THE ARMENIAN SECRET ARMY FOR THE LIBERATION OF ARMENIA: A CONTINUING INTERNATIONAL THREAT

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• Collection: General CIA Records
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• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 24
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 11, 2010
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: January 1, 1984
• Content Type: REPORT

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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
The Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of Armenia:
A Continuing International Threat
Secret
GI 84=10008
EUR 84-10004
January 1984
Copy 12 0
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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
The Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of Armenia:
A Continuing International Threat
A Research Paper
Terrorism Analysis Branch, OGI
This paper was prepared by the Terrorism Analysis
Branch, Instability and Insurgency Center, Office of
Global Issues Office of
European Analysis. Comments and queries are
welcome and may be directed to the Chief,
Secret
GI 84-10008
EUR 84-10004
January 1984
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Secret
The Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of Armenia:
A Continuing International Threat
Key Judgments The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) poses
Information available a growing threat to a number of US policy interests. Although most
as of 20 December 1983 ASALA attacks have been against Turks, West European and a few US
was used in this report.
facilities have also been struck. Moreover, an apparent increase in contacts
with Libya and Syria may expose the Marxist-oriented ASALA to
additional anti-American influences. The rightwing Armenian terrorist
group, the Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide, has focused
almost exclusively on Turkish targets.
In a development that has ominous implications for international coopera-
tion against terrorism, several West European nations have apparently
reached accommodations with ASALA, allowing the terrorists freedom to
pursue Turkish targets in exchange for promises not to attack indigenous
citizens. The Turks have responded -angrily against what they see as
European indifference to or connivance with ASALA terrorism. They are
strongly pressing the United States both to put pressure on European
governments and to give more direct assistance in combating that threat.
Despite some setbacks, the major Armenian terrorist groups retain consid-
erable capability. ASALA and the Justice Commandos have assassinated
50 Turkish officials and private citizens and have conducted over 200
bombings since 1975. ASALA's shift toward indiscriminate violence
during the past four years makes large-scale casualties more likely as the
group targets commercial aircraft and crowded public places. Recent
fragmentation within ASALA and Armenian political groups, in our
estimation, increases the risk of terrorist violence, particularly in Western
Europe,. as the various splinter groups vie for the attention of the Armenian
community.
Secret
GI 84-10008
EUR 84-10004
January 1984
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Contents
Key Judgments
Background to Armenian Terrorism
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
Changing Tactics and Organization 3
Links to Other Terrorist Groups 4
The West European Response ' 6
Accommodation With Italy 7
Appendix
A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism, January 1975-December 1983 13
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The Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of Armenia:
A Continuing International Threat
Background to Armenian Terrorism
Armenian terrorist groups ostensibly want to create
an independent Armenian homeland. Most of the
historic Armenian homeland was conquered in the
mid-13th century by the Ottoman Turks, who moder-
ated Armenian discontent by the distinctive Ottoman
"millet" system. This gave Armenians and other
minorities a large measure of independence in ex-
change for passive political loyalty. Armenians lived
in their own communities and practiced their faith
and customs under the leadership of the Armenian
patriarch. Over time, the ethnic cohesiveness encour-
aged by the millet system fostered nationalism within
the Ottoman Empire. Serbs, Greeks, and Bulgarians,
with the assistance of interested Western powers,
forged their own identities and agitated for autono-
mous nation states
Armenian revolutionary groups at the end of the 19th
century sought to establish an independent Armenian
state. During World War I, some Armenians in
eastern Turkey allied themselves with the Russians in
the belief that Russian assistance later would guaran-
tee an independent Armenia. Reported Armenian
"fifth column" activities against the hard-pressed
Ottoman state led to the deportation of Armenians
from eastern Turkey into what is Syria today. Turkish
bureaucrats, under imprecise orders, treated local
Armenian populations as traitors. During the forced
summer march of 1915, tens of thousands of Arme-
nians died en route or were slaughtered by local
groups, including Kurdish tribesmen. Estimates of the
total death toll range from 600,000 to 1.5 million,
providing an emotional rallying point used by Arme-
nian terrorist groups to justify their actions. Today
50,000 of the 60,000 Armenians in Turkey live in
Istanbul, which has become the seat of the Armenian
Gregorian Church in Turkey and Patriarchate.)
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
ASALA was formed in January 1975. Its declared
goals include "liberation" of traditional Armenian
lands-encompassing parts of present-day Turkey,
Iran, and the Soviet Union-payment of reparations
by the Turkish Government, and public acknowledg-
ment by the Turkish Government of the 1915 geno-
cide. Moreover, in accord with its Marxist-Leninist
ideology, ASALA advocates armed struggle to
achieve the liberation of Armenia and to further the
interests of the exploited classes. ASALA has stated
that its revolutionary theory distinguishes it from the
other major Armenian terrorist group, the rightwing
Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide
(JCAG).
ASALA appears to be a group of young revolutionar-
ies, most in their twenties and living or having lived in
Lebanon. An ASALA terrorist captured in 1982 said
that ASALA was organized along military lines into
what he called brigades or divisions. Until recently we
knew little about the ASALA decisionmaking process
or the identities of the leadership core.' F
Apparent-
ly a central committee-whose location is unknown-
oversees the group's activities,
A ALA originally used sup-
port apparats-overt, legal groups-which, in our
view, probably provided surveillance, propaganda, and
logistic assistance for ASALA terrorist operations.
These support groups-Popular Movements for the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
(PMASALA)-were active in Paris, London, and
Ottawa
' In 1980 Hagop Hagopian-a common Armenian name, which we
believe to be an alias-publicly identified himself as the chief
spokesman for ASALA. Although Lebanese press dispatches re-
ported that Hagopian was killed in the Israeli bombing of Beirut on
31 July 1982
the announcement of Hagopian's death may have
been a hoax to allow his escape from Beirut
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Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide
The second prominent Armenian terrorist organiza-
tion, the Justice Commandos for the Armenian Geno-
cide (JCAG), is a rightwing, nationalistic group with-
out links to ASALA, other terrorist groups, or patron
states. JCAG, like ASALA, demands an Armenian
homeland and official Turkish recognition of the
1915 Armenian genocide.
We believe the Justice Commandos were created in
1975 by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF)-also known as the Dashnag Party-the most
important and powerful Armenian political organiza-
tion. The ARF was founded in 1890 by a group of
Armenian intellectuals in the Transcaucasus region
of Russia, as a response to violence committed
against Armenian people under the rule of Turkish
Sultan Abdul Hamid. From its inception, the ARF
has aligned itself with whoever provided the best
opportunity for an autonomous Armenian state.
Since the end of World War II, the ARF has held a
conservative, anti-Communist ideology and has been
involved in violence against both the Turks and the
Soviets, whom they hold responsible for the destruc-
tion of the Armenian republic in 1920.
Our analysis and a large body of evidence indicate
that JCAG is the action wing of the ARE We suspect
that the ARF created a military wing to counter the
emergence of the Marxist-Leninist ASALA, which
was probably drawing the more radical, violence-
prone youth away from the ARE Competition be-
tween JCAG and ASALA has been keen during the
past few years. Several terrorist attacks against
Turkish interests have been claimed by both groups,
and the success of one group sometimes seems to spur
the other to act. We have also seen a few instances of
members defecting from one group to the other,
presumably not out of ideological conversion but
ASALA's headquarters in West Beirut was severely
disrupted by the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June
1982 and the subsequent expulsion of the Palestinians.
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simply to have greater opportunities to conduct oper-
ations against Turks. The prominent English-lan-
guage publication Armenian Reporter cites the Au-
gust 1983 conviction in Los Angeles of an ASALA
member-the son of a prominent ARF leader-as
evidence of the growing disenchantment and desertion
of Dashnag youth to more active radical groups such
as ASALA.
JCAG has operated predominantly against Turkish
targets. Its attacks-usually assassinations of high-
ranking Turkish diplomatic personnel conducted in
public places during daylight hours-exhibit bold-
ness, professionalism, and meticulous planning and
training. JCAG employs surveillanc%ountersurveil-
lance techniques to ensure the success of its opera-
tions. Its infrequent bombings of Turkish facilities,
which appear to be conducted as warnings to Turkish
diplomats, are followed within two or three months
by assassination attempts.
In contrast to ASALA, JCAG has not yet conducted
or threatened to conduct reprisal attacks to force the
release of captured operatives, who are considered
"un-uniformed soldiers" by JCAG. We believe JCAG
assassins-only rarely apprehended-are recruited
and trained within the ARF Youth Federation on a
one-time "kill" basis. After an assassination, the
JCAG operative is seldom used again in a terrorist
operation
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A February 1981 press conference with ASALA
leader, Haron Haronian (hooded figure in
We believe ASALA did fragment, with some mem-
bers in France and Syria; however, we suspect a
portion of the ASALA membership has remained in
Beirut, perhaps in an inactive status.
Changing Tactics and Organization
ASALA's tactics-assassinations and bombings-
have undergone major changes during the past four
years; the most important shift has been ASALA's
willingness to attack targets involving non-Turkish
victims. In 1979 ASALA began targeting Western
interests-especially French and Swiss-in retaliation
for arrests of ASALA members. ASALA has also
conducted hostage operations-sieges at the Turkish
Embassy in Tehran and Paris during 1981-aimed at
attracting sustained public attention. A more lethal
shift in tactics surfaced in the Orly Airport bombing
on 15 July 1983, which killed eight and wounded 55.
The bomb, planted in a suitcase, had been intended to
explode while the Turkish airliner was in flight, which
would have caused scores of casualties
A mid-1982 upsurge in indiscriminate violence by
ASALA-using the covername Orly Group-pro-
voked changes within the organization.
In our view, ASALA jettisoned its support
groups because of their reluctance to support
ASALA's violent campaign against non-Turkish tar-
gets. The discarding of ASALA's support apparat
resulted in further changes in ASALA's infrastruc-
We also believe that there is a parallel Europe-wide
effort by ASALA to develop a broad base of support
for its political goals
A press release of 28 July announced that the con-
gress had created an Armenian Liberation Organiza-
tion dedicated to international political efforts to gain
an Armenian homeland. Failure by the congress and
the new political organization to condemn Armenian
terrorist violence may indicate that pro-ASALA dele-
gates control both groups
ASALA's indiscriminate violence has also provoked
fragmentation within the terrorist ranks. A new splin-
ter group-the ASALA Revolutionary Movement-
was formed in Beirut in August 1983, pledging to
continue the armed struggle but only against what
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they consider legitimate "military targets." We inter- 25X1
pret "military targets" to mean Turkish diplomatic
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ASALA has made contradictory statements regard-
ing its relations with West European terrorist groups.
Claims by some ASALA members of operational ties
to the Italian Red Brigades and the Spanish Basque
Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorists have been
denied by ASALA spokesmen and communiques.
ASALA has also claimed an alliance with the Kurd-
ish Worker's Party (KWP) and joint participation,
with the KWP, in an attack on the Turkish Consulate
in Strasbourg, France, in November 1980. No other
claims of joint operations have been issued.
Foreign Government Links
Syria. Although Syria has given little assistance to
ASALA in the past, we believe that this is changing.
in the wake of the invasion of Lebanon and the
resulting evacuation of some ASALA members to
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Members of ASALA engaged in
terrorist training in southern
Iran. Although ASALA initially supported Khomei-
ni's revolution, the 1981 execution of two ASALA
members in Iran and the recent repression of Arme-
nians there have caused ASALA to reverse its posi-
tion. According to an Armenian nationalist journal,
Khomeini is engaging in religious persecution of
Armenians, including the closure of Armenian schools
and the imposition of a "non-Islamic" tax on the
Armenians. The Armenian Center in Isfahan was
attacked by Revolutionary Guards in April 1981-on
the anniversary of the genocide observed by Arme-
nians around the world. Since the arrests of 51
Armenians in Paris after the Orly bombing, French
installations in Tehran have been the target of several
attacks by the Orly Group (an ASALA covername).
We suspect these attacks may have been conducted
with Iranian approval if not assistance. Franco-Irani-
an relations have been severely strained in the wake of
French Government sanctuary for dissident Iranian
hijackers of an Iranian aircraft in July 1983 and the
sale of French military equipment to Iraq.F_25X1
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Armenian Terrorism:
Types of Attacks
Total
Unsuccessful
Assassination
Attempts
Assassinations
Bombing
Incidents
Miscellaneous a
1980
51
2
5
44
0
1979
28
2
1
25
0
1978
14
1
0
13
0
Armenian terrorism has significantly strained Tur-
key's relations with several West European countries
in which Armenian attacks have taken place (see
table). In Ankara's view, the West Europeans-par-
ticularly the French and the Swiss-are doing far less
than they could to thwart Armenian violence against
ist cause.
Turks. ASALA's apparent success in working out
local accommodations with some European govern-
ments and its public statements to this effect may
explain Ankara's attitude. The Turkish Government
also believes that Armenian assassinations of Turkish
diplomats have not received priority police attention.
The threat of ASALA reprisals has periodically re-
sulted in suspended sentences or expulsion of the
ASALA members from a country. ASALA's public
communiques regarding such concessions have height-
ened Turkish perceptions that some West European
governments are sympathetic to the Armenian terror-
The Swiss Reaction
Swiss authorities may have been influenced by im-
plicit ASALA- threats following two separate arrests
of ASALA members. On 3 October 1980, two
ASALA operatives in Geneva were arrested after a
bomb they were assembling detonated. A group call-
ing itself the October 3 Organization immediately
began a bombing campaign against the Swiss Govern-
ment to force the release of the two prisoners. On
1 January 1981, ASALA declared a cessation of
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The June 9 Organization began a bombing campaign in Switzer-
land to free ASALA operative Mardiros Jamgotchian, who was
arrested for the murder of a Turkish diplomat in Geneva.
attacks against Switzerland until the trial date of one
of the terrorists. Before the expiration of the ASALA
deadline, one terrorist was given a suspended
sentence, released, and banned from Switzerland for
15 years; shortly after the deadline, the other prisoner
was given a suspended sentence and released.
The second Swiss-ASALA confrontation followed the
arrest of ASALA operative Mardiros Jamgotchian on
9 June 1981 for the murder of a Turkish consular
officer in Geneva. As in the previous case, a group
calling itself the June 9 Organization began a bomb-
ing campaign against Swiss targets. Shortly after
Jamgotchian was sentenced to 15 years in prison on
19 December 1981, ASALA publicly announced that
attacks would cease so that it could work out Jamgot-
chian's release. ASALA indicated that it was declar-
ing the truce in light of "new developments" in the
case, presumably the judge's condemnation of the
Turkish Government for not officially recognizing the
1915 massacre and his references to the plight of the
IIn two
subsequent appeals hearings, Jamgotchian's 15-year
sentence has been upheld. 25X1
France at one time 25X1
also maintained an informal channel with ASALA.
This conduit may have facilitated negotiations after
the arrest of the four ASALA members who, on 24
September 1981, seized the Turkish Embassy in Paris
and killed a guard in the process. ASALA claimed
that the police had promised political asylum for the
ASALA members in return for their surrender and
publicly gave the French until 22 November 1981 to
release the four terrorists. In the absence of French
action, ASALA resumed its attacks two days after the
deadline. ASALA later announced that it was halting
its attacks against French interests because the gov-
ernment had agreed to give the prisoners political 25X1
status. This "truce" was broken after French authori-
ties arrested Vicken Tcharkhutian in June 1982 for
suspected involvement in a bombing in the United.
States. That summer ASALA conducted two bomb-
ings in Paris but halted its attacks once more when
the French court refused to extradite Tcharkhutian to
the United States..Tcharkhutian was subsequently
released from custody and permitted to go to the 25X1
Middle East. In January 1983 ASALA resumed its
activity against Turkish targets in France.F__~ 25X1
Accommodation With Italy
ASALA has tried to arrange an agreement with Italy
to halt the emigration of Armenians from their
traditional homelands in the Soviet Union. ASALA
called for the closure of all emigration centers in
Italy on 22 December 1979 when the group attacked
a Rome pension that housed Armenian emigrants.
Hagopian claimed in a February 1982 interview that
an agreement had been reached under which ASALA
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Figure 1
Armenian Terrorism: Number of Incidents per Country,
1975-83
France
Switzerland
Italy
United States
Lebanon
Turkey
Iran
Spain
United Kingdom
West Germany
Belgium
Denmark
Canada
Greece
Netherlands
Portugal
Austria
Bulgaria
Yugoslavia
Iraq
Australia
^
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
would not conduct attacks in Italy except against The Turkish Response
Turkish targets. In return, the Italians would close the
emigration offices within six months. Although Armenian terrorism is a serious domestic political
Hagopian later said that the Italians reneged by issue. Unlike other political issues in Turkey, however,
simply moving the offices and changing their names, it arouses no significant disagreement along right-left
there have been no more ASALA attacks in Italy. lines. Most Turks, regardless of their political views,
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Figure 2
Armenian Terrorism: Attacks Claimed by
Groups, 1975-83
proportions or whose skill and planning were superior
to Turkish defensive measures.
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Armenian Secret Army
for the Liberation of
Armenia (ASALA) 64
Justice Commandos for the
Armenian Genocide
(JCAG) 24
share a common reaction to Armenian terrorism-
anger, revulsion, and an intransigent unwillingness to
accept the Armenian version of history. There is little
disagreement across the Turkish political spectrum
that Armenian terrorism should be dealt with firmly
and directly
The ASALA attack at Ankara's airport in August
1982-the first significant Armenian terrorist attack
inside Turkey since 1979-focused public concern in
Turkey on the threat posed by Armenian terrorists.
Ankara's twofold public approach to the problem-
refuting Armenian charges of genocide and threaten-
ing retaliation by Turkish "hit squads"-failed to still
Armenian propaganda or halt terrorist attacks.
Through diplomatic channels, the Turkish Govern-
ment attempted to pursue coordinated international
efforts to thwart Armenian terrorism
Enhanced security precautions at Turkish
installations also failed to deter terrorists whose fanat-
icism had, in some cases, reached "suicide operation"
the Turkish Government has begun exploring more
active counterterrorist methods. We believe the train-
ing of commandos to strike against Armenian terror-
ists was initially aimed at defusing criticism within
the Turkish Government of Evren's soft approach to
terrorism. Although Turkish leaders have approved
plans for using these squads, such a move would be
politically costly. Turkey's military rulers are already
smarting from the intense West European criticism of
martial law and human rights abuses. We do not
believe the government of Prime Minister Ozal would
jeopardize military and economic aid from West
European countries by officially and publicly sanc-
tioning such attacks, which will be played up by the
Armenian press.
The Armenian community in Turkey is unsympathet-
ic to the terrorist groups. The Patriarch of the
Armenian Gregorian Church in Istanbul has consist-
ently spoken out, condemning the violence. Opposition 25X1
to the terrorists derives principally from the communi-
ty's fear that further attacks against Turkish interests
might induce the Turks-frustrated by their govern-
ment's inability to deal with the extremists abroad-
to retaliate against Armenians in Turkey
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The direct threat to American interests only emerged
with the mid-1982 imprisonment of Armenian terror-
ists in the United States. On 30 May 1982, three
ASALA terrorists were arrested for attempting to
bomb the Air Canada freight terminal in Los Ange-
les. The bomb was intended to gain freedom for four
Armenians who had been arrested in Toronto and
were charged with conspiracy to extort money from
wealthy Armenians in Canada. The conviction of the
three ASALA members has not resulted in any
retaliatory attacks to date, although, given ASALA's 25X1
past record, attacks might still be conducted in an 25X1
attempt to force the judge into giving the prisoners
light sentences.
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The activities of Armenian terrorist groups have
caused some tension between Ankara and Washing-
ton. Implying that Western intelligence agencies are
withholding information, the Turks have pressed for
specific identities, locations, and plans of Armenian
terrorists. The United States does share information
with the Turks, but US legal constraints prohibit the
passage of information concerning US citizens and
subjudice material. Several West European countries
are legally limited from providing information on
suspected Armenian terrorists who also hold citizen-
ships in those countries.
The Turks have requested US training in defensive
counterterrorist techniques. A US-Turkish Commit-
tee on Armenian Terrorism was formed in 1982 in
Ankara to discuss joint cooperation efforts, and the
anticipated passage of legislation to fund the protec-
tion of foreign consular personnel in the United States
may also ease Turkish pressure.
We believe the fragmentation within ASALA in-
creases the threat of terrorist violence. The splintering
of ASALA-as well as the continuing threat from the
Justice Commandos-presage a struggle among the
groups for support from the Armenian populace. We
expect attacks against Turkish targets to be the focal
point for this struggle. We believe that the failure of
the Armenian Congress to renounce terrorist violence
may be perceived by the terrorists as a green light to
conduct attacks as a means of swaying Armenian 25X1
public opinion to their cause. US residents, citizens,
and property may also be future targets of Armenian
terrorist groups, especially if the trend toward indis-
criminate violence continues.
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Neither stepped-up enforcement nor intelligence ac-
tivities have noticeably impaired Armenian terrorist
capabilities. Recent attacks show that Armenian ter-
rorists can strike with virtual impunity. We suspect
that ASALA's expanded contacts with Libya may
eventually increase the group's terrorist potential. We
believe Syrian involvement with ASALA may also
bolster Armenian capabilities, particularly if Syria is
providing training and' a base of operations for
ASALA terrorists.
We expect that future Armenian attacks will increase
the pressure on the Turkish Government to take
strong action. Armed Turkish retaliation could fur-
ther damage Ankara's international image and strain
relations with other European nations. Any Turkish
retaliation against Armenian terrorists would result in
sharp Armenian retribution, probably in the form of
more frequent and lethal attacks. Ankara will encoun-
ter added frustration as it pressures Washington and
other NATO members for a unified international
approach to terrorism.
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Appendix
A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a
Beirut, Lebanon
Prisoner Karekin
Yanikian Group
Bomb discovered at World Council of Churches
office
8 February
Beirut, Lebanon
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish tourist center
20 February
Beirut, Lebanon
Yanikian Group
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
22 October
Vienna, Austria
ASALA and JCAG
Assassination of Turkish Ambassador and driver
24 October
Paris, France
ASALA and JCAG
Assassination of Turkish Ambassador
28 October
Beirut, Lebanon
ASALA
Rocket attack on Turkish Embassy
28 December
Beirut, Lebanon
ASALA
Two rockets fired at Turkish Embassy
1976
Frankfurt, West
Germany
Cologne, West Germany
ASALA
Firebombing of Turkish Consulate
Essen, West Germany
ASALA
Firebombing of Turkish Consulate
28 May
Zurich, Switzerland
JCAG
Bombing of Turkish Consulate and a Turkish bank
1977
New Armenian Resist-
ance (NAR) and Youth
Action Group
28 May 1977 Organiza-
tion
Bombing of Yesilkoy Airport, killing six; bombing of
train station
9 June
Rome, Italy
JCAG
Assassination of Turkish Ambassador to the Vatican
20 October
Athens, Greece
ASALA
Bomb destroyed car of Turkish press attache
1978
Bombing of apartment of a Turkish Embassy
counselor
Three bombs exploded under cars owned by Turkish
diplomats
2 June
Assassination of brother, wife, and chauffeur of
Turkish Ambassador to Spain
August
Ankara, Turkey
ASALA
Bombing of statue of Ataturk
Istanbul, Turkey
ASALA
Bombing of public buildings
1 October
Istanbul, Turkey
ASALA
Bomb exploded at a bus stop in front of the Grand
Mosque and in a waiting room of a car/passenger
ferry landing; another bomb was discovered before it
exploded in a railroad station
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A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
6 December
Geneva, Switzerland
NAR
Bombing of Turkish Consulate
12 December
Geneva, Switzerland
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
17 December
Geneva, Switzerland
NAR
Bombing of Turkish Consulate
1979
January
Madrid, Spain
JCAG
Bombing of British Airways and TWA offices
6 May
Istanbul, Turkey
ASALA
Bombing of a Turkish Airlines trailer
8 July
Paris, France
JCAG
Bombing of Turkish tourism office and Turkish labor
attache's office
22 August
Geneva, Switzerland
ASALA
Attempted assassination of Turkish Vice Consul
27 August
Frankfurt, West
Germany
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
29 September
Ankara, Turkey
ASALA
Two bombs were found in transit lounge in Esenboga
Airport
5 October
Copenhagen, Denmark
ASALA
Bombing of-Turkish Airlines office, injuring two
12 October
The Hague, Netherlands
JCAG
Assassination of son of Turkish Ambassador
30 October
Milan, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
8 November
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
18 November
Paris, France
ASALA
Bombing of KLM, Lufthansa, and Turkish Airlines
offices, injuring three
26 November
Madrid, Spain
ASALA
Bombing of TWA, Italian airlines, British Airways
offices
9 December
Rome, Italy
NAR
Bombing of El Al and British Airways offices,
injuring nine
17 December
London, England
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office, injuring one
22 December
Amsterdam, Nether-
lands
JCAG
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
Paris, France
Commandos of Arme-
nian Avengers (probably
JCAG)
Assassination of Turkish Press attache
23 December
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Air France and TWA offices and a small
Armenian transit center
December
1980
14 January
Paris, France
ASALA
Bombing of Lufthansa Airlines Office
19 January
Spain
JCAG
Bombing of British Airways, TWA, Swissair, and
Sabena Airlines offices
1 February
Brussels, Belgium
NAR
Bombing of Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines offices
Paris, France
NAR
Bombing of Soviet Information Office
6 February
Bern, Switzerland
JCAG
Attempted assassination of Turkish Ambassador
18 February
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of El Al, Lufthansa, and Swissair offices
10 March
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office, killing two and
wounding 17
17 April
Rome, Italy
JCAG
Attempted assassination of the Turkish Ambassador
to the Vatican
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Secret
A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
20 April
Marseilles, France
Black April
Attempted bombing of Turkish Consulate with a
rocket
31 July
Athens, Greece
ASALA
Assassination of attache at Turkish Embassy
5 August
Lyon, France
ASALA
Attempted assassination of Turkish Consul
26 September
Paris, France
ASALA
Attempted assassination of Turkish Press attache
3 October
Milan, Italy
ASALA
'Bombing of offices of magazine, Panorama
4 October
Milan, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
Madrid, Spain
ASALA
Bombing of Alitalia office, injuring 12
6 October
Beverly Hills,
United States
JCAG
Firebombing of Turkish Consul General's residence
8 October
Beirut, Lebanon
October 3
Bombing at Swiss Ambassador's house and bombing
of Swiss Embassy car
9 October
Beirut, Lebanon
October 3
Bombing of Swissair and Iranian Airlines offices
Beirut, Lebanon
October 3
Attempted bombing of Swiss Embassy
12 October
London, England
October 3
Bombing of Swiss Center (a restaurant and shopping
complex)
Los Angeles,
United States
JCAG
London, England
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
New York City,
United States
JCAG
Bombing of Turkish mission to the United Nation
Paris, France
October 3
Bombing of Swiss tourist office
20 October
Interlaken, Switzerland
October 3
Bomb discovered on train from Paris to Interlaken
4 November
Geneva, Switzerland
October 3
Bombing of Palace of Justice
10 November
C
Strasbourg, France
ASALA and Kurdish
Worker's Party
Bombing of Turkish Consulate
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Swissair and Swiss national tourist
offices
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A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
19 November
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
25 November
Geneva, Switzerland
October 3
Bombing of Geneva office of Union Bank
1 December
Paris, France
JCAG
Bombing of British Airways, Lufthansa, and Sabena
Airlines offices
5 December
Marseilles, France
October 3
Bomb discovered at Swiss Consulate
11 December
Rome, Italy
ASALA
Attempted assassination of Turkish diplomat
16 December
London, England
October 3
Bomb discovered at the French tourist and railroad
offices
17 December
Sidney, Australia
JCAG
Assassination of Turkish General Consul and
bodyguard
25 December
Zurich, Switzerland
October 3
Bombing of Zurich airport radar
29 December
Madrid, Spain
October 3
Bombing of TWA and Swissair offices, injuring
seven
30 December
Beirut, Lebanon
October 3
1981
12 January
Paris, France
ASALA
Attempted assassination of Turkish official
19 January
Beirut, Lebanon
ASALA
Bombing of Armenian businessman's vehicle as part
of extortion effort
27 January
Milan, Italy
October 3
Bombing of Swissair and the Swiss tourist office,
injuring one
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A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
Los Angeles,
United States
October 3
5 February
Paris, France
October 3
Bombing of Air France and TWA offices
22 February
Los Angeles,
United States
ASALA
Attempted bombing of Swiss Consulate
Los Angeles,
United States
ASALA
4 March
Paris, France
ASALA
Assassination of Turkish Economic Counselor
12 March
Tehran, Iran
ASALA
Attempted takeover of Turkish Embassy
2 April
Copenhagen, Denmark
JCAG
Attempted assassination of Turkish Labor Counselor
9 June
Geneva, Switzerland
ASALA
Assassination of Turkish consular officer
13 June
Anaheim, United States
JCAG
Bombing of Anaheim Convention Center
26 June
Los Angeles, United
States
June 9
Bombing of Credit-Swisse Bank
28 June
Tehran, Iran
June 9
Bombing of Swissair office
1 July
Baghdad, Iraq
June 9
Bombing of Swissair office
19 July
Bern, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing of Swiss parliament
20 July
Zurich, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing at Zurich International Airport
21 July
Lausanne, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing of a department store
22 July
Geneva, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing at Geneva railway station
Geneva, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing of Cornavin
11 August
Copenhagen, Denmark
June 9
Bombing of Swissair office
20 August
Paris, France
October 3
Bombing of Alitalia office
Los Angeles,
United States
June 9
Bombing of Swiss watch company
22 August
Paris, France
October 3
Bombing of Olympic Airways
15 September
Copenhagen, Denmark
ASALA
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office (one bomb
defused)
16 September
Tehran, Iran
June 9
Bombing of Swiss passport office
24 September
Paris, France
ASALA
Takeover of Turkish Consulate
3 October
Geneva, Switzerland
June 9
Bombing of courthouse and post office
10 October
Hollywood,
United States
ASALA
Bombing of the Hollywood Palladium
Attempted assassination of Second Secretary at
Turkish Embassy
28 October
Paris, France
September France
Bombing of car near Eiffel Tower
29 October
Geneva, Switzerland
June'9
Attempted bombing of United Bank of Switzerland
Paris, France
September France
Bombing of movie theater
2 November
Madrid, Spain
ASALA
Bombing of Swissair office, injuring four
3 November
Geneva, Switzerland
June 9 .
Bombing of the Palace of Justice and post office
12 November
Beirut, Lebanon
Orly Group
Bombing of Air France office and French cultural
center
13 November
Paris, France
Orly Group
Grenade attack on police car
14 November
Paris, France
Orly Group
Grenade thrown at tourist boats on the Seine
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A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
Bombing of Air France, Banque Libano=Francaise,
Union des Assurance de Paris, and Fransa Bank
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing at McDonalds fast food restaurant
16 November
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing at Paris railroad station
20 November
Los Angeles,
United States
JCAG
Bombing of the Turkish Consulate
21 November
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Bombing of Air France office and French Embassy
15 December
London, England
October 3
Bombing of Swissair office and Swiss Tourist Infor-
mation Office
13 January
Switzerland
Group 15
Bombing of a match factory
14 January
Toronto, Canada
ASALA
Bombing of office of Honorary Consulate of Turkey
19 January
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing of Air France office
21 January
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing in 16th Arrondissment
28 January
Los Angeles,
United States
JCAG
15 March
Geneva, Switzerland
ASALA
Bombing of a patrol car
16 March
Geneva, Switzerland
ASALA
Bombing of a patrol car
22 March
Cambridge,
United States
JCAG
Bombing of Turkish Consulate
ASALA and Armenian
Liberation Front (proba-
bly linked to JCAG)
Attempted assassination of Turkish Commercial
Counselor
Cologne, West Germany
NAR
Attempted bombing of Turkish bank
Dortmund, West
Germany
NAR
Bombing of Turkish bank
4 May
Boston, United States
JCAG
Assassination of the Honorary Turkish Consul
21 May
Toronto, Canada
ASALA
Bombing of two cars of Armenian who was being
extorted by ASALA
ASALA in cooperation
with radical Palistinians
27 May
Ottawa, Canada
JCAG
Assassination of Turkish military attache
30 May
Los Angeles,
United States
ASALA
Bomb discovered at Air Canada freight terminal
Assassination of Turkish attache and wounding of
wife, who later died
20 July
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing of a cafe in the Latin Quarter
21 July
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Red Armenian Army
Attempted assassination of Turkish Consul General
24 July
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bombing of a pub in the Latin Quarter
7 August
Ankara, Turkey
ASALA
Attempted hostage-taking situation at Esenboga Air-
port, killing. 10 and wounding 78
8 August
Paris, France
Orly Group
Bomb discovered in front of a telephone company
9 September
Burgas, Bulgaria
Combat Units of Justice
Against Armenian
Genocide
Assassination of the Turkish administrative attache
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A Chronology of Armenian Terrorism,
January 1975-December 1983 a (continued)
22 October
1983
22 January
Paris, France
ASALA Suicide Group
of the Harnicvahara-
byan Minas Simonian
Commando Martyrs
Bombing of Turkish Airlines office
Paris, France
ASALA "Chabin Kara-
hissazop"
Attempted bombing of Turkish airlines counter, Orly
Airport
28 February
Paris, France
ASALA
Bombing of privately owned travel agency featuring
trips to Turkey, in which one woman was killed
9 March
Belgrade, Yugoslavia
JCAG
Assassination of Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia
24 May
Brussels, Belgium
ASALA
Bombings of Turkish travel agency and Turkish
tourist office
16 June
Istanbul, Turkey
ASALA
Grenade and machinegun attack on bazaar, killing
two and wounding 23
14 July
Brussels, Belgium
ASALA, JCAG, and
Armenian Revolution-
ary Army (ARA)
Assassination of Turkish administrative attache
15 July
Paris, France
ASALA
Bomb exploded at Turkish Airlines counter at Orly
Airport, killing eight and wounding 55
22 July
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Bombing of French Embassy and Air France office
25 July
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Bombing of French trade mission
27 July
Lisbon, Portugal
ARA
Takeover of Turkish Embassy, which resulted in
killing of hostages and deaths of five terrorists
31 July
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Attempted bombing of Egyptian Interests Section
offices (under diplomatic protection of France)
7 August
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Two bombings at Egyptian Interests Section office
10 August
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Car bombing at French Embassy compound
17 August
Tehran, Iran
Orly Group
Shooting of Air France employee
a The statistics in this chronology are drawn from our file of or attribution made by police and security services based on method
international terrorism and media reports on targets/victims that of operation or target attacked. Some of the names are believed to
meet our criteria for an international event. These statistics are as be cover names for organizations used to mislead police and
accurate as the details of events allow. The groups or organizations security investigations or to inflate the number and strength of
listed for specific incidents are believed responsible, either by claim Armenian terrorist groups.
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Secret
Secret
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