberation of PalestineñGeneral Command (PFLP-GC). These organizations
conduct terrorist training in southern Lebanon.
Morocco
There were few terrorist-related incidents in Morocco in 1995. The first
terrorist attack against a foreign diplomat in Morocco since 1985 occurred
on 28 February, however, when an Egyptian citizen detonated a bomb strapped
to his body at the consular department of the Russian Embassy. Although
Moroccan officials initially suspected that the bomber had ties to Islamic
militants, subsequent investigations led Moroccan officials to believe that
the man was acting alone, and that the attack was carried out to demonstrate
his solidarity with the Chechen people.
Islamic extremists in Morocco continued their efforts to smuggle weapons
into Algeria to support Islamic opposition elements there. In mid-October,
Moroccan authorities arrested 16 persons in the eastern province of Oujda
whom the Moroccans alleged were transporting weapons to Algeria's Islamic
Salvation Front. Four of those arrested were Algerians, strengthening the
government claims that the arms were intended for Algerian insurgents.
Saudi Arabia
On 13 November, a car bomb exploded outside the Riyadh headquarters of the
Office of the Program Manager/Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM/SANG). Seven
persons died in the blast, five of whom were US citizens, and 42 were injured.
At least three groups claimed responsibility for the attack, including the
Islamic Movement for Change, the Tigers of the Gulf, and the Combatant Partisans
of God. The Saudi Government is aggressively investigating this attack with
the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Tunisia
Tunis maintained effective control of the security situation in 1995, paying
special attention to Islamic dissidents, but did not prosecute any individuals
for specific acts of terrorism. In May the extremist Tunisian Islamic Front
(FIT) issued a warning that all foreigners in Tunisia should leave, but
it did not follow up with any concrete threats or attacks. The group also
claimed responsibility for a number of operations in Tunisia, including
the murders of four policemen. Tunisian authorities have not confirmed or
denied the claims.
There are allegations that the FIT is working in conjunction with the Algerian
Armed Islamic Group (GIA), and that its members may be training in GIA camps.
Several Tunisians were taken into custody in 1995 for alleged involvement
with the GIA network in Europe. The FIT claimed responsibility for an attack
in February against a Tunisian border post on the Tunisia-Algeria border
in which seven border guards were killed, but some officials blame the GIAópossibly
in conjunction with the FITófor the attack. As of 31 December, there
were no similar incidents.
Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism
The United States and its allies continue to focus on raising the costs
for governments that support, tolerate, and engage in international terrorism.
It is widely recognized that state support for terrorist groups enhances
their capabilities and makes law enforcement efforts to counter terrorism
more difficult. To pressure states to stop such support, US law imposes
trade and other restrictions on countries determined by the Secretary of
State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism
by supporting, training, supplying, or providing safehaven to known terrorists.
The United States currently lists Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea,
Sudan, and Syria as state supporters of terrorism. The list is sent annually
to Congress, although countries can be added or removed at any time circumstances
warrant.
Cuba no longer is able to actively support armed struggle in Latin America
or other parts of the world because of severe ongoing economic problems.
While there was no direct evidence of its sponsorship of terrorist acts
in 1995, the Cuban Government continued to provide safehaven for several
international terrorists. Cuba has not renounced political support for groups
that engage in international terrorism.
Iran continued in 1995 to be the world's most active supporter of international
terrorism. Although Tehran tried to project a moderate image in the West,
it continued to assassinate dissidents abroad and maintained its support
and financing of groups that pose a threat to US citizens. Iranian authorities
reaffirmed the validity of the death sentence imposed on British author
Salman Rushdie, although some Iranian officials claimed that the Government
of Iran would not implement the fatwa. No specific acts of terrorism attributed
to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hizballah in 1995 were on the scale of the
July 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, which is
believed to have been perpetrated by Hizballah. Hizballah continued attempts
to undermine the Middle East peace process and oppose Western interests
throughout the Middle East. Iran also supports other radical organizations
that commit terrorism in opposition to the peace process, including HAMAS,
the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Popular Front for the Liberation
of PalestineñGeneral Command (PFLP-GC). It also provides safehaven
to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist group fighting for an
independent Kurdish state that carried out numerous terrorist acts in 1995
against Turkish interests.
During 1995 several acts of political violence in northern Iraq matched
Baghdad's pattern of using terrorism against the local population and regime
defectors. These included a bombing attack on the Iraqi National Congress
and the poisoning of a number of regime defectors. Iraq continues to provide
a safehaven for various terrorist groups.
Libya continued for another year its defiance of the demands of UN Security
Council Resolutions adopted in response to its involvement in the bombings
of Pan Am flight 103 (1988) and UTA flight 772 (1989). These resolutions
demand that Libya turn over for trial the two intelligence agents indicted
for the PA 103 bombing, cooperate with US, UK, and French authorities in
investigating the Pan Am and UTA bombings, pay compensation to victims,
and cease all support for terrorism. Instead, Libya continued to foster
disingenuous "compromises" aimed at diluting or evading the resolutions.
It also continued hosting terrorist groups like the Abu Nidal organization
(ANO). Further, an investigation into the murder of PIJ leader Fathi Shaqaqi
in Malta in October 1995 revealed that he had long been a Libyan client.
Tripoli also continued to harass and intimidate the Libyan exile community;
it is believed to be responsible for the abduction of US resident Mansur
Kikhia in December 1993 and was blamed by Libyan exiles for the murder of
a Libyan oppositionist in London in November 1995. The Libyan charge in
London was expelled in 1995 for threatening and surveilling Libyan exiles
in the United Kingdom.
North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK) is not
known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since 1987. Since 1993 the DPRK
has made several efforts to reiterate a stated position of opposition to
all forms of international terrorism. The DPRK Government since 1970 has
provided safehaven to several members of the Japanese Communist LeagueñRed
Army Faction, who participated in an aircraft hijacking in 1970.
Sudan came into sharper focus in 1995 as a center of international terrorist
activities. By year's end it was at odds with many of its neighbors. Uganda
and Eritrea had severed diplomatic relations with Khartoum because of its
support of armed opposition groups in those countries. Ethiopia and Egypt
accused Sudan of complicity in one of the year's highest profile terrorist
crimes, the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak in Addis Ababa on 26 June, attributed to the Egyptian al-Gama'at
al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG). Surviving assailants captured by Ethiopian
police incriminated the Sudanese Government, which is dominated by the National
Islamic Front (NIF), in planning the crime and training the assailants.
Three conspirators are believed to be in Sudan. When Khartoum refused to
cooperate in apprehending them, the Organization for African Unity (OAU)
called for Sudan to hand over the suspects. In addition, Sudan continues
to harbor Usama Bin Ladin, a major financier of terrorism, and members of
some of the world's most violent groups like the IG, ANO, Lebanese Hizballah
and HAMAS. Khartoum is a major transit point and base for a number of terrorist
groups.
There is no evidence that Syrian officials have been directly involved in
planning or executing terrorist attacks since 1986. Nevertheless, Syria
continues to provide safehaven and supportóinside Syria and in areas
of Lebanon under Syrian controlófor terrorist groups such as Ahmad
Jibril's PFLP-GC, HAMAS, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Japanese Red
Army, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Syria has permitted Iranian
resupply of Hizballah via Damascus but continues to restrain the international
activities of some of these groups.
Cuba
Cuba no longer actively supports armed struggle in Latin America and other
parts of the world. In earlier years, the Castro regime provided significant
levels of military training, weapons, funding, and guidance to leftist extremists
worldwide. Havana's focus now is to forestall an economic collapse; the
government actively continued to seek the upgrading of diplomatic and trade
relations with other nations.
Cuba is not known to have sponsored any international terrorist incidents
in 1995. Havana, however, provided safehaven to several terrorists in Cuba
during the year. A number of Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorists,
who sought sanctuary in Cuba several years ago, still live on the island.
Members of a few Latin American terrorist organizations and US fugitives
also reside in Cuba.
Iran
Iran remains the premier state sponsor of international terrorism and is
deeply involved in the planning and execution of terrorist acts both by
its own agents and by surrogate groups. This year Tehran escalated its assassination
campaign against dissidents living abroad; there were seven confirmed Iranian
murders of dissidents in 1995, compared with four in 1994. Iranian antidissident
operations concentrated on the regime's main opposition group, the Mojahedin-e
Khalq (MEK), and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).
Leaders of Iranian dissident groups are the most frequent victims of Iranian
intelligence and terrorist operations. In 1995 most antidissident attacks
were conducted in Iraq, in contrast to prior years' worldwide operations.
Attacks on Iranian dissidents in Iraq during the year included the shooting
deaths on 17 May of two MEK members in Baghdad, the murder on 5 June of
two members of the Iranian Kurdish "Toilers" Party (Komelah) in
Sulaymaniyah, and the killing of three MEK members in Baghdad on 10 July.
The shooting death in Paris on 17 September of Hashem Abdollahi, son of
the chief witness in the trial of 1994 that convicted two Iranians for murdering
former Iranian Prime Minister Bakhtiar in 1991, may have been an antidissident
attack.
Sendar Hosseini, a suspect in the 1994 murder of dissident Osman Muhammed
Amini in Copenhagen, Denmark, was arrested by Italian police in Bibione,
Italy.
Iran provides arms, training, and money to Lebanese Hizballah and several
Palestinian extremist groups that use terrorism to oppose the Middle East
peace process. Tehran, which is against any compromise with or recognition
of Israel, continued in 1995 to encourage Hizballah, HAMAS, the PIJ, the
PFLP-GC, and other Palestinian rejectionist groups to form a coordinated
front to resist Israel and the peace process through violence and terrorism.
Hizballah, Iran's closest client, remains the leading suspect in the July
1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israel Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos
Aires that killed at least 96 persons. This operation was virtually identical
to the one conducted in March 1992 against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos
Aires, for which Hizballah claimed responsibility.
Iran also gives varying degrees of assistance to an assortment of radical
Islamic and secular groups from North Africa to Central Asia. For example,
Tehran continued to offer the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) safehaven in
Iran. Seeking to establish a Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, the PKK
in 1995 launched numerous attacks in Europe and continued its violent campaign
against Turkish tourism, including attacks on tourist spots frequented by
Westerners. Tehran also provided some support to Turkish Islamic groups
that have been blamed for attacks against Turkish secular and Jewish figures.
Iranian authorities reaffirmed the validity of the death sentence imposed
on British author Salman Rushdie, although some Iranian officials claimed
that the Government of Iran would not implement the fatwa. Tehran, however,
continued to mount a propaganda campaign against Rushdie. In Februaryóthe
sixth anniversary of the judgmentóIran's official news agency IRNA
reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmoud Vaezi "underlined the
need for the implementation of the fatwa against the author of the blasphemous
book The Satanic Verses." Vaezi in May declared that "the fatwa
issued by the late Imam [Khomeini] could neither be revoked nor changed
by anybody."
Despite increasing Iranian support for extremist groups and involvement
in terrorist operations, PresidentRafsanjani continued to project publicly
a "moderate" image of Iran to Western European countries and Japan
to facilitate the expansion of its relations with them. This quest for respectability
probably explains why Iran reduced its attacks in Europe last year; Tehran
wants to ensure access to Western capital and markets.
Iran continued to view the United States as its principal foreign adversary,
supporting groups such as Hizballah that pose a threat to US citizens. Because
of Tehran's and Hizballah's deep antipathy toward the United States, US
missions and personnel abroad continue to be at risk.
Iraq
During 1995 several acts of political violence in northern Iraq matched
Baghdad's pattern of using terrorism against the local population and regime
defectors. Although Iraq's terrorist infrastructure has not recovered from
the blows it suffered during the Gulf war, Baghdad has taken measures to
restore its terrorist options.
Iraq remains far from compliance with UN resolutions that require it to
cease internal repression and support for terrorism. Iraqi-sponsored terrorism
has been commonplace in northern Iraq, where the regime is responsible for
more than 100 attacks on UN and relief agency personnel and aid convoys
over the past several years. In 1995 there were a number of acts of political
violence for which Baghdad is a suspect. For example, a blast on 9 November
at the security office in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq of the opposition
Iraqi National Congress (INC) killed at least 25 persons. The INC has been
targeted before by the regime in Baghdad.
Early in the year, a number of Iraqi oppositionists in northern Iraq were
poisoned by thallium. At least one survived and was treated in a British
hospital. The British Government confirmed that he was a victim of a regime
assassination attempt.
In October, the British Government expelled an officer of the Iraqi Interests
Section in London for engaging in "activities incompatible with his
diplomatic status." The London-based Iraqi opposition reported that
the official concerned was an employee of the Iraqi intelligence services
who was responsible for targeting Iraqi exiles for attack.
On 20 January a US District Court in California awarded $1.5 million to
Dr. Sargon Dadesho, an Iraqi oppositionist living in the United States who
had brought suit against the Iraqi regime. The court concluded that the
Iraqi Government was involved in a 1990 plot to assassinate Dadesho. This
is the only time such a judgment on Iraq's terrorist activities has been
reached in a US court. In other court action, a Kuwaiti appeals court on
20 March confirmed the death sentences against two Iraqis convicted of involvement
in the plot in 1993 to assassinate President George Bush, while converting
to prison terms the death sentences meted out to four others by a lower
court.
Iraq continues to provide haven and training facilities for several terrorist
clients. Abu Abbas' Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) maintains its headquarters
in Baghdad. The Abu Nidal organization (ANO) continues to have an office
in Baghdad. The Arab Liberation Front (ALF), headquartered in Baghdad, continues
to receive funding from Saddam's regime. Iraq also continues to host the
former head of the now-defunct 15 May organization, Abu Ibrahim, who masterminded
several bombings of US aircraft. A terrorist group opposed to the current
Iranian regime, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), still is based in Iraq and
has carried out several violent attacks in Iran from bases in Iraq.
Libya
The end of 1995 marked the fourth year of the Libyan regime's refusal to
comply with the demands of UN Security Council Resolution 731. This measure
was adopted following the indictments in November 1991 of two Libyan intelligence
agents for the bombing in 1988 of Pan Am Flight 103. UNSCR 731 endorsed
US, British, and French demands that Libya turn over the two Libyan bombing
suspects for trial in the United States or the United Kingdom, pay compensation
to the victims, cooperate with US, UK, and French authorities in the investigations
into the Pan Am 103 and UTA flight 772 bombings, and cease all support for
terrorism.
UN Security Council Resolution 748 was adopted in April 1992 as a result
of Libya's refusal to comply with UNSCR 731. UNSCR 748 imposed sanctions
that embargoed Libya's civil aviation and military procurement efforts and
required all states to reduce Libya's diplomatic presence. UNSCR 883 adopted
in November 1993, imposed additional sanctions against Libya for its continued
refusal to comply with UNSC demands. UNSCR 883 included a limited assets
freeze and oil technology ban, and it also strengthened existing sanctions.
By the end of 1995, the Libyan regime had yet to comply in full with the
UNSC demands. Although British authorities were satisfied that Libya had
provided sufficient information on its past sponsorship of the Provisional
Irish Republican Army (PIRA), Tripoli had failed to meet any of the other
UNSC demands. Most significantly, it still refused to turn over for trial
in the United States or the United Kingdom the two Libyan agents indicted
for the Pan Am 103 bombing.
Throughout 1995, the Libyan regime continued to support groups violently
opposed to the Middle East peace process, some of which engage in acts of
international terrorism. After the murder of Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
leader Fathi Shaqaqi in Malta in October 1995, it was revealed that Libya
had frequently facilitated his travel. Libya also continued to sponsor meetings
of the Palestinian rejectionist groups in Tripoli.
Despite the ongoing sanctions against Libya for its sponsorship of terrorism,
Tripoli continued to harass and intimidate the Libyan expatriate dissident
community in 1995. Libya is widely believed to be responsible for the abduction
in 1993 and continued detention of prominent Libyan dissident and human
rights activist Mansur Kikhia. In November 1995 a Libyan dissident resident
in London was brutally murdered; the Libyan expatriate community accused
Tripoli of involvement in his death. British authorities continued to investigate
the case as the year ended. They also expelled the Libyan charge in London
for engaging in "activities incompatible with his diplomatic status."
The charge was accused of being involved in intimidation and surveillance
of Libyan dissidents in the United Kingdom.
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, killing all 115 persons
aboard. A North Korean spokesman in November stated that the DPRK opposed
"all kinds of terrorism" and "any assistance to it."
North Korea, however, continued to provide political sanctuary to members
of the Japanese Communist LeagueñRed Army Faction who hijacked a
Japanese Airlines flight to North Korea in 1970.
Sudan
Sudan continued to serve as a refuge, nexus, and training hub in 1995 for
a number of international terrorist organizations, primarily of Middle Eastern
origin. The Sudanese Government, which is dominated by the National Islamic
Front (NIF), also condoned many of the activities of Iran and the Khartoum-based
Usama Bin Ladin, a private financier of terrorism. Khartoum permitted the
funneling of assistance to terrorist and radical Islamist groups operating
in and transiting Sudan.
Since Sudan was placed on the US Government's official list of State Sponsors
of Terrorism in August 1993, the Sudanese Government has continued to harbor
members of some of the world's most violent organizations: the Abu Nidal
organization (ANO), Lebanese Hizballah, the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ),
Egypt's al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG), and the Islamic Resistance
Movement (HAMAS). The NIF also supports Islamic and non-Islamic opposition
groups in Uganda, Tunisia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
Uganda severed diplomatic relations with Sudan in April, citing the inappropriate
activities of representatives of the Sudanese Embassy in Kampala. The Government
of Uganda said it found these activities threatening to its security.
Both Ethiopia and Egypt accused Sudan's security services of providing direct
assistance to the IG for the attempt on the life of Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak in Addis Ababa on 26 June. Three surviving assailants captured by
Ethiopian police provided incriminating information about Sudan's role.
Sudanese help to the IG included supplying travel documents and weapons
and harboring key planners of the operation.
Despite a private plea by the Ethiopian Government, the Sudanese regime
did not act on Ethiopia's request for the extradition of three Egyptian
suspects involved in the Mubarak assassination attempt, claiming it was
unable to locate them. Those being sought included the operation's mastermindóresident
in Khartoumóhis assistant, and a surviving member of the assassination
team. (After the attack misfired, this last individual fled from Addis Ababa
to Sudan on Sudan Airlines using a Sudanese passport.) In rare actions against
a member state, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 11 September
and again on 19 December called on Sudan to extradite the three IG suspects
believed to have been involved in the assassination attempt and to stop
aiding terrorism.
In an apparent attempt at damage control not long after the assassination
attempt, President Bashir removed the head of Sudan's security services
and proclaimed a new visa policy requiring Arab foreigners to obtain visas
to enter Sudan. The policy did not apply to citizens from three state sponsors
of terrorismóIraq, Libya, and Syriaóhowever, because of bilateral
agreements.
Khartoum also permitted Usama Bin Ladin, a denaturalized Saudi citizen with
mujahedin contacts, to use Sudan as a shelter for his radical Muslim followers
and to finance and train militant groups. Bin Ladin, who lives in Khartoum
and owns numerous business enterprises in Sudan, has been linked to numerous
terrorist organizations. He directs funding and other logistic support through
his companies to a number of extremist causes.
A Sudanese national, who pleaded guilty in February 1995 to various charges
of complicity in the New York City bomb plots foiled by the Federal Bureau
Investigation, alleged that a member of the Sudanese UN Mission had offered
to facilitate access to the UN building in pursuance of the bombing plot.
The Sudanese official also is said to have had full knowledge of other bombing
targets.
Sudan's support to terrorist organizations has included paramilitary training,
indoctrination, money, travel documentation, safe passage, and refuge in
Sudan. Most of the organizations present in Sudan maintain offices or other
types of representation. They use Sudan as a base to organize some of their
operations and to support compatriots elsewhere. Sudan also serves as a
secure transit point and meeting place for several Iranian-backed terrorist
groups.
Syria
There is no evidence that Syrian officials have been directly involved in
planning or executing terrorist attacks since 1986. Damascus continues to
negotiate seriously to achieve a peace accord with Israel and has taken
some steps to restrain the international activities of these groups. Syria
continues to use its influence to moderate Hizballah and Palestinian rejectionist
groups when tension and violence in southern Lebanon escalate. It has, however,
allowed Iran to resupply Hizballah via Damascus.
At the same time, Syria provides safehaven and support for several groups
that engage in international terrorism. Spokesmen for some of these groups,
particularly Palestinian rejectionists, continue to claim responsibility
for attacks in Israel and the occupied territories/Palestinian autonomous
areas. Several radical terrorist groups maintain training camps or other
facilities on Syrian territory and in Syrian-controlled areas of Lebanon,
such as Ahmad Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineñGeneral
Command (PFLP-GC), which has its headquarters near Damascus. Syria grants
basing privileges or refuge to a wide variety of groups engaged in terrorism.
These include HAMAS, the PFLP-GC, the Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and
the Japanese Red Army (JRA).
The terrorist group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) continues to train in
the Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley), and its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, resides at
least part-time in Syria. The PKK in 1995 conductedówith limited
successóa violent campaign against Turkish tourist spots frequented
by foreigners, as well as other terrorist violence in 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, 1995
8 JanuaryAlgeria
Armed assailants attempted to kill two priests, one French and one Swiss,
belonging to the order of the White Fathers. The priests escaped unharmed.
The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected in the attack.
12 JanuaryEgypt
Suspected members of al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) opened
fire on a passenger train. Six passengers, including two Argentine tourists,
were injured.
15 JanuaryCambodia
A US tourist was killed and her husband was seriously wounded when Khmer
Rouge rebels attacked their sightseeing convoy. A tour guide also was killed
when the assailants fired a rocket at the van.
18 JanuaryColombia
Members of the People's Liberation Army kidnapped a US citizen, working
as an administrative support officer for Cerrejon Coal Mine of Riohacha,
in La Guajira.
Sierra Leone
Five Europeans and at least three Sierra Leoneans were kidnapped by Revolutionary
United Front (RUF) rebels. All of the victims were employed by the Swiss-owned
Sierra Leone Ore and Metal Company (Sieromco).
22 JanuaryAlgeria
Gunmen shot and killed a Frenchman as he drove through a park. A woman also
was injured in the attack. The GIA is suspected.
24 JanuaryUnited Kingdom
An unidentified assailant shot and killed a Sikh newspaper editor, a known
advocate for an independent Sikh state. No one claimed responsibility for
the attack.
25 JanuarySierra Leone
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) raided a mission near the Guinea border,
taking 100 hostages. Seven nunsósix Italians and one Brazilianówere
among the captives.
26 JanuaryColombia
Seven guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped three Venezuelan
Corpoven engineers and killed a fourth near La Victoria.
31 JanuaryColombia
Suspected guerrillas kidnapped two Brazilian engineers at an abandoned hydroelectric
dam. The engineers are employed by the Swiss Company, ASEA.
14 FebruaryPakistan
Three gunmen shot and killed a former Afghan Brigadier at his residence.
The victim was affiliated with the moderate, pro-Afghanistan Council for
Understanding and National Unity (CUNA). No group claimed responsibility,
but Gulbuddin Hikmatyar's Hizb-I-Islami organization is suspected.
24 FebruaryJordan
A French diplomat posted to the French Embassy was shot and wounded by two
assailants while he was sightseeing with his wife. No group claimed responsibility
for the attack.
27 FebruaryGreece
Khidir Abd al-Abbas Hamza, a defecting Iraqi former nuclear scientist, was
abducted in Athens while he was attempting to call a newspaper office from
a phone booth. The Iraqi Ambassador in Athens has denied any Iraqi involvement,
but the incident is similar to other Iraqi Government sponsored abductions.
28 FebruaryPeru
An explosive device containing about 500 grams (one pound) of dynamite detonated
on the sidewalk across the street from the US Embassy in Lima.
3 MarchAlgeria
A Palestinian student attending the Algerian Arab College was murdered by
an armed group who stormed the area where he and his family lived. The Armed
Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected.
8 MarchPakistan
Two unidentified gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles opened fire on a
US Consulate van in Karachi, killing two US diplomats and wounding a third.
The Pakistani driver was not hurt.
27 MarchBahrain
A Pakistani man burned to death when a video store was set on fire. No group
claimed responsibility for the attack.
31 MarchIsrael
One Israeli civilian was killed and 20 others were wounded when suspected
Hizballah members fired Katyusha rockets into western Galilee.
5 AprilHonduras
Morazanist Patriotic Front (FPM) guerrillas claimed responsibility for a
leaflet propaganda bomb that exploded in front of a Tegucigalpa building
that houses US, German, and Spanish press agencies. The attack caused minor
damage to nearby buildings.
9 AprilGaza Strip
A suicide bomber crashed an explosive-rigged van into an Israeli bus, killing
a US citizen and seven Israelis. Over 50 other persons, including two US
citizens, were injured. The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)ñShaqaqi
Faction claimed responsibility for the attack.
Georgia
Assailants attacked the T'bilisi residence of the Russian special envoy
and the headquarters of Russian troops in the Transcaucasus. There were
no injuries. A group calling itself the Algeti Wolves claimed responsibility
for the attack in revenge for events in Chechnya and for the signing of
the treaty on Russian military bases in Georgia.
19 AprilColombia
Members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped two Italian oil
workers from their car and killed their Colombian driver near Barrancabermeja.
21 AprilTurkey
An attempted car bombing in front of the Iranian Consulate General in Istanbul
killed a tow truck driver. The illegally parked vehicle was towed to an
open parking lot where it detonated, killing the driver and damaging 18
other vehicles. No group has claimed responsibility.
22 AprilNetherlands
Two Turkish citizens were shot by Kurdish extremists at a coffeehouse in
The Hague. Four men were arrested in connection with the attack.
29 AprilSomalia
A foreign businessman was killed near Chisimayu by Islamic fundamentalists.
5 MayAlgeria
Suspected members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) attacked employees of
a pipeline company, killing two Frenchmen, a Briton, a Canadian, and a Tunisian.
One Algerian security guard was also killed and at least six other guards
were injured.
Israel
Hizballah launched at least eight Katyusha rockets that struck near Qiryat
Shemona. Four Israeli civilians were wounded in the attack.
7 MayAlgeria
Armed assailants ambushed a two-vehicle advance for a convoy of foreigners,
including Britons and Canadians, being escorted from a worksite to their
accommodation camp. Several security forces were killed or wounded, but
there were no foreign casualties.
15 MayPeru
Five alleged Sendero Luminoso (SL) members held up a bus near Chimbote and
robbed some 50 passengers, including three US citizens. The assailants,
wearing ski masks painted with a red hammer and sickle, threatened passengers
with machineguns and grenades.
22 MayColombia
Approximately one kilo of dynamite detonated under a metal security door
of a Dunkin Donuts restaurant in Bogota. The damage was estimated at $18,000.
No injuries were reported and no group has claimed responsibility for the
attack.
23 MaySierra Leone
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels abducted three Lebanese businessmen
during attacks on towns in the Lebanese community of the diamond district
of Kono.
24 MayPeru
Presumed members of Sendero Luminoso (SL) detonated a 50-kg car bomb in
front of the Maria Angola Hotel in a suburb of Lima, killing three hotel
employees and a passerby. About 30 others were injured.
31 MayColombia
Seven National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas kidnapped a US citizen and
three Colombians at the Verde Limon Gold Mine in Zaragoza. Shortly afterward,
the Colombian Army freed the captives in a confrontation that left one Colombian
hostage and two guerrillas dead.
5 JuneNicaragua
Three members of the Recontra 380 occupied the Chilean Embassy in Managua
and took hostage the husband of Ambassador Laura Sota. The abductors left
a package they claimed was a bomb and fled without making any reported statements
or demands. The kidnap victim was released unharmed a few hours later.
7 JuneAlgeria
Suspected members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) shot and killed a French
couple in Algiers. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
24 JuneColombia
Unknown guerrillas abducted the son of a British Exxon employee in Formeque
and demanded a ransom of $500,000. On 12 August, during the course of negotiations,
the victim's body was found.
25 JunePakistan
Five gunmen kidnapped three German engineers and a Pakistani driver in the
North-West Frontier Province. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of ten million
rupees. One of the Germans and the Pakistani were released on 3 July, at
which time the kidnappers added the release of four prisoners in Peshawar
to their demands. The other two hostages were freed unharmed on 13 July.
It does not appear that the demands were met.
26 JuneEthiopia
Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya claimed responsibility for a failed assassination
attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa. As his
motorcade headed from the airport to a meeting of the Organization of African
Unity, two vehicles tried to block the road, and several gunmen fired at
his armored limousine. President Mubarak was not injured. Two Ethiopian
military guards died and one was wounded in the exchange of gunfire; two
gunmen were killed and two others captured. The Palestinian Ambassador to
Ethiopia also was injured.
3 JulyGermany
Attackers smashed the windows of three vehicles at a Chrysler car dealership
in Kassel. They also broke the salesroom window and scrawled graffiti protesting
the scheduled execution of Mumia Abu Jamal, a convicted murderer, in Pennsylvania.
4-8 JulyIndia
Six touristsótwo US citizens, two Britons, a Norwegian, and a Germanówere
taken hostage in Kashmir by the previously unknown militant group Al-Faran,
which demanded the release of Muslim militants held in Indian prisons. Al-Faran
may be part of the Kashmiri separatist group Harakat ul-Ansar based in Pakistan.
One of the US citizens escaped on 8 July. On 13 August, Al-Faran murdered
the Norwegian; his decapitated body was found with the name Al-Faran carved
on his stomach and a note stating that the other hostages also would be
killed if the group's demands were not met. The Indian Government has refused
to comply with their demands.
11 JulyFrance
Two assailants assassinated a cofounder of the Algerian Islamic Salvation
Front and his bodyguard in a Paris mosque. No one claimed responsibility
for the murders. Earlier this year Algerian publications reportedly received
a communique from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) listing their priority targets,
including the victim.
13 JulyTurkey
Kurdish separatists abducted a Japanese tourist at a rebel checkpoint near
Siirt. No demands were made, and the kidnappers released the hostage unharmed
on 17 July. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is suspected.
25 JulyFrance
A bomb detonated aboard a Paris subway train as it arrived at St. Michel
station, killing seven commuters and wounding 86.
5 AugustGreece
A small improvised bomb detonated at a Citibank branch in Athens, causing
minor damage. The Anti-Regime Nuclei (ARN) later claimed responsibility.
10 AugustGermany
Assailants firebombed a vehicle parked at a US-owned Chrysler dealership
in a small German city. No one was injured. A letter left at the scene identified
the perpetrators as members of the Anti-Imperialistic Group Liberty for
Mumia Abu Jamal.
12 AugustColombia
Members of the Jaime Bateman Cayon Front, a remnant of the 19 April Movement,
kidnapped a British diplomat and a Colombian colleague along a highway near
Tolima Department. On learning of the British official's diplomatic status,
the terrorists demanded an unspecified ransom to free him. They released
the Colombian national.
17 AugustFrance
A nail-filled bomb detonated in a trash bin near a subway entrance in Paris
injuring 17 people. Among those injured were four Hungarians, four Italians,
three Portuguese, one German, and one Briton. Authorities determined a similar
explosive device was used in the Paris subway bombing on 25 July.
20 AugustFrance
Assailants threw a molotov cocktail at a building in Paris that houses a
Turkish sporting and cultural association, injuring six persons and causing
minor damage. Witnesses reported seeing three people flee the scene. The
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may be responsible for the attack.
21 AugustIsrael
A bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem, killing six persons, including one
US citizen, and wounding two other US citizens and over 100 others. The
Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance
Movement (HAMAS), claimed responsibility.
24 AugustPakistan
Sixteen men armed with steel pipes and at least one gun vandalized the BBC
office in Islamabad. The attackers destroyed equipment and files, bombed
the entry hall, and destroyed two cars. The BBC chief correspondent, a Canadian,
and a Pakistani BBC staff member escaped with minor injuries. The radical
Sunni organization Sipah-I-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) claimed responsibility,
although the group's leader stated that he had ordered only a peaceful demonstration
to protest the BBC airing of a documentary about the group.
27 AugustSpain
Arsonists in San Sebastian doused a car bearing French license plates with
gasoline and ignited it. There were no injuries. Authorities believe a support
group of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) is responsible.
1 SeptemberColombia
Guerrillas intercepted and kidnapped a US businessman and his Colombian
partner in Cali. The captors, five armed masked men, took the two men to
a jungle camp. The Colombian negotiated a $30,000 ransom for his US partner,
who was released on 22 September. No group has claimed responsibility.
Colombia
In Santa Marta, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas
destroyed containers of bananas belonging to the US company Dole.
2 SeptemberAlgeria
Suspected Armed Islamic Group (GIA) militants shot a