TERRORISM REVIEW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00893R000100300001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 27
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 5, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 23, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

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Directorate of
Intelligence i
Review
Terrorism
c-r
CI TR 83-024
23 November 1983
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Secret
Terrorism
Review P
OG!
3 Highlights
Italian Leftist Terrorism: Defeated but Not Destroyed
European Issues Division, EURA
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- Chronology
Comments and queries regarding this publication may be directed to the Deputy
Director, Instability and Insurgency Center, Office of Global Issues, telephone
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Terrori m
Review L
West Germany: The Terrorist Milieu
likely to be as troublesome as it has been in the past.
West German terrorism is in a period of transition. Indications point to a West
German terrorist scene no longer composed of well-defined "professional"
organizations-as in the 1970s-but rather fluid. Many groups operate and
interact on an informal and spontaneous basis, united only by their opposition to
"imperialism," which by their definition includes NATO and the US military
presence in West Germany. While the most notorious terrorist group, the Red
Army Faction (RAF), may be in decline following the government's successful
counterterrorist operations in 1982, the Revolutionary Cells (RZ) and RAF
supporters, in our view, pose continuing threats to West German and US interests,
and the full range of leftist extremist groups provides a large reservoir of potential
terrorists. West German terrorism in the future, though it may change in shape, is
other terrorist. groups.
? The RAF support network and the RZ are entirely separate organizations.
Most recent analyses of West German terrorism have been underpinned by certain
basic assumptions:
? There is a sharp distinction between the anti-imperialist ideological orientation
of the RAF and its support network and the RZ philosophy which holds that
revolutionary acts should be linked to particular social issues.
? RZ attacks have a distinct character-conducted late at night, in unoccupied
buildings, by small "spontaneously forming" cells-that sets the RZ apart from
imperialism-which has little to do with supporting the hardcore RAF.
hese distinctions (which may have been exaggerated) may be
breaking down. Most notably, RZ confessor letters have begun to express anti-
imperialist attitudes, an indication that the RZ's philosophy may be moving closer
to that usually attributed to the RAF. Moreover, recent attacks claimed by RAF
militants (the bombings at Hahn Airbase in August and at the Bundeswehr
installation in Bad Ems in October) had many of the operational characteristics
usually associated with the RZ. These trends suggest to us and to German
authorities that the RZ and the RAF support network are not entirely separate
organizations, but rather that membership is fluid and may occur spontaneously as
a specific issue or operational plan come to the fore. Furthermore, we suspect that
what we have described as the RAF "periphery" no longer exists for the sole
reason of providing support to the underground members of that organization. In
fact, the RAF periphery has developed its own "raison d'etre"-the battle against
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GI TR 83-024
23 November 1983
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The West German terrorist scene is further complicated by the large number of
radical leftist groups. These groups are loosely organized amalgamations of
extremists and fall roughly into two broad categories: the anti-imperialists and the
autonomous groups. The distinctions between these organizations are somewhat
vague, but the anti-imperialists tend to adhere to the philosophy associated with
the RAF, while the autonomous groups do not share a common ideology or
maintain a concrete structure. These groups are not terrorist organizations per se,
but they do not oppose the use of violence and are particularly adept at instigating
street riots. it is becoming more
difficult to distinguish between the propaganda of the autonomous/anti-
imperialist groups and that of the RZ and RAF militants. We suspect that
individual members of these extremist groups are increasingly moving among a
variety of circles, while forging no formal links to any particular group.
Our impressions of the still evolving shape of West German terrorism hold some
disturbing implications. West German security officials have long bemoaned their
inability to apprehend RZ members because their loose cellular structure :makes
them difficult to penetrate and less likely to be betrayed by informants. Though
German authorities in many instances believe they know the sea of leftists in
which the terrorists swim, a broadening of this kind of terrorist structure--by
autonomous and anti-imperialist groups-will make counterterrorist successes far
more difficult to achieve. Equally disturbing is the fact that these groups are
developing parallel "anti-imperialist" orientations, suggesting that US and NATO
interests increasingly will bear the brunt of terrorist attacks in West Germany.
Although this kind of terrorism currently poses only a low-level threat-mostly
against installations rather than people-it may well become a more serious threat
in the future.
A final point: despite the success of counterterrorist operations against the RAF in
1982, we are not entirely convinced that the group is finished. In the past, the
organization has used periods of dormancy to regroup and plan their next attack.
There is at large a small but well-trained and dedicated hardcore whose strength
should not be underestimated. If the RAF is able to regenerate a leadership core
and again carry out terrorist attacks, the threat to US interests in West Germany
will increase significantly.
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Highlights
International: Abu Nidal Group May Be Targeting US.
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and Kuwait have also recently been threatened by the group.
Ithe Abu Nidal terrorist
group may be ready to strike at US targets. An explosive device, which was
discovered and defused outside a USAID employee's home in Amman, Jordan,
may have been the work of the group. It may also have been part of Abu Nidal's
ongoing terrorist campaign against Jordan, whose "moderate" position and
apparent willingness to negotiate Palestinian issues on the basis of US proposals
the group strongly opposes. According to Embassy reporting, US interests in Egypt
Key Indicators West Germany: Anti-INF Demonstrations Continue. Numerous protest demon-
strations across West Germany have been-planned for the week beginning 21
November to coincide with parliamentary debates on INF. Although most of these
Guadeloupe: Escalating Terrorism. A car bomb that exploded in a Guadeloupe
prefecture on 14 November injured 23 persons. Five other bombs exploded and
three additional devices were discovered and disarmed. This is the latest in a series
of bombings that started last spring; it is the first to have been carried out without
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regard for the safety of bystanders. Police suspect the pro-independence Caribbean
Revolutionary Alliance. The relative sophistication of the bombs raises the
possibility that the terrorists are receiving outside-perhaps Cuban-support.
Lebanon: Possible Use of Human Suicide Bombs Against MNF. Husayn Fadlal-
lah's Muslim Student Union (MSU) may be planning to use "human kamika-
zes"-people willing to carry and detonate explosives on their persons-in future
terrorist operations against the American and French contingents of the MNF
Similar tactics have been previously used against the Khamenei
regime by other groups.
Caribbean: Leftists Plan for Violence.
eastern Caribbean leftist leaders recently met in Barbados to discuss possible
responses to the US intervention in Grenada. Bombings and other actions targeted
primarily against US citizens and property in Grenada and other eastern
Caribbean countries are being considered.
Significant Developments Iraq: Abu Nidal Has Left Baghdad. Abu Nidal and his remaining personnel left
Baghdad for Damascus in mid-October
We believe that Saddam Husayn may have pressured Abu Nidal to
leave to demonstrate to the West, moderate Arabs, and the PLO that Iraq no long-
er supports the terrorist group. We judge it unlikely that Iraq has curtailed all sup-
port because Husayn probably does not want to force the group to become totally
dependent on Syria.
Greece: Assassination of US Naval Officer. On 15 November 1983 the
"17 November Revolutionary Organization" shot and killed US Navy Captain
George Tsantes, assigned to the Joint US Military Assistance Group in Greece
(JUSMAGG), and his driver while en route to work in downtown Athens. Results
of ballistics tests indicate that the .45-caliber pistol used in the slayings was the
same weapon used in the assassination of CIA station chief Richard Welch in
1975, as well as the murders in 1976, 1979, and 1980 of three Greek police
officers. In its message to the Greek press, the organization proclaimed the
JUSMAGG, together with the US military facilities and intelligence services in
Greece, "an occupation, terrorist force" and claimed to have killed Tsantes to
protest Socialist Premier Andreas Papandreou's failure to close US bases there.
The 17 November group warns it is resuming violence (following a three-year
hiatus) in response to the failure of the PASOK government to effect promised so-
cial reforms. The 17 November organization, which takes its name from the date
in 1973-when the military junta quelled a student uprising at the Athens
Polytechnic, is affiliated with the Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA).
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Yemen Arab Republic: Abu Nidal Suspect Apprehended
authorities apprehended an individual who was ine the
Jordanian Embassy in Sanaa. Jordanian authorities believe the person is a member
of the Abu Nidal group, which has recently attacked Jordanian officials in Athens,
New Delhi, and Rome.
Italy: Autonomia May Be Targeting Cruise Missile Storage Base
Autonomia
member Giuseppe Signorella photographed the antenna farms at the Sigonella
Naval Air Station while he was employed there. Autonomia may be planning a
demonstration at, or an attack against, the facility, perhaps to coincide with the
arrival there of cruise missiles for temporary storage. The risk of attack is believed
significant because the facility is isolated and manned by four unarmed military
personnel. We remain concerned that INF deployment-related facilities in West-
ern Europe could be targets for terrorist groups intent on derailing the missile
deployments.
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Italian Leftist
Terrorism: Defeated
but Not Destroyed F
Leftist terrorists in Italy have suffered severe setbacks
during the past 18 months from which they are not
likely to recover fully any time soon. As late as
December 1981, the Red Brigades were still strong
enough to kidnap Gen. James Dozier and to plan
equally ambitious operations for the following year.
But those plans collapsed with General Dozier's
rescue and the arrest of most of his kidnapers. Three
of the most important terrorists immediately began to
confess, prompting numerous other arrests. By July of
last year, then Interior Minister Virginio Rognoni was
able to inform the Parliament that over 400 leftist
terrorists had been captured since the Dozier
kidnaping. Police successes continued throughout
1982 and into 1983, with the smashing of the
relatively new Brigades organization in Naples, the
"Walter Alasia" column in Milan, and the arrest of
many important figures in the Rome organization. F_
The other leftist terrorist groups, simultaneously
rivals and allies of the Red Brigades, suffered as
heavily from police action. The largest, Prima Linea,
saw the last of its fugitive chiefs arrested by January
1983. The numerous "autonomist" terrorist groups,
which served as recruiting grounds for the Red
Brigades and Prima Linea, were hit hard even earlier
by the police
Terrorist ranks are now severely depleted. Estimates
of the number of remaining hardcore terrorists range
from no more than 80 to
225 (US Embassy Rome). Although quality and elan
are at least as important as numbers, police successes,
in our judgment, have gone far toward diminishing
these as well. In any case, there have been no political
kidnapings since the Dozier affair. Moreover,
although leftist terrorists still managed to murder 10
individuals and wound 10 others in 1982, they have
taken credit for only three murders this year. Some
violence-prone autonomists are participating in the
anti-INF demonstrations in Sicily, but we do not
believe they are hardcore terrorists. The most recent
terrorism has been limited to a bungled assassination
attempt and a holdup attempt last May in Rome by.
some young amateurs and the murder last June of a
Turin magistrate-which some Brigaders disclaim.
Another indication that the back of leftist terrorism
has been broken is that no terrorism against
politicians accompanied the national election last
June.
from the increasingly hostile general public
Anatomy of the Decline
The decline of leftist terrorism is partly the result of
improvement in the government's counterterrorist
capability, but confessions of imprisoned terrorists
indicate clearly that battle weariness and internal
dissension in their ranks also played an important
role.' Moreover, the terrorists never attracted more
than a minuscule fraction of the political left away
from the reformist Communist Party or won support
even basic files were not always available.
Improved Counterterrorist Tactics. The Italian
Government initially appeared helpless in the face of
Aldo Moro's kidnaping in 1978 and his eventual
murder. Two of its three intelligence services-the
intelligence arm of the police and the defense
intelligence service-were in the middle of sweeping
reorganizations. Coordination was at a nadir, and
The government decided temporarily to bypass its
intelligence services while they were being
reorganized and created a special antiterrorist group
under the energetic carabinieri general, Carlo Alberto
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Secret
Terrorism in Society
Although the Red Brigades are the best known
terrorist group in Italy, the cumulative effect of leftist
terrorism on Italian society cannot be understood by
studying the actions of the Red Brigades alone or
even by including Prima Linea, the second-largest
organization. According to published Italian security
service records, 120 persons have been killed in Italy
during 1974-83 by some 22 leftist terrorist groups. Of
these, only 68 were killed by the Red Brigades and 18
by Prima Linea. One hundred f fty-seven persons were
wounded, 78 by the Brigades and 25 by Prima Linea.
The number of extremists once galvanized by the
broader movement, however, is estimated by Italian
studies on terrorism to have been some 10,000. The
Italian literature shows that semilegal autonomist
groups spawned hundreds of clandestine
organizations; some 20 of these have been implicated
in the murder of individuals. Overall, leftist terrorists
committed at least half of the 13,000 violent acts
recorded between 1973 and July 1982 according to a
report to Parliament by then Interior Minister
Virginio Rognoni. The cumulative impact of this
relentless attack against selected symbols of the
state, in our judgment, was as important as the
murder of Aldo Moro and the kidnaping of General
Dozier in mobilizing the Italian state and the public
to battle the terrorists.
Dalla Chiesa. Armed with powers to hold suspects
longer without a hearing and to tap telephones more
freely, and acting rapidly on leads that had been
ignored, Dalla Chiesa got results. His first big success
was a general offensive in April 1979 against
autonomist leaders such as Antonio Negri, Oreste
Scalzone, and Franco Piperno, who for years had
overtly preached "legal" tactics, such as
demonstrations that frequently ended in violence,
while denying responsibility for the consequences. The
government, in our judgment, had been afraid to
move against them lest it be accused of acting _
illegally, but after the Moro affair, both government
and police were bolder.
In addition to Dalla Chiesa's effort, the government's
chief weapon against leftist terrorism was a new law
permitting the reduction of terrorists' sentences by as
much as three-fourths if they cooperated with the
police. Although the law was actually in effect only in
1981 and 1982, hopes aroused by its consideration
may have helped prompt Brigades Turin chief
Patrizio Peci in April 1980 to become the first
important Brigader to make a full confession. In any
case, the enactment of the plea bargaining law was
followed by a flood of confessions and new leads.
Moreover, by 1980 the reorganization of the security
services had begun to have an impact. While the
government's techniques became increasingly
proficient, Italian authorities carefully avoided
indiscriminate crackdowns that might have evoked
sharp criticism from Italy's civil liberties-conscious
public. Civil rights continued to be respected, and the
extreme left was given no excuse to claim that the
state had abandoned due process in favor of tactics
practiced against terrorists in states such as Uruguay
and Argentina
Despite their growing loss of support among the
broader public, Brigades recruiters were able to
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Relations Among Terrorist Groups
For a long time, the relation of the autonomists and
Prima Linea with the Red Brigades was poorly
understood by police: and observers, who assumed all
were in tow to, the Brigades. The evidence that. has
accumulated over the past 18 months from the
confessions of "repentant" terrorists has clarified the
pedigree of the various groups. All arose after the
tumult of 1968 and the "hot autumn" of labor strife
and wildcat strikes in 1969. All the groups were
violence prone, all assumed that the Italian
Communist Party was hopelessly committed to an
increasingly revisionist course, and all shared the
motto "Don't change the state fight it!" They
disagreed strongly, however, on organization and
tactics.
Red Brigades founder Renato Curcio and his cohorts,
and to a somewhat lesser extent the leaders of Prima
Linea, looked to the example of Mao Zhedong and to
urban guerrillas, in South America. They foresaw a
co-opt new members from other leftwing groups.
These new recruits came mostly from the less
disciplined and motivated autonomist groups,
according to biographical accounts. Although few of
the old-guard Brigades leaders talked upon being,
arrested-after Peci confessed in April 1980, no
leader cooperated with police until Antonio Savasta
began to talk following his capture in January 1982-
some rank and filers formerly belonging to autonomist
groups did. So have many leaders and followers in the
various autonomist groups. Indeed, the more than 300
confessions secured by police have come in large
Leftist terrorism was dealt another severe blow when
the old dispute between. Brigades and autonomists
over strategy and tactics found its way into Brigades
ranks. By 1981 the Brigades were fast splitting into
rival groups. The quarrel was effectively dramatized
in December 1981 when two different Strategic
Directives-supposedly the action plan for the
following year-were issued publicly within days of
long, difficult struggle perhaps for 40 years, wrote
Curcio. In this struggle they thought only a. tightly
structured, Leninist-type clandestine group of urban
guerrillas could survive and conduct the campaign of
"armed propaganda'-which would in a later phase
win growing support from a proletariat formerly in
tow to the PCI. The penultimate phase would be civil
war followed, as in the Chinese example, by victory.
The autonomous groups rejected the Brigades'
Leninist model, which they thought too elitist and
certain to isolate them from the very masses. they
sought to influence. They envisaged a struggle on two
levels-one overt, in which they would claim the civil
rights given them by the bourgeois state while
contesting its legitimacy, and a covert level in which
they would rely on spontaneous street violence as well
as more methodical clandestine activities.
each other. According .to the statements of former
Brigaders, the.split with its accompanying public
polemics weakened the overall combative power of the
Brigades. Although the two factions continued to
parley with each other, they no longer planned joint
operations. Their ideological differences were
aggravated by a bitter power struggle and mutual
suspicion, all of which persuaded several- arrested
Brigaders to talk.
Lack of Public Support. The testimony of former
sympathizers shows that as murder followed murder,
even those originally not ill disposed toward the
terrorists began to ask what justified such tactics.
Observers had once calculated that 300,000 to
600,000 persons in Italy bad varying degrees of
sympathy with the terrorists. Neither the Red
Brigades nor autonomists succeeded in mobilizing
them. Instead, after the police had arrested some
1,500 active terrorists and another 1,000.had fled the
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country, their supporters failed to step forward to
replace them. In contrast to a poll conducted in
December 1981, which showed that 40 percent of
those queried believed that the Brigades were
struggling for a more just society, a public opinion
poll taken early this year showed that 87 percent of
those queried in various degrees opposed terrorist
groups such as the Red Brigades.
Part of the terrorist audience, in our judgment, had
expected quick and exciting results. They did not
bargain for a long murder campaign and began to ask
what relation it had to social causes, and what positive
measures the terrorists favored. They found no
satisfying answer. The long struggle Renato Curcio
had written about proved to be unexpectedly long. By
1983 it had lasted 14 years and seemed to be going
We believe that the terrorist generation was the
product not of economic depression but rather of great
expectations fostered by the West European-wide
"economic miracle" of the 1960s and the related
revolutionary spirit that engulfed much of Western
Europe's youth and working class. The recent hard
economic times and the waning of revolutionary
impulses that produced a conservative trend among
youth and labor elsewhere in Western Europe during
the late 1970s also has affected Italy. At least for
now, Italian high schools, universities, and radical
working-class strongholds, the former spawning
grounds for terrorist militants, are quiet.
Remaining Terrorists Taking Stock
By early 1983 the combined effect of sweeping
arrests, ideological dissidence, and the terrorists'
growing realization that radicalized workers and
students would not rally to them prompted several
leading terrorist figures to declare that their
campaign was over. "The cycle of revolutionary
armed struggle launched in the early 1970s on the
wave of vast and radical student and workers'
movements is substantially finished," says a document
drafted by Renato Curcio. Other terrorists have taken
a similar line. These statements are admissions of
defeat, in our judgment, but not declarations of
unequivocal surrender
Some imprisoned leaders, such as Mario Moretti,
arguably the brightest and most respected of the
Brigades chiefs, call for a continued campaign. "The
armed struggle is not finished," said Moretti to a
reporter who interviewed him in a courtroom. "It will
take a qualitative leap, and adopt new forms." A
continuing debate thus divides those like Curcio, who
seek new forms of struggle that will appeal to the
masses, and others such as Moretti, who apparently
think their defeat is largely tactical and can be
remedied by better organization, more effective
clandestineness and a few resounding successes.
We believe that both the Red Brigades and the
autonomists correctly diagnosed each other's
weaknesses. Red Brigades clandestineness did isolate
the organization from the workers. But the
spontaneous tactics of the autonomists were also
deficient, and their loose organization created
vulnerabilities helpful to the police when the
autonomists went underground. Above all, in our
view, both were wrong in believing that a combative
minority could by "armed propaganda" galvanize an
army of partisans into provoking the state to take
repressive actions that would trigger civil war.
Outlook
It is unlikely, in our judgment, that leftist terrorists
will be in a position any time soon to mount another
sustained assault against Italian institutions. Terrorist
groups are likely to remain bedeviled by their internal
failings, the government's strengthened
counterterrorist capability, and a hostile public.
Nevertheless, the quiet that has fallen over the
terrorist scene and the figures showing that relatively
few terrorists remain at large can be misleading.
Terrorism as a mass phenomenon may be finished,
but the unwillingness of many terrorists to admit
defeat could still produce spectacular violence.
The Brigades are trying to rebuild,
but even without further .
recruitment, we believe there are probably enough
hardcore terrorists left to engage in limited new
terrorist activity. The Brigades characteristically used
an attack squad of four or five persons for murder or
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International Connections
The many terrorist confessions suggest strongly that
terrorism in Italy is essentially an indigenous
movement. Various groups have occasionally received
arms from other European terrorists and from
elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization,
but none of the repentants has claimed to have
firsthand knowledge of training of Italian terrorists
in Arab countries or in Eastern Europe. The Red
Brigades do not appear to have had ties with the
Palestine Liberation Organization much before 1978,
and the only major Palestinian arms shipment known
to confessing Brigades terrorists did not arrive until
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July 1979.
the autonomous groups had
Toward the end of the 1970s, as police efficiency in
Italy increased, Italian residents in France with past
connections to terrorism set up a network to help
fugitives.
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better international connections than the Brigades.
Antonio Negri reportedly had extensive contacts in
Paris since the early 1970s with violence prone
Spanish and French groups, while others in the
autonomy movement sought out Palestinian and
woundings, and only nine persons carried out the
Moro and Dozier kidnapings. Such small groups, in
our judgment, could attack unguarded or
unsuspecting lower-level Italian or US officials, and
they could even set their sights again on high-ranking
political success for the terrorists and revive their
morale
ones.
To have the most dramatic impact, a renewed
terrorist offensive would probably have to take one of
the following forms:
? A prison attack, freeing a number of prisoners.
? A kidnaping or murder of a high Italian or US
official.
? An attempt to seize a nuclear weapon or an attack
designed to foil INF deployment.
An attack against a US military facility in particular
would require a level of organization and training the
terrorists seldom possessed at their peak, but given
luck and daring, even an abortive raid could become a
The cadres for an eventual resurgence of leftist
terrorism are not lacking, given the US Embassy in
Rome estimate that as many as 225 Brigaders and
Prima Linea figures may still be at large in Italy and
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from prison because their terms have expired or
because of lack of evidence to convict them.
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vague thoughts of continuing, and still others firmly
intend to resume it.
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Signs that leftist terrorism is recovering would include
a successful murder or kidnaping of a guarded, high-
level official, a wave of attacks against lower level
targets, or new theoretical proclamations outlining the
terrorists' rationale. The election of Antonio Negri,
the chief theorist of autonomist terrorism, to
Parliament on the Radical Party ticket last June
while he was under preventive detention was, in our
judgment, less a harbinger of renewed public
sympathy for the terrorist cause than it was a protest
against his four-year pretrial detention
At least for the next few years, however, leftist
terrorism is likely to threaten only selected
individuals, and not the stability of the Italian state.
Some of the police attention trained on terrorism has
already shifted to organized crime and drugs, where
the death rates greatly exceed those exacted by
terrorism-over 1,000 Mafia or Camorra murders in
southern Italy alone in 1982. Although the Red
Brigades and other terrorists have written a great deal
about politicizing prison populations, statistics suggest
that few common criminals were absorbed into
Brigades structures. A more important phenomenon,
in our judgment, was the degeneration of the
autonomist political gangs into almost purely criminal
ones, robbing banks under the guise of expropriation
of the wealthy.
In the future some criminals might give their actions
a light wash of political justification, but a significant
number of criminals probably will not be drawn into
basically political terrorism. Although some Italian
press accounts claim that the Red Brigades in Naples
collaborated in 1981-82 with one of the Camorra
"families," it is difficult to see what advantage the
Camorra or Mafia could find in extensive
collaboration with leftist terrorism. These
organizations have in common systematic crimes
frequently including murder. But the criminals seek
private profit, often guaranteed by links with corrupt
officials, while the political criminals, by seeking to
overthrow the whole system, attract greater police
attention and complicate the practice of crime.
Terrorist murder is thus likely to exist alongside
criminal murder, degrading life in Italian cities but
not ripping the basic fabric of society.
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Secret
Statistical Overview
Type of Victim of International Terrorist Incidents, February-November 1983 a
Government officials
3
4
5
8
10
10
4
2
2
1
Private parties, tourists,
missionaries, and students
8
7
10
2
16
6
6
4
3
0
Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Incidents, February-November 1983 a
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Total
59
77
82
59
66
71
60
.56
64
41
North America
5
5
6
11
2
6
3
4
0
4
Latin America
10
18
20
12
19
20
15
11
17
9
Western Europe
26
33
20
18
20
15
21
18
25
18
USSR/Eastern Europe
1
3
0
1
0
2
1
1
0
0
Sub-Saharan Africa
3
4
5
4
8
2
5
0
1
1
Middle East and North Africa
6
12
23
8
16
21
11
14
11
7
Asia/other
8
2
8
5
1
5
4
8
10
2
a Figures for the most recent months are subject to change as
additional data are received.
Deaths and Injuries Due to International Terrorist Attacks
0 J F M A M J J A S 0 N
Figures for the most recent months are subject to change
as additional data are received.
Bombing of US Marine Hqs.
and French post in Beirut
killed 295 and wounded 85.
Car bomb in Pretoria. S.A.
killed 18, wounded 217.
Bombing of US Embassy
in Lebanon killed 57,
wounded 120.
Bombing of Gulf Air
Boeing 737 in UAE desert
killing 111.
1982
1983
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Chronology
unless new information has been received.
This chronology includes significant events, incidents, and trends in international
terrorism. It provides commentary on their background, importance, and wider
implications. It does not treat events listed in previous editions of the chronology
20 October 1983 Spain: Slaying in Basque Country
In Renteria, the military faction of the Basque terrorist group Fatherland and
Liberty (ETA/M) claimed credit for the assassination of a 50-year-old baker. No
reason was given for the killing. 25X1
25 October 1983 Turkey: Terrorist Assassination of Police Informers
In Tunceli Province, Turkish security forces found the bodies of two police
informers who had suffered "execution style slayings"-with hands tied behind
the back and shot in the head. The Turkish Communist Party Marxist-Leninist-
Partisen is believed to be responsible for the killings.
Spain: Second Slaying in Basque Country
In Irun, ETA/M claimed credit for the assassination of a 34-year-old butcher but
provided no motive for the killing. We believe the terrorists may suspect that this
victim and another killed a week earlier were police informers. 25X1
29 October 1983 United States: Recovery of Explosives Possibly Linked to Armenian Terrorists
In Franklin, Maine, four plastic bags containing 125 sticks of dynamite and
several hundred. blasting caps were discovered in a wooded area adjacent to
property owned by the Armenian Youth Federation's youth camp. Investigation
has determined the dynamite was part of a lot stolen from a commercial firm in
Michigan in 1976 and sold to an Armenian radical group. Police investigation has
21 Secret
GI TR 83-024
23 November 1983
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his possession five sticks of dynamite traced to the stolen lot.
determined that a member of the Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide
(JCAG) who was arrested at Boston's Logan Airport on 22 October 1982 had in
30 October 1983 Belgium: Arrest of ETA Members
The Belgian National Gendarmerie arrested two ETA members after a search of
their car resulted in the discovery of 2,000 rounds of 9-mm ammunition-a
trademark of the Basque terrorist group. Previous discoveries of ETA arsenals in
Belgium and the Netherlands has led Belgian police to suspect that there is a
clandestine ETA arms depot in the Antwerp region. Spanish police have requested
extradition of the two ETA members.
2 November 1983
3 November 1983
4 November 1983
Chile: Bomb Explodes at Chilean-American Center
A small bomb exploded at the Chilean-American cultural center in Rancagua,
causing minor damage. No group claimed responsibility for the incident
Chile: US-Owned Bank Bombed
A bomb exploded in front of the Santiago branch of Citibank, seriously damaging
the building's facade. No injuries were reported, and no one has claimed
responsibility for the attack.
production increasingly are the targets of terrorist attacks by leftist groups.
West Germany: Bombing at Krupp Firm
In Kiel, an early morning explosion at the data processing center caused
considerable damage, but no injuries. We note that firms involved in armaments
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5 November 1983 Spain: Assassinations in Basque Country Continue
Basque terrorists are suspected in the killing of a 27-year-old laborer who was shot
as he left a bar. This was the third killing in less than three weeks in the Basque
country-two of which were claimed by ETA/M.
West Berlin: US Military Training Center Bombed
The explosion at the training facility, which is used daily by US troops, caused
minor damage, but no injuries. No group has claimed responsibility.
West Berlin: ITT Subsidiary Bombing
An early morning explosion at the computer center caused light damage, but no
injuries. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing
6 November 1983 Corsica: Bombings Continue
In Bastia, seven bombs exploded during the night, causing heavy damage to six
banks and a clothing store, but no personal injuries. The detonation of an eighth
bomb sank an unmanned paramilitary police patrol boat in Calvi. Although no
group has yet claimed credit for the attacks, we believe the outlawed Corsican
separatist group National Front for the Liberation of Corsica is responsible. F_
Peru: Bomb Discovered at US Marines' Residence
Peruvian police defused a bomb placed outside the residence of US Marines in
Lima. The perpetrator, who was observed painting "Marines out of Grenada" on
the front wall of the house, escaped
West Germany: Bombings at Siemens Plants
Explosions at two different Siemens firms caused moderate damage to each. These
attacks reinforce our impression that firms involved in armaments production are
at increasing risk of terrorist attack.
7 November 1983 Spain: Kidnaping in Basque Country
In Beasain, the ETA Political Military VIII Assemby (ETA/PM-VIII) faction
claimed credit for the kidnaping of industrialist and Basque National Party
supporter Jose Cruz Larranaga. ETA/PM-VIII also warned the Spanish
Government to take its demands-not yet specified-seriously or face the death of
another victim. ETA/PM-VIII was responsible for the kidnaping and subsequent
killing of a Spanish Army officer in October
Italy: Firebombing of US Soldier's Car
Italian security officials have reported that the privately owned vehicle of a US
soldier was firebombed. The vehicle, bearing Allied Forces Italy license plates and
parked near the owner's residence in Padua, was extensively damaged. There were
no injuries, and no one has claimed credit for the attack.
Portugal: Bombings Claimed by Leftists
In Lisbon, the leftwing terrorist group Popular Forces of April 25 (FP-25) claimed
responsibility for two bombs-one in Lisbon and the other in Estoril. The
explosions injured two people and caused minor damage. FP-25-named after the
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date of the 1974 Portuguese revolution-is a small, quasi-criminal group
advocating the overthrow of the Portuguese Government. It has sporadically
conducted terrorist attacks and ru , erous robberies. FP-25 had been relatively
inactive since 1982.
Portugal: Possible Terrorist Bombing
In Lisbon, a bomb exploded at the residence of a local businessman who was
seriously injured by the blast. A passerby also was injured in the explosion. No
group has claimed credit for the attack, but we suspect the FP-25 may have been
responsible.
Portugal: Bombing Claimed by FP-25
In Lisbon, FP-25 has claimed credit for a bomb that exploded at the residence of a
local businessman, causing minimal damage, but no injury. Pamphlets were left. at
the scene, claiming support for workers and demanding an end to workers' layoffs.
A later caller to the Portuguese Press Agency denied FP-25 involvement in the
attack. We note that FP-25 has previously claimed solidarity with the working
class and conducted attacks against "capitalist" targets.
Namibia: Three SWAPO Members Killed
A small group of SWAPO members fired on a Department of Agriculture camp
but caused no injuries. South African forces made contact with six of the terrorists
and killed three of them.
Italy: Police Discover BR Cell in Florence
Local police in Florence and Prato have arrested four members of a BR cell, the
Umberto Caltabiani Brigade, and issued arrest warrants for two others following
an armed robbery at a post office in Prato on 2 November. The Italian press
reports the six have been charged with formation of an armed cell for terrorist
activity; three unnamed individuals are also being sought for complicity and
participation in the cell. During the investigation that followed last week's robbery,
Florentine police discovered that two houses used by the group contained weapons
and ammunition, domestic and foreign automobile license plates, falsified
documents, and names of local businessmen, magistrates, politicians, police and
security agents, and maps of banks and public buildings
Chile: Bomb Discovered At US Pavilion
A small explosive device was found in the garden adjacent to the US Chamber of
Commerce pavilion at the Santiago International Fair. No group claimed
responsibility for placing the device
7-11 November 1983 India: Bombing in Assam
On 7 November a bomb exploded at the train station in Gauhati, capital of Assam,
killing 17 and injuring 60. On the eve of Indira Gandhi's arrival there, two people
died in three bomb explosions in Gauhati. On 11 November, four bombs exploded
in Assam, killing one and wounding three.
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8 November 1983 Chile: Terrorists Again Attack Judge's Home
Three unidentified terrorists wielding handguns tried to attack the Carabineros
guarding the home of a Santiago appellate court judge, but were repelled. The
incident marked the third time the judge's home had been attacked. In recent
weeks, three Carabineros have been killed by unidentified subversives whose
apparent motive was to steal weapons and ammunition from the slain officers.F
9 November 1983 Jordan: Disarming of Bomb Outside Saudia Airlines Office
A 13.5-pound bomb was discovered and disarmed outside the Saudia Airlines
office in Amman No one has claimed responsibility 25X1
for the bomb, which was found wrapped in newspaper in a garbage cane 25X1
Spain: Shooting in Basque Region
In Bilbao, ETA/M is suspected in the shooting death of a waiter in a bar operated
by the rightist Brotherhood of Former Legionnaires. The motive for this
shooting-as well as for several other recent killings-is unknown. ETA/M's
increasingly indiscriminate choice of targets in the past two months leads us to
believe that there may be internal dissension within factions of ETA or that ETA
may fear that police informers may have infiltrated the group.
10 November 1983 Jordan: Targeting of USAID Employee 25X1
A 30-pound package of explosives was found on the sidewalk directly in front of
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the residence of a USAID employee in Amman.
Abu i a s group.
The bomb may have been placed by members of
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Peru: Terrorists Attack Lima Targets
Sendero Luminoso (SL) terrorists conducted several simultaneous attacks in Lima,
damaging the Honduran Embassy, a military garrison, high-tension towers, a
government building, and private businesses. Terrorists also attacked an arms
company and stole a variety of weapons and ammunition. The attacks were part of
a largely unsuccessful effort by the SL to disrupt the municipal elections scheduled
for 13 November
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11 November 1983 Jordan: Bomb Discovered Near Chinese Embassy
A 25-pound bomb was discovered and defused in a vacant lot near the Chinese
Embassy in Amman. The bomb may have been placed by Fatah dissidents in
retaliation for the PRC's public support in early November of Arafat's continued
leadership of the PLO
Austria: Terrorist Resentenced
In Vienna, a Black June member convicted of participating in the 1981
assassination of a Vienna city councilor and a raid on a synagogue was again
sentenced to life imprisonment. His retrial had been ordered by the Austrian
supreme court because of procedural errors in the first trial.
Guatemala: More AID Workers Murdered
The bodies of two Guatemalan AID employees and the daughter of one of them
were found in a burned-out car near Coatepeque, Guatemala. An examination of
the bodies and subsequent investigation suggests the individuals were tortured,
killed, and placed in the automobile, which was then set afire. The evidence
suggests possible complicity by Guatemalan security forces.
Peru: Terrorists Attack Lima on Eve of Elections
Sendero Luminoso (SL) terrorists conducted coordinated attacks against the
capital, killing three policemen and wounding several civilians. The terrorists
machinegunned and dynamited district offices of the Popular Christian Party
(PPC) and the Popular Action Party (AP). SL members also attacked a bank, a
prison, and a police station in their effort to create a climate of fear prior to the
municipal elections.
Somalia: Brief Abduction of American Citizens
Four Americans from Project Concern. International and a group of Somali police
were abducted by six to eight men, probably members of the Somali Democratic
Salvation Front (SADF) in northern Somalia. When the police vehicle got a flat
tire, the SADF destroyed it, stole the Americans' car and all their money and
possessions, and left them to return on foot with the policemen. The Americans
made contact with Somali officials, who returned them to safety the same day. F
Spain: Naval Officer Slain by ETA
In Bermeo, ETA/M has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Spanish naval.
officer gunned down by two terrorists. This latest death raises to 37 the toll of
terrorist killings in Spain this year.
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12-13 November 1983 Bolivia: New Wave of Bombings
Five bombings took place in Bolivia during the evening and early morning hours,
causing only property damage. In La Paz, a high-explosive bomb was set off
outside the home of Jorge Siles Salinas, half-brother of President Hernan Siles
Suazo and director of the-daily newspaper Ultima Hora. Other bombs exploded at
an electric power plant and at the headquarters of two labor unions. In Orero, a
dynamite blast severely damaged the offices of La Patria newspaper. As in
previous La.Paz incidents, red flags bearing the name "Sendero Luminoso
Bolivia" were left at the scenes of some of the bombings. The US Embassy
continues to doubt-as. do we-that the group is linked to the Peruvian terrorist
group of the same name.
14 November 1983 Bolivia: Lufthansa Manager Kidnaped
The General Manager of Lufthansa Airlines in La Paz was kidnaped by a
previously unknown group calling itself the 10th of November. The motive for the
abduction appears to be monetary, and the 10th of November may be a cover
name for a criminal group.
Guadeloupe: Bombing Campaign Escalates
Six terrorist bombs were detonated in Guadeloupe in the most serious outbreak of
revolutionary violence to date. One device, a car bomb, detonated in the parking
lot of the Guadeloupe Prefecture and wounded some 20 bystanders. In another
incident, terrorists seized the Radio Caribe International Station in the capital,
Point-a-Pitre, forced the employees to evacuate the station, and then detonated a
large bomb that seriously damaged the eight-story building
anon.
Spain: Bombing of Two US Firms
In Bilbao, bombs exploded at offices of two US firms-Bank of America and
Rank Xerox-causing minor damage, but no injuries. The Basque terrorist group
Iraultza claimed responsibility for the attack and indicated the US firms were
targeted because of US action in Grenada and the presence of US Marines in Leb-
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Greece: Firebombing of US Air Force Officer's Car Near Athens
A firebomb completely destroyed the personally owned van belonging to a US Air
Force military police officer. No injuries occurred, and no group has claimed
responsibility for the incident. According to a preliminary investigation, it does not
appear to be linked to the assassination of US Navy Captain George Tsantes.
Greece: Assassination of US Navy Captain
The Greek Marxist terrorist group "17 November Revolutionary Organization"
claimed responsibility for the shooting death of Captain George Tsantes, assigned
to the Joint US Military Assistance Group in Greece. Tsantes' driver subsequently
died from wounds received in the attack. The 17 November group had previously
claimed responsibility for the assassination of CIA station chief Richard Welch in
1975 and two Greek police officers in 1976 and 1980.
Guatemala: Police Patrol Attacked
Terrorists attacked a National Police Patrol in Guatemala City. Two of the
attackers were wounded; there is no information concerning government casual-
ties.
Somalia: Bomb Threat to US Embassy
An anonymous caller threatened to blow up the US Embassy in Mogadishu but
did not make any demands. A search by authorities turned up nothing suspicious,
and the 24-hour deadline passed without incident.
16 November 1983 Guatemala: Another AID Employee Murdered
According to local press, a group of unknown men fatally attacked a truck driver,
who had a vague connection with an AID family-planning program. It is not
known if this attack is connected to the recent violence directed against Guatema-
lans employed by AID.
17 November 1983 Australia: Bomb Found at Atomic Plant
Army explosives experts dismantled a?bomb found after authorities received a tip.
The bomb was in a power-relay station 500 yards from the Lucas Heights Atomic
Energy Commission plant.
18 November 1983 Lesotho: Two Bombings in Capital
Two bombs exploded in Maseru, the first outside the Evangelical Church and the
second in a supermarket, killing two people and injuring 19. The press claims that
political observers have attributed the explosions to the Lesotho Liberation Army,
the military wing of the exiled opposition Basutoland Congress Party.
Greece: Bomb Threat Made to American Club in Athens
A bomb threat was made to the AAFES-operated store located at the American
Club in Kifissia, Athens. Greek police and a USAF team responded and searched
the building with negative results. The American Club operates a boarding facility
for students at the American Community School.
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Spain: Release of Kidnap Victim
In San Sebastian, ETA/PM-VIII Assembly freed Jose Cruz Larranaga Mendiza-
dal after his family paid an unspecified sum in ransom-believed to be less than
$300,000. In a statement to local newspapers, ETA/PM-VIII Assembly claimed
Larranaga-the director of an electronics firm in the Basque country-was freed
on the condition that his company lay off no workers and create more jobs.
19 November 1983 Spain: Bombings in Basque Country Continue
Bombs exploded outside a bank in Bilbao and a factory in San Sebastian causing
damage, but no injuries. Although no one has yet claimed credit for the attack, the
early morning timing of the blasts and the targets indicate ETA terrorists were re-
sponsible. 25X1
2
France: Bombing Attacks on Two Restaurants
In Paris, a motorcyclist hurled a bomb into a crowded restaurant, injuring nearly
30 people. A second small bomb also damaged an empty restaurant in the Latin
Quarter of Paris. No group has yet claimed credit for either attack, and police
have no clues regarding the motives behind the attacks.
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