PATTERNS OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: 1980
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Assessment
Center
Patterns of
International Terrorism:
1980
PA 81-10163U
June 1981
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Assessment
Center
Patterns of
International Terrorism:
1980
Information available as of 31 December 1980
has been used in the preparation of this report.
Comments and queries on this paper are welcome
and may be directed to:
Director of Public Affairs
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D. C. 20505
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PA 81-10163U
June 1981
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Terrorism The threat or use of violence for political purposes by individuals or groups,
whether acting for, or in opposition to, established governmental authority,
when such actions are intended to shock or intimidate a target group wider
than the immediate victims.
International Terrorism conducted with the support of a foreign government or organiza-
Terrorism tion and/or directed against foreign nationals, institutions, or governments.
Terrorism has involved groups seeking to overthrow specific regimes (for
example, Yugoslavia and El Salvador), to rectify national or group griev-
ances (for example, the Palestinians), or to undermine international order as
an end in itself (for example, the Japanese Red Army).
These definitions elaborate and clarify the definition of international terror-
ism used in our previous studies of the phenomenon, but they do not change
in any way the criteria used for selecting incidents included in the data base
for these studies.
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Patterns of
International Terrorism:
1980
International terrorism resulted in more casualties in 1980 than in any year
since the analysis of statistics related to terrorism began in 1968. The total
number of events last year was also high-second- only to 1978.'
Established patterns of striking at targets in industrialized democracies and
attacking symbols of Western power continued into 1980. Americans re-
mained the primary targets of international terrorism, with nearly two out of
every five incidents involving US citizens or property.
Terrorist events aimed at causing casualties, especially assassinations, in-
creased over previous years. Over 30 percent of the attacks in 1980 resulted
in at least one casualty.
Last year marked the first year that a large number of deadly terrorist
attacks were carried out by national governments. The Libyan Govern-
ment's assassination campaign against dissidents living in Europe and the
exchange of terrorist attacks on diplomats in the Middle East were the most
noteworthy examples of government-sponsored terrorism.
There was a sharp increase in right-wing terrorist activity in Europe. The
attacks at the Munich Oktoberfest and at the railroad station in Bologna,
Italy, rank among the worst terrorist incidents ever recorded.
On the positive side, incidents involving hostages and barricade incidents
were more successfully countered in 1980, as governments became better
equipped to deal with such situations. Two prominent hostage-takings-the
Iranian Embassy in London and a skyjacking in Turkey-were countered
successfully by military force, and another two in Latin America were
resolved by careful negotiations.
' The statistics in this report are based on a computerized file of international terrorist events
from 1968 through 1980. New events have been added for all years as we have expanded the
sources from which we draw data in order to correct for a previous overemphasis on US
sources and as we have completed the validation of previously acquired and coded informa-
tion. The terrorist event file is now complete and current, and the statistics in this publication
replace all statistics in our previous surveys. The only trend reported earlier that is signifi-
cantly changed by the addition of new material is that the percentage of terrorist events
involving Americans since 1968 is reduced from 41 percent to 38 percent. All other reported
percentages and rank orders remain about the same.
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Trends
Terrorist Events With Deaths or Injuries
State-Sponsored International Terrorism
Soviet Union
Libya
South Yemen
Iraq
Syria
Right-Wing Terrorism
Outlook
Figures
Deaths and Injuries Due to International Terrorist Attacks, 1968-80
vi
International Terrorist Incidents, 1968-80
1
Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Attacks, 1968-80
3
Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Attacks
Directed Against US Targets, 1968-80
3
International Terrorist Attacks on US Personnel and
Facilities, 1980
Nationality of Victims of International Terrorist Attacks,
1968-80
International Terrorist Incidents That Caused Casualties, 1968-80
9
International Terrorist Events by Category of Attack, 1968-80
20
Major International Terrorist Groups
Antiterrorist Measures
Statistical Data
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Figure 1
Deaths and Injuries Due to International Terrorist Attacks*, 1968-80
Wounded Total: 7,474
Killed Total: 3,668
35 r m 036
*Casualty figures are particularly susceptible to fluctuations due to inclusion
of especially bloody incidents.
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Patterns of
International Terrorism:
1980
Trends
Both the number of international terrorist casualties
(figure 1) and incidents (table 1 and figure 2) were
higher in 1980 than in 1979. Although there were
fewer victims killed than in 1979 and fewer wounded
than in 1974, there were more total casualties in 1980
than during any previous year since our data base was
begun in 1968.
The number of terrorist incidents apparently aimed at
causing casualties-most notably assassination at-
tempts-increased dramatically in 1980. Assassina-
tions and attempted assassinations have increased
steadily since 1975; in 1980 almost twice as many such
incidents took place as in any previous year. The high
number of assassinations in 1980 is due, in part, to
well-planned assassination campaigns by:
? The Muslim Brotherhood against the Soviet military
in Syria.
? The Libyan Government against expatriates residing
in Europe.
? Iran and Iraq, each targeting the other's diplomats in
Europe and the Middle East.
? The Armenian terrorists against Turkish diplomats
worldwide.
Figure 2
International Terrorist Incidents, 1968-80
1,000
As has been noted in our previous surveys, however,
most terrorist incidents do not cause casualties, and
only one-fourth of all attacks between 1968 and 1980
resulted in death or personal injury.'
Terrorists continue to prefer to conduct their oper-
ations in the industrialized democracies (figure 3).
Over 30 percent of the incidents took place in Western
Europe alone, both by indigenous organizations
against foreign targets and by foreign-based groups.
About 20 percent of the incidents occurred in Latin
America and another 20 percent in the Middle East.
2 Of the 5,955 international terrorist incidents recorded between
1968 and 1979, 673 incidents (11 percent) involved deaths and 867
(15 percent) involved injuries. These proportions are up slightly in
1980. Of the 760 incidents recorded, 122 (16 percent) involved deaths
and 145 (19 percent) involved injuries.
There were 278 attacks on Americans in 1980-the
second highest of any year since 1968-and 34 of these
incidents caused casualties. Ten Americans, including
six in El Salvador, two in Turkey, one in the Phil-
ippines, and one on the West Bank, were killed in
international terrorist attacks, and 94 Americans were
wounded. Damage to US property was recorded in 97
incidents (34 percent).
Between 1968 and 1979 most of the attacks directed
against Americans occurred in Latin America and the
Middle East (table 2 and figure 4). This pattern did not
change in 1980. Thirty-three percent of all attacks
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Geographic Distribution of International
Terrorist Incidents, 1968-80
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Totals
Total 142 214 391 324 648 564 528 475 599 562 850 657 760 6,714
(2.1) (3.2) (5.8) (4.8) (9.7) (8.4) (7.9) (7.1) (8.9) (8.4) (12.7) (9.8) (11.3)
North America 42 10 28 46 19 42 53 83 60 59 78 63 90 673 (10.0)
Latin America 47 82 163 102 113 122 140 74 143 73 112 97 178 1,446 (21.5)
Western Europe 24 41 86 53 239 243 188 170 252 263 245 198 204 2,206 (32.9)
USSR/Eastern Europe 3 1 310 2 3 2 3 6 6 10 6 7 62 (0.9)
Sub-Saharan Africa 1 9 15 6 6 11 14 27 18 31 27 24 29 218 (3.2)
Middle East and 20 36 61 60 71 89 82 88 92 87 302 199 195 1,382 (20.6)
North Africa
Asia
Pacific
Other
1 22 28 40 153 30 22 22 23 21 31 56 46 495 (7.4)
1 6 2 3 3 2 1 4 0 7 21 3 3 56 (0.8)
3 7 5 4 42 22 26 4 5 15 24 11 8 176 (2.6)
Locations of Terrorist Attacks on
US Citizens or Property, 1968-80, by Category
North Latin Western USSR/ Sub- Middle Asia Pacific Other Total
America America Europe Eastern Saharan East/North
Europe Africa Africa
Total 282 854 691 29 76 692 245 32 48 2,949
Kidnaping 2 92 3 0 22 27 7 0 1 154
Barricade-hostage 3 10 T 4 0 0 12 1 0 0 30
Letter bombing 13 6 2 0 2 4 26 0 2 55
Incendiary bombing 42 78 212 1 3 91 27 6 3 463
Explosive bombing 146 334 260 4 8 236 69 4 20 1,081
Armed attack 0 32 13 0 8 26 11 0 0 90
Hijacking a 27 6 14 0 0 6 9 0 4 66
Assassination 5 37 6 0 7 26 11 0 1 93
Sabotage 0 1 1 0 2 6 0 0 0 10
Threat 36 167 139 22 13 194 51 20 2 644
Theft, break-in 1 38 6 0 7 9 1 0 0 62
Conspiracy 4 8 4 0 0 8 3 1 3 31
Hoax 0 5 8 0 0 3 10 0 1 27
Other actions 0 6 15 1 1 15 8 0 4 50
Sniping 1 29 2 1 0 25 8 1 0 67
Shootout with police 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Arms smuggling 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 7 12
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Figure 3
Geographic Distribution of International
Terrorist Attacks, 1968-80
Africa
218
USSR/
Eastern
Europe Western Europe
62 2,206
against Americans occurred in Latin America and 20
percent occurred in the Middle East (figure 5). Attacks
against Americans in 1980 were recorded in at least 51
countries; most of the attacks occurred in El Salvador,
Turkey, the Philippines, West Germany, and
Colombia.
Between 1968 and 1980, US and Canadian nationals
were the most victimized; West Europeans were the
second most frequent targets (figure 6). US busi-
nessmen and diplomats-especially individuals who
are symbols of Western power and wealth-are still
the primary targets, with at least 38 percent of all
events involving US citizens or property (table 3).'
Although businessmen have been the most frequent
victims in past years, they were second only to US
diplomats in 1980. One hundred and twelve attacks
were directed against US diplomats-more than in any
previous year. Most of these attacks occurred in Latin
' The reporting on international terrorist incidents involving Ameri-
cans is unquestionably more complete than incidents involving
nationals of other countries. This is almost unavoidable in collecting
terrorist data and should be considered in any analysis.
Middle
East
692
Asia
245
Figure 4
Geographic Distribution of International
Terrorist Attacks Directed Against US Targets,
1968-80
Total: 2,949
Other North America
48 282
Latin America
Pacific
3 7 Y,'r.iw, 854
America, with one-quarter resulting in damage to US
property. About 30 percent of these incidents were
telephone or letter threats received at US embassies or
consulates. While these threats resulted in no direct
damage or casualties, each was disruptive. They
caused increased security efforts, personnel alerts, and
absorbed time in searching for bombs or evacuating
buildings.
Other countries whose nationals have been prominent
victims are Israel, the United Kingdom, West Ger-
many, France, Turkey and the Soviet Union. In 1980,
the pattern of victims was somewhat different than in
previous years. The US remained the primary target,
but the order of the other major victims was different.
The installations and citizens of the USSR were the
second most frequent target followed by those of Tur-
key, Iraq, France, Iran, and Israel.
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Gutted van in which three US
nuns and a missionary were rid-
ing when kidnaped and assas-
sinated by terrorists in El
Salvador.
International Terrorist Attacks on US Citizens or Property,
1968-80, by Category
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 Totals
Total 68 124 262 243 248 225 197 179 227 193 386 241 271 2,864
(2.4) (4.3) (9.1) (8.5) (8.7) (7.9) (6.9) (6.3) (7.9) (6.7) (13.5) (8.4) (9.5)
Diplomatic officials 21 26 96 97 92 78 27 23 38 42 63 90 112 805 (28.1)
or property
Military officials 6 15 44 45 28 29 22 30 63 58 48 38 30 456 (15.9)
or property
Other US Government 30 37 63 34 43 10 18 20 6 9 23 16 35
officials or property
Business facilities 8 37 38 57 57 89 108 72 90 60 151 68 66 901 (31.5)
or executives
Private citizens 3 9 21 10 28 19 22 34 30 24 101 29 27 357 (12.5)
a Figures in parentheses are percentages of the total accounted for by
each category.
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Figure 5
International Terrorist Attacks on US Personnel and Facilities, 1980
North America
Latin America
Western
Europe
Africa
Mideast
Asia
Pacific
Other
50
Number of Events
Other
US Govt.
Tourist,
Missionary
50 100
Number of Events
Barricade-
H
t
os
age
Bombing Colombian
Attack Salvadoran
Skyjacking West German
Assassination Greek
Threat, Hoax Ugandan
Sniping Guatamalan
50
Number of Events
20
Number of Events
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Figure 6
Nationality of Victims of International Terrorist Attacks, 1968-80
Oceania
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Transregional
Asia
USSR/
East Europe
Latin America
Middle East
Western Europe
North America
13
128
186
195
313
560
1,271
1,386
2,682
Despite the publicity given to occasional sophisticated
operations, most terrorist attacks continue to be simple
in conception and operation (tables 4 and 5). During
the 13-year period from 1968 through 1980, bombings
were by far the preferred type of attack, accounting .for
nearly 45 percent of all terrorist operations. Our
records for the period, however, also document over
400 kidnapings, about 450 assassinations, and over 100
barricade and hostage situations.
The categories of attacks in 1980 were similar to
previous years. Bombings were still the most favored
operation. The most noteworthy change was the dra-
matic rise in the number of assassinations and
skyjackings. The security precautions designed to
make smuggling of traditional weapons on board air-
liners more difficult failed to deter skyjackings in
1980. Skyjackers effectively used threats, hoaxes, or
nonmetallic weapons, with the result that skyjackings
increased for the second consecutive year.
Terrorist Events With Deaths or Injuries
Analyses of the incidents that caused casualties high-
light the dangers and broad psychological impact of
international terrorism. They provoke a response from
governments, attention from the world media, and
almost always involve a well-trained and experienced
terrorist organization.
Our records show 1,435 terrorist incidents between
1968 and 1980 that caused at least one casualty. The
number of such attacks has generally increased each
year since 1968 (figure 7). In 1980, there were 213 of
these incidents-far more than any in previous years.
Bombings and assassinations accounted for over 65
percent of all incidents with casualties. Each of the
other categories of attacks-kidnapings, barricade and
hostage situations, and skyjackings-accounted for
only a small portion of the casualties. Most of the
attacks with casualties occurred in Western Europe
and the Middle East. US citizens remained the most
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Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Incidents,
1968-80, by Category of Attack
North
America
Latin
America
Western
Europe
USSR/
Eastern
Europe
Sub-
Saharan
Africa
Middle
East/North
Africa
Asia
Pacific
Other
Total
674
(10.0)
1,446
(21.5)
2,206
(32.9)
62
(0.9)
218
(3.2)
1,382
(20.6)
495
(7.4)
56
(0.8)
176
(2.6)
6,714
Kidnaping
5
203
47
0
61
57
25
1
2
401
Barricade-hostage
8
51
38
2
2
33
4
0
1
139
Letter bombing
26
17
200
0
15
32
131
0
49
470
Incendiary bombing
85
101
390
3
6
113
36
7
12
753
Explosive bombing
325
496
859
16
28
489
96
16
46
2,371
Armed attack
4
54
52
1
23
122
21
0
1
278
Hijacking a
29
35
30
3
11
38
21
0
6
173
Assassination
29
94
140
2
27
111
34
3
3
443
Sabotage
2
3
8
0
2
8
1
0
0
24
Exotic pollution
0
0
21
0
0
1
0
0
0
22
Threat
99
228
275
29
21
240
78
27
11
1,008
Theft, break-in
4
56
19
1
7
17
3
0
0
107
Conspiracy
9
17
36
1
4
30
9
1
14
121
Hoax
18
10
10
0
1
6
11
0
2
58
Other actions
12
10
39
1
5
22
13
0
14
116
Sniping
17
63
15
1
3
42
10
1
0
152
Shootout with police
0
8
6
0
0
1
0
0
1
16
Arms smuggling
2
0
20
2
2
20
2
0
14
62
victimized of any nationality, but the percentage of
events with US victims dropped from 38 percent for all
incidents to 28 percent of all incidents with casualties.
Citizens of the United Kingdom and Israel were also
prominent victims of events with casualties.
There have been 416 attacks involving American citi-
zens during the 13-year statistic-keeping period. US
businessmen have been the primary targets of these
attacks. Attacks against Americans resulting in ca-
sualties have occurred in at least 50 countries over the
reporting period, with the most events taking place in
Argentina, Iran, and the Philippines. Our records show
that over 140 different terrorist groups have claimed
responsibility for these attacks. Palestinian groups,
such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Pal-
estine or Black September, along with the Argentine
Montoneros and the Iranian groups have committed
more attacks against American citizens resulting in
casualties than any other groups.
The overall pattern of international terrorist attacks in
1980 involving casualties is generally similar to pre-
vious years-that is, assassinations with small arms
accounted for over 40 percent, and explosive bombings
for 35 percent of the total incidents. Most of the
attacks occurred in the Middle East and Western
Europe. The most active groups in the attacks with
casualties in 1980 were Iranian Government oper-
ations, Armenian terrorist groups, and the Muslim
Brotherhood in Syria. The order of the most victimized
nationalities was slightly different from that of pre-
vious years; the most numerous victims were Ameri-
cans, Israelis, Soviets, Turks, Iraqis, and Libyans, in
that order. In 1979 the most victimized nationalities
were Americans, British, and French. In 1978, the US
and British were the main victims.
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International Terrorist Incidents,
1968-80, by Category of Attack
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
Total a
Total
142
(2.1)
214
(3.2)
391
(5-8)
324
(4.8)
648
(9.7)
564
(8.4)
528
(7.9)
475
(7.1)
599
(8.9)
562
(8.4)
850
(12.7)
657
(9.8)
760
(11.3)
Kidnaping
1
6
43
30
16
45
43
57
34
40
39
30
17
401
(6.0)
Barricade-hostage
1
0
8
1
4
13
13
16
6
11
19
16
31
139
(2.1)
Letter bombing
3
4
5
1
306
58
18
5
15
17
12
23
3
470
(7.0)
Incendiary bombing
12
25
56
46
22
47
48
42
119
110
128
53
45
753
(11.2)
Explosive bombing
79
115
119
129
148
168
274
232
216
210
235
219
227
2,371
(35.3)
Armed attacks
12
13
8
9
13
16
31
21
21
21
40
22
51
278
(4.1)
Hijacking b
3
12
24
10
16
7
10
5
6
9
6
29
36
173
(2.6)
Assassination
7
12
22
13
16
25
16
23
53
33
54
61
107
442
(6.6)
Sabotage
1
2
0
4
4
3
4
1
2
0
0
3
0
24
(0.4)
Exotic pollution
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
17
3
1
22
(0.3)
Threat
12
12
61
53
77
132
32
34
81
67
234
96
117
1,008
(15.0)
Theft, break-in
3
7
22
10
5
3
10
8
6
2
13
4
14
107
(1.6)
Conspiracy
4
4
7
2
3
21
14
9
7
6
16
13
15
121
(1.8)
Hoax
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
5
48
58
(0.9)
Other actions
0
0
4
8
8
3
9
10
7
11
17
20
20
117
(1.7)
Sniping
3
2
7
3
6
4
3
10
18
12
17
44
23
152
(2.3)
Shootout with police
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
1
3
6
0
0
3
16
(0.2)
Arms smuggling
1
0
2
4
4
16
3
1
3
7
3
16
2
62
(0.9)
a Figures in parentheses are percentages of the total accounted for by
each category of attack-
b Includes hijackings by means of air, sea, or land transport.
State-Sponsored International Terrorism
Nations support terrorist groups or engage in terrorist
activity for a variety of reasons, ranging from the need
to carry out their own policies in foreign countries to
the desire to establish or strengthen regional or global
influence.
Despite increased state support for international
conventions and agreements designed to reduce inter-
national terrorism, a number of Third World nations
are unwilling to back sanctions against states that
support international terrorist groups or engage di-
rectly in international terrorist attacks.
Our files contain records of almost a hundred terrorist
attacks conducted directly by national governments.
They occurred in every year since 1972, but the major-
ity of them took place in 1980. Almost half were
assassinations or attempted assassinations. These
state-sponsored attacks were more lethal than other
terrorist incidents, with over 42 percent of them result-
ing in casualties. At least 33 victims were injured and
another 40 killed in these 100 events. Most of them
occurred in the Middle East, were carried out by
Middle East nations, and were directed against citi-
zens of other Middle East countries. They were almost
always directed against diplomats.
Soviet Union. The Soviets are deeply engaged in sup-
port of revolutionary violence, which is a fundamental
element of Leninist ideology. Such violence frequently
entails acts of international terrorism. The ostensible
position of the Soviets that they oppose terrorism while
supporting so-called national liberation movements is
further compromised by Moscow's close relationship
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Figure 7
International Terrorist Incidents That Caused
Casualties, 1968-80
250
with and aid to a number of governments and orga-
nizations which are direct supporters of purely terrorist
groups. In the Middle East, for example, the Soviets
sell large quantities of arms to Libya-knowing that
Libya is a major supporter of terrorist groups-and
they back a number of Palestinian groups that have
conducted terrorist operations. In Latin America,
Moscow relies heavily on Cuba-which provides guer-
rilla and terrorist groups with training, arms, sanctu-
ary, and advice-to advance Soviet interests. In other
parts of the world, particularly Africa, the Soviets have
long supported guerrilla movements and national liber-
ation organizations that occasionally engage in
terrorism.
Libya. The government of Colonel Qadhafi is the most
prominent state sponsor of and participant in interna-
tional terrorism. Despite Qadhafi's repeated public
pronouncements that he does not support terrorist
groups, there has been a clear and consistent pattern of
Libyan aid to almost every major international terror-
ist group, from the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(PIRA) to the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP).
One of Qadhafi's stated policies is to silence the Libyan
students suspected of opposition activity and Libyan
expatriates who have criticized his regime. Early in
1980, he warned Libyan exiles that they should return
home, or they would be punished in place. During the
remainder of the year, Qadhafi's assassination teams
carried out his threats. Our records list 14 attacks by
Libyan assassination teams in Europe and the United
States. They occurred in seven countries and resulted
in 11 Libyan exiles murdered and one wounded. The
murder on 19 April 1980 of a well-known Libyan
businessman in Rome and the assassination on 25
April last year of a Libyan lawyer in London are two
examples of this assassination campaign.
Libya's support for terrorism includes financing for
terrorist operations, weapons procurement and supply,
the use of training camps and Libyan advisers for
guerrilla training, and the use of Libyan diplomatic
facilities abroad as support bases for terrorist oper-
ations. Libya has trained terrorists from Latin Amer-
ica, Western Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
Qadhafi's major goals involve the Middle East and
Africa, particularly the destruction of Israel, the
advancement of the Palestinian cause, and the
overthrow of conservative and moderate Arab states.
Most of his efforts, therefore, are directed toward
aiding Middle Eastern terrorism. His second concern is
to be recognized as a champion of national liberation
movements, especially those of an Islamic cast.
South Yemen. The Government of the People's Demo-
cratic Republic of Yemen provides camps and other
training facilities for a number of international terror-
ist groups. The PFLP maintains a major terrorist
training camp there, and members of many different
terrorist groups have all benefited from the PFLP
training facilities.
In addition to supporting international terrorism
through its training camps, South Yemen has in the
past provided a refuge for airline hijackers.
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Our records from 1968 to 1980 suggest that the Gov-
ernment of South Yemen has not participated directly
in international terrorist attacks and show that South
Yemeni citizens have been involved in only a few
incidents since 1968_
Iraq. During the past two years, the Iraqi Government
has reduced its support for most terrorist groups. Dur-
ing the mid- I970s various West European terrorist
groups reportedly received Iraqi aid, including training
and logistical support. Iraq also provides assistance to
some radical Palestinian organizations, including the
Arab Liberation Front (ALF).
In 1980, the Iraqi Government conducted terrorist
attacks against Iranian diplomats in Europe and the
Middle East. These attacks resulted in the deaths of
several Iranian diplomats.
Syria. As a major supporter of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), Syria has played an increasingly
important role in Palestinian activities. It has backed
radical elements within the PLO, including the PFLP,
the PFLP-General Command, and the Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Syrian Gov-
ernment also created Sa'iqa, whose Eagles of the Pal-
estinian Revolution have been involved in terrorist
attacks.
Syrian intellgence services and Syrian diplomatic
facilities abroad have been used to support various
terrorist campaigns against the enemies of the Syrian
regime, including Jordanian officials.
Iran. Despite its radical, anti-Western policies, the
Tehran government is not presently an active supporter
of groups practicing international terrorism. Many
groups currently seek Iranian support, but internal
political upheavals, socioeconomic problems, and the
war with Iraq now seem to be Tehran's main
preoccupations.
In 1980, however, the Iranian Government itself initi-
ated numerous acts of international terrorism. Our
records list international terrorist attacks carried out
by Iranian nationals last year-at least half of which
were directly carried out by Iranian Government of-
ficials. These attacks occurred in Europe, the Middle
East, and the United States. They included armed
attacks on .Iraqi diplomatic facilities and assassinations
of Iraqi citizens. Most prominently, the taking of the
US hostages in Tehran was a clear act of international
terrorism, violating all norms of diplomatic behavior;
this incident clearly was approved by the Iranian
Government.
Cuba. Havana openly advocates armed revolution as
the only means for leftist forces to gain power in Latin
America, and the Cubans have played an important
role in facilitating the movement of men and weapons
into the region. Havana provides direct support in the
form of training, arms, safe havens, and advice to a
wide variety of guerrilla groups. Many of these groups
engage in terrorist operations.
Right-Wing Terrorism
Most right-wing terrorism falls in the category of
domestic violence and is not dealt with in this paper.
When the attacks cross international boundaries or
involve foreign victims such as the Bologna or Munich
bombings, however, they are included in the records on
international terrorism.
Right-wing terrorism is difficult to categorize and
analyze, because it is perpetrated anonymously by
groups with few or no articulated goals. Very little
information is available on the type and frequency of
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Clearing the debris offer the
bomb attack at the Bologna
railroad station.
the attacks, the group structure, or the personalities
involved. Unlike publicity-seeking left-wing terrorist
groups who tend to select targets that provide the
greatest political impact, right-wing groups tend to be
motivated by desire to terrorize or destroy specific
enemies. These groups seldom indulge in such spectac-
ular incidents as hostage-taking or hijackings; instead,
they most often conduct assassinations and bombings.
Some of the bombing attacks, however, have resulted
in mass casualties and thus generated intense
publicity.
mass casualty operations have been rare, terrorists
may now believe that some casualties are necessary
to generate the amount of publicity formerly evoked
by less bloody operations.
? The vast majority of incidents will continue to be
simple in conception and implementation, posing lit-
tle risk to the perpetrators. Although added security
precautions at sensitive facilities and paramilitary
rescue squads may deter spectacular confrontational
attacks, these measures clearly cannot protect all
potential targets from simple hit-and-run operations.
The bombing of the train station in Bologna, Italy, and
the explosion during Munich's Oktoberfest produced
more casualties than any previous terrorist attacks in
Western Europe.
Outlook
Although individual terrorist attacks rely heavily upon
the element of surprise, general patterns of terrorist
behavior are more predictable. There will be excep-
tions, but we expect certain trends evident in 1980 to
carry over into 1981:
? The increase in casualties and casualty-producing
incidents-particularly in light of the dramatic rise
of assassinations-is especially significant. Although,
- Regional patterns of victimization and location of
operations are likely to remain virtually unchanged.
Representatives of affluent countries, particularly
US Government officials and business executives,
will continue to be attractive targets. Latin America
and the Middle East again are likely to be the main
trouble spots.
? West German terrorists, having suffered reversals
during the past three years, are likely to feel greater
pressure to engage in operations in order to remind
their domestic and international sympathizers that
they remain revolutionary leaders.
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? Most terrorist activity by right-wing groups will re-
main domestic in nature and thus will not be re-
flected in our statistics. Because rightist groups are
often willing to engage in mass-casuality attacks,
however, and because their operations are often
effective, their activities will pose a significant dan-
ger to public order in many countries. We expect
right-wing terrorist activity to increase in 1981.
? 1980 marked the first time a large number of terror-
ist assassinations were directly sponsored by govern-
ments. These attacks proved to be an efficient, low-
cost method of achieving limited goals. Some Third
World nations, especially Middle Eastern countries,
are likely to continue this practice. Most notably,
Iran and Iraq probably will continue their war of
terrorism, and Syria is also likely to engage in terror-
ist attacks.
? The Palestinian groups continue to have a terrorist
capability. Some rejectionist groups may seek to
embarrass PLO leader Arafat and the moderate
elements of the PLO by renewing their terrorist
attacks against Western democracies. If progress is
not made on resolving the Palestinian problem,
Arafat will find it increasingly difficult to restrain
extremist Palestinian groups from conducting inter-
national terrorist attacks.
? The Armenian Secret Army's assassination cam-
paign against Turkish diplomats is likely to continue
next year at an even greater pace. In addition to the
Turks, Armenian terrorists may include Western,
especially US, diplomats among their targets.
? International terrorism is a tactic of leftist insurgents
in El Salvador and will continue to be a factor
affecting political stability in El Salvador as well as
Guatemala and, perhaps, Honduras.
? On the positive side, hostage situations were more
successfully opposed in 1980, as more governments
became better able to deal with hostage-takings.
Improved training and equipment will probably en-
able governments to be even more effective in dealing
with hostage situations in the future.
? The development and implementation of more effec-
tive international countermeasures will continue to
be impeded by differing perspectives among nations,
and by a reluctance on the part of many states to
commit themselves to a course of action that might
invite retribution-either by terrorist groups or by
states sympathetic to the terrorists' cause.
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Appendix A
Major International Terrorist Groups
This appendix describes the activities of the major
international terrorist groups whether they carried out
international terrorist attacks in 1980 or not.
Groups such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(PIRA) and the Basque Fatherland and Liberty Move-
ment (ETA) primarily conduct operations against
domestic targets, but they are also active in the inter-
national arena. The PIRA has conducted more inter-
national terrorist attacks than any other single terror-
ist group. They routinely attack the British military in
Europe. The ETA has not been as active internation-
ally as the PIRA, but they conducted a campaign of
terrorism against French nationals in the Basque area
of Spain. Some of the attacks described in this section
are not included in the statistical totals in this paper
because they did not involve more than one nation, but
they do provide insight into the activities of these major
groups.
Western Europe
Although PIRA was not as active in 1980 as in pre-
vious years, the group was able to attack symbols of the
British Government and the Crown. The PIRA assas-
sinated a British Army colonel and attempted to kill
two other British soldiers stationed in Bielefeld, West
Germany. The PIRA also tried to increase pressure on
the British by attempting a mass casualty attack. They
exploded a bomb on a crowded commuter train as it
passed through a tunnel near Belfast, but three people
were killed and 10 to 15 were injured.
Jr ion Embassy in London
aft r British commandos ended
404, W606;
si
Attempting to expand their tactics beyond violence, and apparently did little else to affect British policy in
d
seven PIRA members in Northern Ireland's Maze
Prison conducted a two-month hunger strike which
captured the headlines in British newspapers. After
weeks of negotiations, the British Government refused
to grant political status to the prisoners, the PIRA's
major demand. As several prisoners neared death,
however, the British issued a statement proposing im-
provements in prison conditions. Perhaps realizing it
was the best they could hope to achieve, the P1RA
leaders called a halt to the strike. Although the hunger
strike received a great deal of attention, it failed to
bring about a change in the status of PIRA prisoners
Northern Irelan.
The most publicized terrorist attack in the United
Kingdom did not involve the PIRA or any other well-
established group but was conducted by unknown
Arab terrorists from Iran. The event is most notable
for the successful counterterrorist attack by the British
military.
On 30 April, five armed men seized the Iranian Em-
bassy in London. After capturing 26 hostages, they
demanded the release of 91 prisoners and autonomy for
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an Arab province in Iran. They also demanded an
aircraft to fly them to an undisclosed location. The
terrorists released seven of the hostages and allowed
two deadlines to pass without carrying out their
threats. On 5 May, however, the terrorists killed two
hostages, precipitating the British Government's de-
cision to mount an assault on the Embassy. The
Army's antiterrorist commandos stormed the building
and rescued the remaining hostages, killing three ter-
rorists and capturing two others. This successful oper-
ation was viewed as a major accomplishment by gov-
ernments that have invested in costly training and
elaborate contingency planning for antiterrorist strike
forces.
On the European continent, the ETA,' the Marxist-
Leninist-oriented Basque separatist organization,
assassinated dozens of police and military officers.
They also carried out numerous damaging attacks
against a company that is building a controversial
nuclear power station in the Basque region. For the
first eight months of 1980 the ETA confined itself
mainly to killing policemen and alledged informers.
Toward the end of the year, it expanded its assassina-
tion campaign to include civil servants and military
officers. Despite widespread terrorist activities de-
signed to build popular support and to provoke repres-
sive measures from Madrid, the ETA campaign in
1980 was largely unsuccessful. Popular support in the
Basque region continued to erode and the government
resisted the provocation. During the year, Spanish
ultrarightists conducted sporadic attacks against
Basque targets because of what they saw as a lack of
firm government response to ETA terrorism.
Mainly because of the government's efficient coun-
termeasures, West German terrorists of both the left
and right carried out only a few international terrorist
attacks during the year. The one major exception and
one of the bloodiest attacks recorded in West German
history was the bombing by right-wing terrorists at the
Munich Oktoberfest. The explosive device could have
killed hundreds of people had it not exploded prema-
turely while being emplaced in a crowded area. In-
stead, only 12 people were killed and another 200
injured. The terrorist handling the bomb was killed.
' The ETA consists of the ETA-Political/Military and the ETA-
Military. The ETA-M has carried out most of the terrorist attacks in
recent years.
In Italy, both leftist and rightist terrorism continued in
1980, almost completely confined to domestic violence.
The Red Brigades, although somewhat hampered by
government actions, attacked symbols of the Italian
establishment, including executives, a prominent news-
paperman, a doctor from the prison system, and many
policemen and civil servants. On 13 December, the
Red Brigades abducted a high-ranking magistrate in
the Ministry of Justice, claiming their goal was to force
the government to close the maximum security prison
at Asinara that held some members of the Red Bri-
gades. This was the first time in approximately two
years that the government faced the choice between
possibly sacrificing the life of an official or giving in to
the terrorists' demand. After weeks of uncertainty, a
number of newspapers scorned the government's ban
on publicity and printed several communiques explain-
ing the terrorists' demands. The magistrate ultimately
was released unharmed. This incident gave the Red
Brigades more publicity than any event since the Moro
kidnaping and assassination.
Although right-wing terrorism in Italy has been
overshadowed by that of far-leftist groups for the past
few years, it has continued to be active; the Italian
Government credits almost one-half of all casualties
from terrorism in Italy to right-wing groups. One of
these groups-the neofascist Revolutionary Armed
Nuclei-first claimed and then denied responsibility
for the most lethal incident in 1980, a bomb attack at
the Bologna railroad station on 2 August. Holiday
travelers crowded the station and the explosion killed
over 80 people and injured at least 200. Although
right-wing terrorist groups are small and offer little
real threat to the Italian Government, they are per-
fectly willing to cause mass casualties in their single-
minded intent to destroy their perceived enemies.
These groups are, therefore, particularly disruptive
and dangerous.
Despite the imposition of martial law in all of Turkey's
67 provinces during the latter part of the year, the
Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, the Dev
Yol, and the Marxist-Leninist Armed Propaganda
Unit (MLAPU) succeeded in generating mass public-
ity with a series of international terrorist attacks that
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Dominican Republic Embassy
in Bogota during 61-day siege
by M-19 terrorists.
caused the deaths of two US servicemen. The Arme-
nian terrorists appeared well trained, well equipped,
and efficient as they conducted an assassination cam-
paign against Turkish diplomats worldwide. These at-
tacks occurred in Switzerland, Italy, Greece, France,
the United States, and Australia. The Armenians also
exploded bombs at Turkish facilities in Europe, the
Middle East, and the United States,.
The Dev Yol conducted numerous attacks in Turkey
against both Turkish and US personnel and facilities.
In November, they assassinated a US Air Force ser-
geant at his home in Adana, Turkey.
The MLAPU asssassinated a US Navy chief petty
officer and an El Al airport manager and carried out
numerous attacks against Turkish and American
facilities in Turkey.
Middle East
The US diplomatic hostages continued to be held by
Iran through 1980. This operation differed from pre-
vious embassy seizures in several significant ways. In
Tehran, the captors had the support of the government,
which defied all rules of customary and codified inter-
national legal practice.
In Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). conducted an
active and lethal assassination campaign against So-
viet military advisers during the first part of 1980. The
MB is a Muslim fundamentalist group that attacked
Soviet targets to express a general dislike of the Soviet
Union and the Assad regime and specific opposition to
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Palestinian terrorist actions in 1980 did not reach the
level experienced during the 1970s. The Iran-Iraq war
divided the Arab world, diverting attention from the
Palestinian issue and greatly complicating the PLO's
attempts at diplomacy. The Syrian and Libyan Gov-
ernments, along with many rejectionist Palestinian
groups, attempted to pressure Arafat into curtailing
his diplomacy and keeping his distance from moderate
Arab states.
Fatah, the largest group in the PLO, while presumably
waiting for the results of Arafat's diplomatic initia-
tives, restricted its international terrorist attacks to
Middle East countries. Fatah also continued to train
groups that often use terrorism and maintained con-
tacts with supporters abroad.
Other Palestinian groups met with mixed success. The
Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine-
General Command and the Black June Organization
continued operations against Israel and carried out
attacks in other Middle East countries, especially
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Lebanon. The PFLP was relatively inactive after its
leader, George Habbash, was incapacitated following
surgery in September.
Latin America
In Colombia the 19th of April Movement (M-19) con-
ducted one of the most publicized terrorist attacks of
1980. On 27 February, armed members of M-19 shot
their way into the Dominican Republic Embassy in
Bogota. They timed the attack to coincide with a
diplomatic reception. After taking 57 people hostage,
including the ambassadors of 11 countries, the terror-
ists demanded the release of 311 prisoners, a $50
million ransom, and safe passage out of the country.
During the course of the protracted negotiations, the
terrorists freed a majority of hostages and vastly scaled
down their demands- They finally accepted safe pas-
sage to Cuba and a $2 million private ransom. The
entire incident lasted 61 days and illustrated the suc-
cess of careful, patient negotiation by responsible gov-
ernments in a hostage situation.
In El Salvador, at least 10,000 people were reported
killed by left- and right-wing groups as the nation's
domestic strife spread. El Salvador also ranks high
among countries affected by international terrorism.
The primary targets of attacks in El Salvador included
embassies and private facilities from other Central
American countries, the United States, and Israel.
Several diplomats and business officials were also
assassinated. One example of the attacks on embassies
was the attack on 11 January 1980 on the Panamanian
Embassy in San Salvador, when members of the 28
February Popular League (LP-28) stormed the em-
bassy. They held seven hostages, including the Ambas-
sadors of Panama and Costa Rica, and demanded the
release of seven LP-28 members imprisoned in San
Salvador. After three days of negotiating, the incident
ended on 14 January when the Salvadoran Govern-
ment bowed to the demands of the terrorists and
released the prisoners. The embassy seizure ended with
the safe release of the hostages. In addition the US
Embassy was seriously damaged by a People's Revolu-
tionary Army (ERP) rocket attack on 16 September
1980.
In Guatemala, international terrorist attacks followed
a similar pattern. Leftist terrorist groups attacked
facilities of a few foreign countries and kidnaped for-
eign nationals. The most significant of these incidents
occurred on 31 January 1980. Peasants, sponsored and
transported by Guatemalan leftist groups, entered the
Spanish Embassy and demanded to see the Ambas-
sador. Once inside, they seized hostages, but were
unable to make their demands known because Guate-
malan police swiftly attacked them. Fire that broke out
during the attack caused chaos among terrorists, hos-
tages, and police. Of the more than 30 terrorists and
hostages in the embassy, the only survivors were the
Spanish Ambassador and one of the attackers. The
surviving attacker was kidnaped a few days later and
was subsequently killed.
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Appendix B
Antiterrorist Measures
The Private Sector
In 1980, multinational corporations continued to
search for defensive methods tailored to their own
needs. A number of private security firms joined those
specializing in executive protection programs, risk
analysis, and armored vehicle service. Several victim-
ized corporations hired consultants to advise executives
on how to cope with political violence. Specialized
consultants were also employed to conduct ransom
negotiations and handle payoffs to terrorist groups.
Regional Cooperation
In 1980, cooperation in combating terrorism was a
topic of discussion among European countries. In
November, the North Atlantic Assembly adopted a
resolution on terrorism that urged member govern-
ments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance
to exchange information on terrorist-related groups. It
also sought cooperation on joint measures against
subversive groups that may be directly responsible for
terrorism or that may be providing financial or
logistical support or training for international terror-
ists. In December, the 15 NATO foreign ministers
adopted a Declaration on Terrorism and the US hos-
tages in Iran. That declaration vigorously condemned
terrorist acts as particularly odious, regardless of their
cause or objectives. The foreign ministers agreed that
there is a need for close intergovernmental cooperation
and for effective measures to prevent and combat
terrorism. In December, the Spanish introduced a
resolution at the Conference on Security of Central
Europe in Madrid which condemned international ter-
rorism. The resolution was widely supported by the
conference participants. To date, however, little
measurable action has resulted from any of these meet-
ings, although the meetings continue to serve as a
useful forum for exchanging information and reaching
tentative agreements on international terrorism.
United Nations
During 1980, four nations ratified the General Assem-
bly's convention against the taking of hostages. The
convention, which had been in various UN committees
for three years, was adopted by consensus in December
1979. It calls for states to prosecute or extradite hos-
tage-takers without exception. Language on the rights
of national liberation movements, the right of asylum,
and the Geneva conventions and protocols on the law of
war was included, thereby insuring greater support for
the final document. Forty states have signed the
convention, which will come into effect when it is
ratified by 18 more states.
In December, the General Assembly also adopted a
consensus resolution sponsored by the Nordic countries
calling for effective measures to enhance the protec-
tion, security, and safety of diplomatic and consular
missions. The resolution reaffirmed the need for all
states to ensure the security of diplomatic missions and
to prohibit on their territories illegal activities directed
against such offices.
The Venice Economic Summit
In June, the Venice Economic Summit of Heads of
State and Government of seven of the world's leading
industrialized democracies adopted a Statement on the
Taking of Diplomatic Hostages. The statement called
on all governments to take appropriate measures to
deny terrorists any benefit from their criminal acts and
stated that the seven states would provide resident
diplomatic missions their mutual support and assist-
ance in situations involving the seizure of diplomatic
facilities or personnel.
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Appendix C
Statistical Data
Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Incidents,
1980, by Category
North
America
Latin Western
America Europe
USSR/
Eastern
Europe
Sub-
Saharan
Africa
Middle
East/
North
Africa
Asia
Pacific Other
Total
Total
90
(11.8)
178
(23.4)
204
(26.8)
7
(0.9)
29
(3.8)
195
(25.7)
46
(6.1)
3
(0.4)
8
(1.1)
760
Kidnaping
0
13
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
17
(2.2)
Barricade-hostage
0
22
5
0
0
3
0
0
1
31
(3.9)
Letter bombing
0
2
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
(0.4)
Incendiary bombing
3
5
27
0
0
8
1
1
0
45
(5.9)
Explosive bombing
25
33
71
2
6
66
19
1
4
227
(29.9)
Armed attack
0
8
6
0
2
32
3
0
0
51
(6.7)
Hijacking b
15
7
3
2
3
4
1
0
1
36
(4.7)
Assassination
6
21
35
0
2
39
2
1
1
107
(14.1)
Exotic pollution
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
(0.1)
Threat
17
29
2
3
20
7
0
0
117
(15.4)
Theft, break-in
0
2
1
7
0
0
0
0
14
(1.8)
Conspiracy
2
2
0
0
8
1
0
0
15
(2.0)
Hoax
17
10
0
0
5
10
0
1
48
(6.3)
Other actions
4
9
0
3
3
0
0
0
20
(2.6)
Sniping
1
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
23
(3.0)
Shootout with police
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
(0.4)
Arms smuggling
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
(0.3)
a Figures in parentheses are percentages of the total accounted for by
each category.
b Includes hijackings by means of air, sea, or land transport.
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Figure 8
International Terrorist Incidents by Category of Attack, 1968-80
100
1968 70 72 74 76 78 80
Armed Attacks
25
300
200
100
100
1968 70 72 74 76 78 80
Sniping
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP90-01137R000100050001-3
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP90-01137R000100050001-3
International Terrorist Attacks on US Citizens or Property,
1968-80, by Category
Total
71
(2.4)
124
(4.2)
266
(9.0)
243
(8.2)
255
(8.6)
237
(8.0)
216
(7.3)
181
(6.1)
231
(7.8)
195
(6.6)
396
(13.4)
256
(8.7)
278
(9.4)
2,949
Kidnaping
1
3
25
19
5
23
14
23
8
7
8
8
10
154
(5.2)
Barricade-hostage
1
0
4
0
1
3
2
1
2
3
0
6
7
30
(1.0)
Letter bombing
2
1
2
0
29
3
1
0
4
7
0
4
2
55
(1.9)
Incendiary bombing
12
21
46
42
18
30
31
17
56
58
80
29
23
463
(15.7)
Explosive bombing
35
71
87
100
97
74
127
95
65
70
95
93
72
1,081
(36.7)
Armed attack
1
4
3
5
10
8
6
7
8
5
12
10
11
90
(3.0)
Hijackingb
1
5
12
4
4
0
1
2
5
4
3
15
20
76
(2.5)
Assassination
3
3
10
2
4
4
2
8
15
6
7
10
19
93
(3.2)
Sabotage
0
0
0
3
3
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
10
(0.3)
Threat
11
12
51
51
71
77
19
19
53
22
161
47
50
644
(21.8)
Theft, break-in
0
3
15
8
1
3
4
3
1
0
7
4
13
62
(2.1)
Conspiracy
1
0
2
2
1
2
4
3
1
2
4
3
6
31
(1.1)
Hoax
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
25
27
(0.9)
Other actions
0
0
3
5
7
2
2
1
4
2
11
3
10
50
(1.7)
Sniping
2
1
5
2
3
0
3
1
6
8
7
20
9
67
(2.3)
Shootout with police
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
4
(0.1)
Arms smuggling
1
0
0
0
1
7
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
12
(0.4)
a Figures in parentheses are percentages of the total accounted for by
each category.
b Includes hijacking by means of air, sea, or land transport.
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP90-01137R000100050001-3
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP90-01137R000100050001-3
Geographic Distribution of International Terrorist Attacks on US Citizens or Property,
1980, by Category
North Latin
America America
Western
Europe
Sub-
Saharan
Africa
Middle
East/North
Africa
Asia
Pacific
Other
Total
Kidnaping
0
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
Barricade-hostage
0
5
2
0
0
0
0
0
7
Letter bombing
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Incendiary bombing
0
1
14
0
7
0
1
0
23
Explosive bombing
6
20
9
1
19
16
0
1
72
Armed attack
0
5
1
1
3
1
0
0
11
Hijacking a
15
0
1
3
0
1
0
0
20
Assassination
3
10
0
2
4
0
0
0
19
Threat
2
21
14
0
7
6
0
0
50
Theft, break-in
0
4
2
7
0
0
0
0
13
Conspiracy
0
2
1
0
2
1
0
0
6
Hoax
0
4
8
0
3
9
0
1
25
Other actions
0
1
6
1
2
Sniping
0
8
0
0
0
1
0
0
9
Shootout with police
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP90-01137R000100050001-3