Significant Terrorist Incidents: a Chronology

1. Kidnapping of Italian Prime Minister, March 16, 1978: Premier Aldo Moro was seized by the Red Brigade and assassinated 55 days later.

2. Iran Hostage Crisis, November 4,1979: After President Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian radicals seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until their release on January 20, 1981.

3. Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, September, 14, 1982: Premier Bashir Gemayel was assassinated by a car bomb parked outside his party's Beirut headquarters.

4. Assassination of Prime Minister Gandhi, October 31, 1984: The Indian premier was shot to death by members of her security force.

5. TWA Hijacking, June 14, 1985: A Trans-World Airlines flight was hijacked en route to Rome from Athens by two Lebanese Hizballah terrorists and forced to fly to Beirut. The eight crew members and 145 passengers were held hostage for seventeen days, during which one American hostage, a U.S. Navy sailor, was murdered. The aircraft was returned to Beirut after Israel released 435 Lebanese and Palestinian hostages.

6. Achille Lawro Hijacking, October 7, 1985: Four Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists seized the Italian cruise liner in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, taking more than 700 hostages. One U.S. passenger was murdered before the Egyptian Government offered the terrorists safe haven1 in return for the hostages' freedom.

7. Kimpo Airport Bombing, September 14, 1986: North Korean agents detonated an explosive device at Seoul's Kimpo Airport, killing five persons and injuring 29 others.

8. U.S. Embassy Bombed in Peru, January 15, 1990: The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement bombed the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru.

9. Attempted Iraqi Attacks on U.S. Posts, January 18-19, 1991: Iraqi agents planted bombs at the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia's residence and at the USIS (United States Information Service) library in Manila.

10. Kidnapping of U.S. Businessmen in the Philippines, January 17-21, 1992: A senior official of the corporation Philippine Geothermal was kidnapped in Manila by the Red Scorpion Group, and two U.S. businessmen were seized by the National Liberation Army and by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

11. Bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17, 1992: Hizballah claimed responsibility for a blast that destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, causing the deaths2 of 29 and wounding 242.

12. World Trade Center Bombing, February 26, 1993: the World Trade Center in New York City was badly damaged when a car bomb planted by Islamic terrorists exploded in an underground garage. The bomb left six people dead and 1,000 injured. The men carrying out the attack were followers of Unar Abd al-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric who preached in the New York City area.

13. Attempted Assassination of President Bush by Iraqi Agents, April 14, 1993: The Iraqi intelligence service attempted to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait.

14. Tokyo Subway Station Attack, March 20, 1995: Twelve persons were killed, and 5,700 were injured in a Sarin nerve gas attack on a crowded subway station in the center of Tokyo, Japan. A similar attack occurred nearly simultaneously in the Yokohama subway system. The Aum Shinri-kyu cult was blamed for the attacks.

15. Egyptian Embassy Attack, November 19,1995: A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the Egyptian Embassy compound in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least sixteen and injuring 60 persons. Three militant Islamic groups claimed responsibility.

16. Kidnapping in Colombia, January 19, 1996: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas3 kidnapped a U.S. citizen and demanded a $1 million ransom. The hostage was released on May 22.

17. Hamas Bus Attack, February 26, 1996: In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber blew up a bus, killing 26 persons, including three U.S. citizens, and injuring some 80 persons including three other U.S. citizens.

18. Paris Subway Explosion, December 3, 1996: A bomb exploded aboard a Paris subway train as it arrived at the Port Royal station, killing two French nationals, a Moroccan, and a Canadian, and injuring 86 persons. Among those injured were one U.S. citizen and a Canadian. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Algerian extremists are suspected.

19. Tupac Amaru Seizure of Diplomats, December 17, 1996: Twenty-three members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) took several hundred people hostage at a party given at the Japanese Ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru. Among the hostages were several U.S. officials, foreign ambassadors and other diplomats, Peruvian Government officials, and Japanese businessmen. The group demanded the release of all MRTA members in prison and safe passage4 for them and the hostage takers. The terrorists released most of the hostages in December but held 81 Peruvians and Japanese hostages for several months.

20. Venezuelan Abduction, February 14, 1997: Six armed Colombian guerrillas kidnapped a U.S. oil engineer and his Venezuelan pilot in Apure, Venezuela. The kidnappers released the Venezuelan pilot on February 22. According to authorities, the FARC is responsible for the kidnapping.

21. Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, September 4, 1997: Three suicide bombers of Hamas detonated bombs in the Ben Yehuda shopping mall in Jerusalem, killing eight persons, including the bombers, and wounding nearly 200 others. A dual U.S.-Israeli citizen was among the dead, and seven U.S. citizens were wounded.

22. FARC Abduction, March 21-23, 1998: FARC rebels5 kidnapped a U.S. citizen in Sabaneta, Colombia. FARC members also killed three persons, wounded fourteen, and kidnapped at least 27 others at a roadblock near Bogota. Four U.S. citizens and one Italian were among those kidnapped, as well as the acting president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and his wife.

23. U.S. Embassy Bombings in East Africa, August 7, 1998: A bomb exploded at the rear entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killing twelve U.S. citizens, and 247 Kenyan citizens. About 500 Kenyans and six U.S. citizens were injured. Almost simultaneously, a bomb detonated outside the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing three Tanzanian citizens, and injuring one U.S. citizen and 76 Tanzanians. The explosion caused major damage6 to the U.S. Embassy facility. The U.S. Government held Usama Bin Ladin responsible.

24. Ugandan Rebel Attack, February 14, 1999: A bomb exploded inside a bar, killing five persons and injuring 35 others. One Ethiopian and four Ugandan nationals died in the blast. Ugandan authorities blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

25. Greek Embassy Seizure, February 16, 1999: Kurdish protesters stormed and occupied the Greek Embassy in Vienna, taking the Greek Ambassador and six other persons hostage. Several hours later the protesters released the hostages and left the embassy. The attack followed the Turkish Government's announcement of the successful capture8 of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Kurds also occupied Kenyan, Israeli, and Greek diplomatic facilities in France, Holland, Switzerland, Britain, and Germany over the following days.

26. Hutu Abductions, March 1, 1999: 150 armed Hutu rebels attacked three tourist camps in Uganda, killed four Ugandans, and abducted three U.S. citizens, six Britons, three New Zealanders, two Danish citizens, one Australian, and one Canadian national. Two of the U.S. citizens and six of the other hostages were subsequently killed by their abductors.

27. ELN Hostage-taking, March 23, 1999: Armed guerrillas kidnapped a U.S. citizen in Boyaca, Colombia. The National Liberation Army (ELN) claimed responsibility and demanded a $400,000 ransom. On July 20, ELN rebels released the hostage unharmed after they were paid a $48.000 ransom.

28. Indian Airlines Airbus Hijacking, December 24, 1999: Five militants9 hijacked a flight bound from Kathmandu to New Delhi carrying 189 people. The plane and its passengers were released unharmed on December 31.

29. Helicopter Hijacking, October 12, 2000: In Sucumbios Province, Ecuador, a group of armed kidnappers led by members of the Colombian terrorist organization the National Liberation Army (EPL) took hostage ten employees of the Spanish energy consortium REPSOL. Those kidnapped included five U.S. citizens, one Argentine, one Chilean, one New Zealander, and two French pilots who escaped10 four days later. On January 30, 2001, the kidnappers murdered the American hostage Ronald Sander. The remaining hostages were released on February 23 following the payment of thirteen million dollars in ransom by the oil companies.

30. ETA Bombing, March 9, 2001: Two policemen were killed by the explosion of a car bomb in Hernani, Spain.