(EST PUB DATE) TERRORISM REVIEW FOR JULY 1996

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• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: August 1, 2011
• Case Number: F-2008-00992
• Publication Date: July 1, 1996

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 National Security Unauthorized Disclosure
Information Subject to Criminal Sanctions
Dissemination Control NOFORN (ne) Not releasable to foreign nationals
Abbreviations PROPiN (Px) Caution- ro riet
p p ary information involved
ORCON (oc) Dissemination and extraction of information
controlled by originator
 Terrorism Review
Khubar Bombing: Saudi O ositionists and
Iran Major Suspec
Analysts in the DCl Counterterrorist Center and the Office of Near Eastern and
South Arian Analy;ris
The 25 June truck bomb attack at Khubaz Towers, Dhahran, appears to
have been well planned and executed. The Saudi investigation
apparently is focusing on a group led by a Saudi Shia resident in
Lebanon, but some reports point to Saudi Sunni militants or Iran as
credible culprits. In spite of increased security measures and
heightened threat awareness among the US military and civilian
populations in Saudi Arabia, they will remain attractive targets
i Sec
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July 1946
Page
 Highlights
The Terrorism Diar
gust and September
i ~
Chronolo
Terroris
m
19
i
or
sm-June 1996
This review is published monthly by the DCI Counterterrorist
Centex. Comments and nunrinc nro ..,al...,?,,, ,.?.J .~_.. ~_ ~~_ -- ~l t0
Information available as of 17 July 1996 was used in this Reviewl
 Sec et
 Khubar Bombing: Saudi
Oppositi~nist~an Major
Suspects
The 25 June truck bomb attack at Khubar Towers,
Dhahran, which resulted in the death of 19 US citi-
zens and the wounding of approximately 500 US
and foreign nationals, appears to have been well
planned and executed. The Saudi investigation
seems to be focused on a group led by a Saudi Shia
resident in Lebanon named Ahmad Mughassil.
Other reports point to S:iudi Sunni militants-
primarily renegade Saudi terrorist financier
Usama Bin Ladin-but also implicates the Com-
mittee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
(CDLR), a London-based Saudi dissident organi-
zation. Iran is another credible culprit, having
been noted collecting intelligence recently on US
facilities and suspected by Riyadh of having
assisted Saudi der investigation in the
bombing.~hia un
In spite of increased security measures and height-
ened threat awareness among the US military and
civilian populations in Saudi Arabia, they will
remain attractive targets for terrorists. The groups
who claimed credit for the Khubar and Riyadh
bombings have threatened further attacks, and the
perpetrators have demonstrated a ca abilit to
strike even relatively secure facilities
AWell-Executed Attac
The exceptionally powe u exp osion outside the
security fence of the Khubar Barracks destroyed the
facade and the lower floors of one building and dam-
aged other buildings within a 5-km radius. Based on
the size of the crater-approximately 26 meters wide
and 11 meters deep-the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion believes that this may be the largest explosion
their investigators have ever encountered. The Khubar
facility housed most of the approximately 2,500 US
forces, as well as 170 French and 310 British service-
men, responsible for monitoring the no-fly zone over
southern Iraq
This well-executed attack may have been planned for
several months. Personnel at the Khubar facility had
reported numerous incidents over the past eight
Se et
months-the latest on 24 June-of surveillance and
harassment by young Arab males. These incidents
appear to have been efforts to test the facility's
defenses and the guards' reaction times:
? The events included firing shots, crashing the perim-
eter fence, and taking photos, as well as other forms
of surveillance. The hostile actions occurred
between 2000 and 2400 local time.
? Security at the facility already had been heightened
following the 13 November 1995 bombing of the
US Office of the Program Manager, Saudi Arabian
National Guard (OPM/SANG) building in Riyadh,
and US military personnel reported that Saudi police
planned to take further steps as a result of these
recent incidents
Possible Suspects
Saudi Shia. We have no a move information indi-
cating who was responsible for the bombing, although
the Saudi-led investigation is focusing on a Saudi
Shia, Ahmad Mughassil, a.k.a. Abu Ishaq, living in
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. The Saudis say they have
obtained information from interrogations of individu-
als they have arrested-both before and after the
bombing-that ]inks Mughassil to a shipment of
explosives from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia seized
in March 1995, and possibly to the OPM/SANG
bombing:
? The Saudis believe that Mughassil directed the
explosives smuggling operation, that he possesses a
Lebanese passport and perhaps an Iranian one, and
that he may take directions from Iran. The Saudis at
first thought Mughassil had fled to Iran but received
subsequent information that he was still in Syria.
? Riyadh has been seeking Syrian assistance in extra-
diting Mughassil from Lebanon since at least early
April for questioning about the shipment of explo-
sives to the kingdom. They have redoubled their
efforts since the Khubar bombing
Sec1~t
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July 1996
 Not Ruling Out Ira
Although we have no reporting linking Iraq to Khubar,
the bombing coincided with the third anniversary of
the US attack on the Iraqi Intelligence Service
Headquarters: ?
? Iraqi officials have explicitly threatened retaliation
for the US strike, and repeated those threats on the
second anniversary of the strike.
? The US servicemen serving with Joint Task Force/
South West Asia, wlto are tasked with enforcing the
UN-mandated no fly zone iti soutfrern Ira ,are a
logical target for Iraqi retaliatio
The attack on Iraq :c IS headquarters occurred before dawn nn
26 June 1993. Although the Khubar bombing wac on the evening of
25 June, the sun had already .cet, signifying the beginning q(the
next Islamic day~~
Because we have no independent information on
Mughassil, we cannot corroborate that he or his com-
patriots carried out the Khubar bombing. The Saudis
have not shown US officials their evidence in the
Khubar bombing nor have they provided many details
on the investigation. Indeed, when they do provide
information, much of it is dated and often contradicts
earlier reporting
Saudi Sunni. Another body of information points to
Saudi Sunni as possible culprits, primarily noted
Saudi renegade and terrorist financier Usama Bin
Ladin. Saudi security officials have told us that their
investigators are looking into Bin L~tdin's possible
comnlicity in the h~mbing.
Other information links the London-based Committee
for the Defense of Legitimate Rights (CDLR) more
directly to both the Khubar attack and the Riyadh
bombing:
? On 26 June an unidentified Arab man phoned the
al-Arab newspaper in London claiming responsibil-
ity for the Khubar attack on behalf of the "Legion of
the Martyr Abdallah al-Hudaif." The caller also
claimed responsibility for the bombing in Riyadh
and promised further terrorist acts unless the Saudi
Government expelled US and other foreign troops.
Abdallah al-Hudaif was a CDLR supporter who was
executed in August 1995 for throwing acid on a
Saudi officer. Saudi security forces claim that CDLR
leaders ordered al-Hudaif's actions against Saudi
officials:
? Following Abdallah al-Hudaif's execution, the
CDLR called al-Hudaif the first martyr "in the five-
year struggle for legitimate rights in Saudi Arabia"
and said that the killing "marks a dangerously
momentous turn in the struggle between the regime
and the reform movement ...the consequences will
be extremely disadvantageous."
? In mid-March 1996, during an acrimonious public
debate between CDLR leader Masari and his deputy,
Sa'd al-Fagih, Faqih accused Masari of supporting a
secret military wing of the CDLR, headed by a Shia,
which he said was res onsible for the bombing in
Riyadh
Iran. Iran's vociferous denunciation of the US mili-
tary presence in the region, coupled with its demon-
strated preparedness to use terrorism as a policy
tool, raises a possibility of Tehran being behind the
Khubar bombing. Information compiled from various
sources since the spring of 1995 indicates increased
Iranian surveillance and collection of targeting infor-
mation on US personnel and installations worldwide,
particularly in the Middle East. Although Iran may
have developed a program in Saudi Arabia designed
to threaten US interests, we cannot.link an known
Iranian operation to the Khubar bombing.
The Iranians may be connected, however, to Saudi
Shia under suspicion in the Khubar investigation.
Saudi officials believe that Mughassil has strong fam-
ily ties to Lebanese Hizballah and has been in contact
with the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei.
A Jordanian service reports that an alleged Hizballah
leader named Ahmad Ali Zayb Zahir-whom we have
not been able toidentify-stated on 26 June that the
bombing was carried out by Saudi Shias with links to
 Domestic Political Concerns Ham ing
~e~
Investigation Cooperation
The bombing in Dhahran occurred at a time when
domestic political considerations increasingly are
battering the Saudi Government and exposing its vul-
nerabilities. Sensitive to the appearance of ceding
responsibility for the investigation to Washington and
wary of possible leaks by US investigators, some
Saudi leaders have been reluctant to .share informa-
tion connected to the blast in an attempt to limit nega-
tive domestic political repercussions. In addition,
Saudi officials appear to i~iew the blast largely as an
internal Saudi matter and therefore balk at passing
information to US counterparts out of concern that
such action would infringe on Riyadh's sovereignty:
the Saudi Interior
inister intends to restrict information on the
bombing investigation from US authorities-
especiallythe FBI-because he wants the Saudis to
get full credit for the eventual capture of the culprits
and hecause he wants to limit US access to junior
Saudi officers who mav~ divulge more details than
Riyadh's close relationship with the United States and
the presence of US forces in the kingdom, which
regime opponents have criticized repeatedly since the
Gulf war, have ' ' al liability in
recent months. Saudi public
dissatisfaction wit t e ntte tales has intensified
sharply since April because of what many perceive as
Hizballah and Iran. We have previous reporting of
Iranian support to Saudi Shia:
? There are indications that the Iranian Islamic Revo-
lutionary Guard Corps' Lebanon contingent gave
unspecified training in 1995 to Shia oppositionists
from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
in
ary Guard Corps held atwo-month-long military
training course for 16 Saudi Shia in a Hizballah
camp in Lebanon
Washington's lack of reaction to Israel's campaign in
Lebanon in April, as well as US support for the newly
elected Netanyahu government:
in May that
cs countrymen regu ar y emanded his explanation
of what Riyadh is doing to confront Washington
regarding its policies in the region.
? Attempting to .stoke this sentiment, CDLR leader
Masari repeatedly has called the US presence in.
Saudi Arabia "illegitimate" and has warned that
attacks against US troops in the kingdom will
Recognizing these political sensitivities, Riyadh leas
sought both to mask information that the blast x~as
directed at US troops and to minimize its impact. The
government-controlled Saudi press only listed US citi-
zens among the man nationalities who suffered,
nd neither Crown Prince
a a nor mister of Defense and Aviation
Sultan-the country's two most senior leaders after
the King-have visited the bombing site. /f. ac nnw
information suggesting that the homegrown
pp~ it on is more organized and sophisticated than
Riyadh previously realized, Saudi officials will seek to
avoid public exposure of this knowledge
Further Terrorist Attacks Likely
Threats and other statements directed against the US
presence in Saudi Arabia, some made by suspects in
the Khubar bombing, underscore the significant dan-
ger of further terrorism against US interests in the
kingdom:
? US civilians in the Dhahran area-including US
employees of ARAMCO and McDonnell Douglas-
have reported receiving telephone threats since the
attack.
Secret
 ? CDLR leader Masari said on 4 July that "if there are
enough attacks or if US civilians start to arrive home
in body bags, the United States will have to weigh
up its presence in Saudi Arabia."
? Bin Ladin told a British newspaper that attacks on
US personnel in Saudi Arabia were the "beginning
of war between Muslims and the United States," and
advised France and the United Kingdom also to
withdraw troops stationed there. He also claimed
that Muslim religious leaders have given him a
fahva (religious authorization) to "drive out the
Americans."
US facilities and personnel in Saudi Arabia are likely
to remain attractive targets. For all of the major sus-
pects in the bombing, attacks against US interests in
the kingdom have the added benefit of undermining
the credibility of the Saudi regime. The Khubar bomb-
ing demonstrates that anti-US terrorists can strike
even relatively secure facilities in the kingdom. In
addition to the roughly 6,000 military personnel in
Saudi Arabia, there are more than 40,000 US civilians
who w?uld_alco_nr_e~ent tempting-and easier-
targets 1lll
Sec~{et 4
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 I~ighlights
Significant Developments
15 Sec'~et
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July 1996
 The Terrorism Diary for August and September
2 August 1990
6 August 1825
6 August 1966
Il August 1952
12 August 1689
13 August 1984
14 August 1947
I S August 1947
I S August 1964
I S August 1971
20 August 1953
31 August 1978
31 August 1980
l September 1939
1 September 1969
September 1970
terrorist event
Below is a compendium of August and September dates of known or conceivable
significance to terrorists around the world. Our inclusion of a date or event should
not by itself be construed to suggest that we expect or anticipate a commemorative
Iraq/Kuwait. Iraq invades Kuwait.
Bolivia. Independence Day.
United Arab Emirates. Accession Day of Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nayhan,
Emir of Abu Dhabi.
Jordan. Accession Day for King Hussein.
Northern Ireland. Protestant commemorative marches mark day apprentice boys
locked gates of Derry against James II's forces.
Morocco/Libya. Union established.
Pakistan. Independence Day.
India. Independence Day.
Colombia. Pro-Castro guerrilla movement, the National Liberation Army (ELN),
begins armed struggle.
Bahrain. Independence Day.
Morocco. King's and People's Revolution.
Libya/Shia world. Lebanese Shia cleric Imam Musa Sadr disappears in Libya.
Poland. Solidarity trade union founded.
Germany, Europe. Antiwar Day (anniversary of Nazi invasion of Poland).
Libya. Coup overthrows monarchy.
Palestinians. During this month, the Jordanian Army drove Palestinian guerrillas
out of the country because they would not stop attacking Israel from Jordanian soil;
in response, the largest group, Fatah, established the Black September Organiza-
tion, best known for its attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.
3 September 1971 Qatar. Independence Day.
 3 September 1982
4 September 1980
8 September 1982
10 September 1922
l4 September 1982
IS September 1982
17 September 1978
17 September 1982
21 September 1989
23 September 1932
23 September 1964
25 September 1984
27 September
28 September 1970
30 September 1996
Peru. Death of Sendero Luminoso (SL) leader Edith Lagos.
Iran, Iraq. Date Iraq charges Iran started war.
India. Death of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, "the Lion of Kashmir."
Ttirkey. Founding of Turkish Communist Party.
Lebanon. Assassination of Phalangist leader and Lebanese President-elect Bashir
Gemayel.
Lebanon. Israeli invasion of Muslim West Beirut.
United States, Israel, Egypt. Signing of Camp David accords.
Lebanon. Massacre in Shatila and Sabra refugee camps (17 September Organiza-
tion takes its name from this event).
Saudi Arabia Execution of 16 Kuwaiti shias for hajj bombings that spazked anti-
Saudi retaliatory attacks.
Saudi Arabia. Unification of the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia. National Day.
Egypt, Jordan. Resumption of diplomatic relations.
Spain. Basque National Party Day.
Egypt. Death of Jamal `Abd al-Nasir.
Israel Jewish world. Day of Atonement. Anniversary of 1973 Arab-Israeli war,
according to the Hebrew calendar.
 Chronology of International Terroris~
The following incidents were considered by the Intelligence Community s Incident
Review Panel since publication of the previous issue of the Terrorism Review and
were determined by the Panel to constitute international terrorism. Such incidents
provide the basis for the State Department's Patterns of Global Terrorism, which
is published annuall as the US Government's official record of international
to rroris
19 Se et
DI T 96-006
June 1996
 24 April
Europe
26 May
Poland: A bomb placed at a Shell gas station in Warsaw detonated, killing one
policeman preparing to defuse the device. A group calling itself GN 95 later
claimed responsibility, demanding $2 million from the Royal Dutch Shell Group.
The GN 95 justified the ai ttackiby stating its opposition to expansion of foreign
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) militant youth wing~
Spain: Unknown assailants set fire to several French-registered vehicles in the
Basque towns of Guipuzcoa and Vdoria. Spanish police sus t Jar ai the
~~- ~
Se et 20
 Il May
16 May
31 May
13 May
belonging to aColombian-Brazilian engineering company
Colombia: In Santa Marta, National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas attacked
a cargo train, injuring the train's driver. The rebels also burned machinery
the sale of the country."
Peru: Sendero Luminoso (SL) terrorists detonated a car bomb, injuring at least
four persons and destroying a portion of Shell-Mobil o,~ces and a warehouse in
Lima. The explosion at a Shell gas station destroyed five automobiles and damaged
six Shell tankers filled with fuel. Three days earlier, the Peruvian Government had
announced an agreement with a consortium led by the US Mobil Corporation and
Royal Dutch Shell to develop the expansive Camisea gas reserves. SL terrorists left
behind leaflets lauding the group and the armed struggle and proclaiming "No to
Nicaragua: In Piedras Blancas, two members of a rearmed former Contras
group kidnapped a USAID o,~icial and a Nicaraguan companion. The US citizen
was part of an international observer group monitoring the voter registration pro-
cess. The kidnappers demanded more polling stations. On 1 June both hostages
were released. No demands were met to secure their release, but a team from the
Supreme Electoral Council already in the area was apparently going to meet with
Movement (HAMAS) is suspected
Israel: Arab gunmen opened fire on a bus and a group of Yeshiva students near
the Bet El settlement, killing a dual US/Israeli citizen and wounding three other
Israelis. No one claimed responsi 'li f r the attack. The Islamic Resistance
 43 youths from a Catholic Church in Cabinda on 12 Junp
Summary of Indigenous Terrorism June 199
of indigenous terrorism worldwide
This description of incidents and situations is not meant to be a detailed
accounting of all domestic terrorist inc, idents, but rather to provide an overview
Angola The Front for the Liberation of the Cabinda-Renewed (FLEC-R kidnapped
~
Ethiopia
Nigeria
claimed responsibility for the attacl
A bomb exploded along the Ethiopia-Djibouti rail line on 20 June, killing one per-
son and wounding five others. A mine planted under the rail caused the explosion
that ripped through a freight train destined for Dire Dawa from Djibouti. No one
~
her husband who is facing trial on treason charges for declaring himself president.
On 4 June unidentified assailants shot and killed the wife of detained presidential
claimant Moshood Abiola in Lagos. The victim was campaigning for the release of
responsible
A bomb exploded on 6 June at Lusaka International Airport, killing one police
officer and iniurine another. Authorities believe the Black Mamba may be
Afghanistan On 16 June in Jalalabad a bomb placed on a bicycle exploded, killi sons
and injuring 25 others. No one claimed responsibility for the attacl~wo ner
Philippines
Narakat ul-Ansar (HUA) is suspected.
Twenty suspected Kashmiri militants armed with rifles, axes, and knives killed
10 Hindu villagers on 8 June in the Kalmari village in the district of Doda. The
and wounding nine others. No one claimed responsibility for the attac)
A bomb exploded on a passenger bus near Kharian on 17 June, killing w er ns
~ p SCI
On 13 June in Manila four unidentified gunmen shot and killed a former intelli-
gence chief who was linked to human rights abuses under the late President
Marcos's regime~~
village
More than 200 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels killed 14 civilians
and set their houses on fire on 10 June in Lunuoya, Elavankulam, a northwestern
S et
DI T 6-007
July 79
 Europe
Spain
On I 1 June assailants set fire to a public bus in Portugalete, causing extensive
material dama a but no injuries. The Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) is
Madrid, injuring a high court judge
The ETA claimed responsibility for a parcel bomb that detonated on 12 June in
A car bomb exploded in an underground garage in Lorea on 19 June, injuring three
persons. The device detonated w age employee went to move a vehicle.
ETA involvement is suspected~~en_a_ea~
Turkey A bomb detonated on 7 June outside an Istanbul hotel, causing major damage. The
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is suspected
Suspected PKK militants attacked a dam and a hydroelectric station under con-
struction in Tuniceli on 8 June, killing two workers. The assailants killed five secu-
rity officers and wounded four others
(DHKP/C) claimed responsibility for the attack
On 16 June three gunmen, riding in a stolen taxi, shot at a police vehicle parked in
front of former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's residence in Istanbul's Yenikoy dis-
trict, wounding a policeman. The Revolutionary Pew Liberation Party/Front
behind a bomb that failed to detonate. The DHKP/C is suspecte
Three armed assailants attacked the True Path Party's Istanbul headquarters on
18 June, causing minor damage. Before they fled the scene, the a a' left
Four PKK gunmen threw handgrenades and opened fire on patrons of an outdoor
restaurant in Diyarbakir on 22 June, killing seven persons and wounding 11 others.
Some 10 gunmen ambushed a vehicle carrying four Kurdish People's Democracy
Party members on 24 June near Kayseri, killing thr n rsnns and wounding ope
other. No one claimed responsibility for the attack
United Kingdom Assailants armed with iron bars and anail-studded club attacked a man on 27 June
in Belfast Northern Ireland. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is
~
suspected
Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia FA guerrillas burned two cattle
ranches in Sucre Department on 12 June
was pulled out of his vehicle and shot nine time
On 20 June FARC guerrillas killed the Caqueta nPnar~~overnor. The victim
i
Se et 24
I~
 building
Honduras Police defused a bomb found in a restroom at the Supreme Court building in
Tegucigalpa on 12 June. An alleged member of the previously unknown group Last
Alternative Guerrilla Front called and warned that the bomb had been placed in the
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
On 1 June in Nuevo Progreso, Tocache Province, 50 armed members of Sendero
Luminoso (SL) attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying soldiers and civilians. They
killed six civilians and one soldier and injured eight civilians and 10 soldiers.
Three of the guerrillas also were killed during the attacl~~
(GIA) is suspected
A car bomb exploded outside a market in Blida on 22 June, killing seven persons
and injuring seven others. Four terrorists are believed to have been killed by the
explosion, which may have detonated prematurely. The Armed Islamic Group
suspected
On 6 June assailants shot and killed a policeman and wounded three others guard-
ing apolice officers' rest house in Bani Suwayf. AI-Gama'at al-Islamiyya is
~
bility for the attac
Unidentified assailants threw two firebombs at a bus traveling from Netanya to
Jerusalem on 23 June, causin no casualties or damage. No one claimed responsi-
ity for the attack
On 20 June unidentified assailants killed eight police officers in an attack on a
police training school in the eastern region of Darnah. No one claimed responsibil-
settlement. No one claimed responsibility for the attack
Three unidentified assailants shot and killed an off-duty Israeli policeman and
wounded his wife on 16 June in the Palestinian town of Bid i a n ar the Ari'el
(Pg .acs f3l wmK)