The balance—if it can be called that—between the IRA’s constitutional goals of “revolutionary armed struggle” and political actions has tipped dramatically during the last decade in favour of the former. This is especially true where Irish Republican terrorism “out-of-theatre” is concerned; i.e., the conduct of terrorist operations in the UK and Europe. The author, an…

Statement of Robert M. Blitzer, Chief Domestic Terrorism/Counterterrorism Planning Section Federal Bureau of Investigation Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on National Security Washington, D.C. November 4, 1997 Thank you Mr. Chairman for this opportunity to address the committee on the FBI’s role in the federal response to the use of weapons of…

Global terrorism dropped to a 25-year low in 1996, but last year’s attacks were much more deadly than in the past, according to a State Department report released April 30. The number of international terrorist incidents dropped from a peak of 665 in 1987 to 296 in 1996, State Department officials said. The death toll,…

from the CIA’s biannual “Acquisition of Technology Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions” report to Congress, January-June 2001. Released January 2002. The threat of terrorists using chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials appears to be rising—particularly since the 11 September attacks. Several of the 30 designated foreign terrorist organizations and…

An armed man stole a single engine airplane and threatens to crash the aircraft into the city. The airplane has been circling buildings in the financial district of Frankfurt. The plane was stolen Sunday afternoon from an airfield at Babenhausen. A helicopter and two military jets were dispatched to force the aircraft away from the…

The British Foreign Office will overhaul the system of travel advisories after last year’s failure to provide any terrorist bombing warnings to travelers going to Bali and Mombasa. The findings of a government report highlighted the “serious misjudgment” in providing travel advice regarding Bali. Next week more than 150 British ambassadors will meet in London…

STATEMENT OF LISA E. GORDON-HAGERTY, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEFENSE PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY House of Representatives, Committee on National Security, Military Research and Development Subcommittee, Washington, DC, Wednesday, October 1, 1997. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:35 p.m. in room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Curt Weldon (chairman of the…

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen Council on Foreign Relations New York, New York. September 14, 1998 When I leave my office to walk to the National Military Command Center, I pass through a corridor that is decorated with quotations on the walls. My favorite is one by Robert…

Defense Issues: Volume 11, Number 59– Combating Terrorism in Saudi Arabia The U.S. military presence in the Middle East is essential to protect vital national interests. Despite recent terrorist attacks and the threat of more to come, the United States will not be driven from its mission. Prepared statements of by Defense Secretary William J.…

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright Remarks to the American Legion Convention New Orleans, Louisiana, September 9, 1998. As released by the Office of the Spokesman U.S. Department of State SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much, Commander Jordan, National Adjutant Spanogle and members of the American Legion and honored guests. I know that you will…

Testimony by Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., Coordinator for Counterterrorism, before the House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Washington, DC, March 5, 1996. Mr. Chairman: Thank you for this opportunity to testify about the responsibilities and activities of the Department of State in combating international terrorism. Americans view with growing concern the threat…

Air Force News June 16, 1995 WASHINGTON (AFNS Features) — If you or a member of your family works for the U.S. government, terrorists might take aim at you, say Army intelligence officials in a recent security awareness report. Officials said the reason why military people are targets for terrorism is because they “visibly represent…

Remarks as delivered by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry to the American Bar Association, Orlando, Fla., Aug. 6, 1996. Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked, “If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of revolution? When the old and the new stand side by side? When…

By Douglas J. Gillert American Forces Press Service SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Terrorists in the years ahead will become less politically motivated and more attuned to religious, fanatical zealotry. Less concerned than ever about international repercussions, they will seek ways to reap mass casualties on an unprepared public. The United States will most often be…

Palestinian terrorists over the last year have been targeting foreign workers in Tel Aviv. Two suicide bombers working in tandem killed 24 and injured over 80 people near the old central bus station in Tel Aviv. The area around the old central bus station is heavily populated with foreign workers. Cheap labor is an economic…

Canadian Security Intelligence Service 1996 Public Report PART II: CANADA’S COUNTER-TERRORISM PROGRAM International terrorism threatens public safety and challenges the civil authorities and democratic structures of developed states. In Western Europe, the governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, to name three of the more populous countries, have had to deal with difficult problems…

Remarks by Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox. Jr. before the Denver Council on Foreign Relations, Denver, Colorado, September 12, 1996. Mr. Chairman, Members and Guests of the Denver Council on Foreign Relations, It’s great to be back in my home town and I’m honored to address this group. Growing up here, I attended…

Testimony before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs by the DCI, John M. Deutch – 20 March 1996 The testimony that this Subcommittee heard last week underscores the fact that the threat of a nuclear attack involving hundreds or thousands of weapons from the former Soviet Union has been…

G. Davidson (Tim) Smith Winter 1998 Unclassified Editors Note: Dr. G. Davidson (Tim) Smith is a counter-terrorism specialist with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In this issue he examines extremist militancy associated with animal rights, environmentalism and abortion as encountered in North America and the United Kingdom. Disclaimer: Publication of an article in the COMMENTARY…

Naseer Ahmed Rohi, a former Taliban diplomat told reporters that Taliban fugitives have obtained chemical weapons and would use them. Full Story

Chapter 9 of the U.S. Department of Defense’s 1997 Annual Defense Report The number and lethality of international terrorist incidents directed against U.S. interests increased last year. The Riyadh and Al Khobar bombings in Saudi Arabia resulted in the largest number of U.S. fatalities at the hands of international terrorists since the December 1988 downing…

There is much confusion over what terrorism is and is not. The following is an essay from the US Army’s Command & General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The essay does an excellent job of explaining not only the basics of terrorism, but also details the US policy towards this phenomenon. U.S. Army, Field…

One of the six senior Al-Qaida leaders is active in the Middle East attempting to enlist Palestinians as part of terror cells, a senior officer in the IDF General Staff said Wednesday. According to the officer, the leader of the international terror network, which has begun to establish Palestinian cells, has arrived to aid with…

A Renewed Challenge for the Security Educator Reprinted from the Interagency OPSEC Support Staff, Intelligence Threat Handbook, May 1996, Section 4. Introduction This article assesses the threat posed by terrorism to the United States and examines the role that OPSEC plays in protecting U.S. interests against terrorist attack. In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee…

by Lynn F. Fischer DoD Security Institute While the international terrorist threat to U.S. persons and property is the continuing concern of U.S. defense and law enforcement organizations, there is another dimension to contemporary terrorism that must receive at least as much attention in security awareness programs: domestic terrorism. This brand of programmed violence which…

A Renewed Challenge for the Security Educator by Lynn F. Fischer DoD Security Institute The major focus on this issue of the Security Awareness Bulletin is antiterrorism and specifically what the security educator in defense components and industry should be conveying on this subject to the employee or service-member population. The articles included here may…

A Pakistani jeweler’s picture was used by the same forger who created fake passports for the five men the FBI is seeking and suspects crossed into the United States from Canada. Full Story

From Terrorism: National Security Policy and the Home Front, Edited by Stephen Pelletiere, published by The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, May 1995. INTRODUCTION If there is a “fog of war,” there is probably a more dense “smog of terrorism,” for the small nature of terrorist groups, their close interpersonal communications,…

“…we [China] should formally turn nonmilitary activities such as computer hacking, financial intrusion, and media propaganda into methods of warfare and form a many-stranded “combination of non-restriction” with the aim of defeating the enemy and winning victory. The book also mentions the real threat posed to such a military power as the United States by…

Original TRC Analysis paper on cyberterrorism published in 1996. Provides definition and analysis of information terrorism within the context of conventional terrorism and information warfare. Full Article

11 June 1998 (NIPC chief Vatis testifies on steps to counter threats) The Department of Defense is a “prime target for individual (computer) hackers who want to test their skills,” as well as for people with “more malicious motives who are interested in looking at what they can find in DOD systems,” says the chief…

The great struggles of the twentieth century between liberty and totalitarianism ended with a decisive victory for the forces of freedom—and a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. In the twenty-first century, only nations that share a commitment to protecting basic human rights and guaranteeing political and economic freedom will…

by Neal A. Pollard, Co-Director, Terrorism Research Center Possibly, we will see a relative decline, perhaps even extinction, of what we traditionally considered “ideological” terrorism: namely, the phenomenon that brought terrorism to the global stage via hijackings and bombings beginning around 1968, perpetrated by such groups as Red Army Faction, Red Brigades, Japanese Red Army,…

by Brian K. Houghton and Neal A. Pollard, Directors, Terrorism Research Center The demise of TWA Flight 800 likely was the result of accidental mechanical failure. However, by preying upon the public’s justified paranoia of terrorism, and by exacerbating a crisis environment with inflammatory speculation, false leads, and conspiracy spinning, the media created a general…

by Thomas Hunter There is no question that terrorist incidents will continue to plague the international community well into the foreseeable future. One primary reason for this is the inherent difficulty involved in preventing a terrorist attack before it occurs. Another is the often fanatical nature of individuals who carry out the – often suicidal…

By James P. Denney Civil Integration and Response Defense Science Board in response to Pollard Analysis The views and opinions expressed in the following essay are those of the contributor and not necessarily of the Terrorism Research Center. While I agree that terrorism and crime are two separate issues my thoughts are that an alliance…

By Michael E. Brown, Bogota, Colombia in response to Pollard Analysis The views and opinions expressed in the following essay are those of the contributor and not necessarily of the Terrorism Research Center. Terrorism and Organized Crime. Colombia is currently experiencing a phenomenon linking organized crime and terrorism that bears close examination. Colombia is home…

by Neal A. Pollard, Director, Terrorism Research Center, June 1998 Since the end of the Cold War, the US national security community has been concerned about, among other things, four particular security issues—proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), terrorism, transnational organized crime, and international narcotics trafficking. The past decade has clearly seen profound geopolitical,…

by Ronald Rouhier The subject heading was taken from Paul Wilkinson’s article for the Canadian Security Services posted on the TRC Research page. One of the cornerstones that Professor Wilkinson stressed in the fight against international terrorism is that one country should automatically accept the definition of the title of this opinion. The United States…

Scanning the Spring 2000 news from Russia’s North Caucasus region might suggest that terrorism and insurgency there are on the run: Chechen resistance leader Shamil Basayev lost a leg to a mine while fleeing a Russian assault; Chechen ‘president’ Aslan Maskhadov and Chechen Mujahedin leader Ibn al-Khattab are at large; and Chechen warlord Salman Raduyev…

Paper presented by TRC Director Caleb Temple in Arlington, Virginia, at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies “Counterterrorism Strategies for the 21st Century: Asian and Pacific Basin Perspectives” conference, August 26, 1999. Terrorism in Asia poses a significant challenge to local governments, their populations and U.S. interests. Several countries currently suffer from continuing attacks by…

Remarks presented by TRC Director Caleb Temple in Arlington, Virginia, at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies “Counterterrorism Strategies for the 21st Century: Asian and Pacific Basin Perspectives” conference, August 26, 1999. Begin remarks: First, let me please state that the views expressed in my comments are my own, and do not reflect the official…

by Geoffrey S. French1 Attempts to link information warfare and deterrence were inevitable. Emerging at the end of the Cold War, the concept of information warfare seemed to offer new relevancy for old doctrines, policies, or ideas. Many leaders and analysts, searching for new foreign policy priorities and grand strategies, have linked information warfare to…

TRC Threat Assessment – August 25, 2000 The terrorist threat to the Australian Olympics is currently assessed as low. This assessment is based on the following considerations. A number of terrorist groups, both regional organizations such as the Abu Sayyaf Group and transnational groups such as Usama Bin Ladin’s Al-Qaida network, are capable of conducting…

A light and humorous essay on the role of umbrellas in current terrorist operations by TRC Associate Chris Quillen. Full Article

A well-researched analysis of WMD terrorism. by Chris Quillen, TRC Associate Full Article

The next President of the United States will inherit many of the same national security threats that bedeviled the Clinton Administration. However, the next President will also face a unique opportunity to craft a 21st Century policy to fight terrorism–a policy that recognizes the reality of terrorism in the context of geopolitics, globalization, and the…

The bomb blasts that killed took 200 people on the resort island of Bali were the work of professionals and shows the presence of the al Qaeda network in Indonesia, Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil said Monday. Full Story

The Bush administration overturned a Pentagon plan to restrict foreign flights in New York and Washington on Sept. 11 after concluding it would break international agreements, officials said yesterday. The ban would have prevented foreign-owned airlines from flying over, into or out of the New York area, including all three of its international airports, for…

07/31/1978France, Iraq – An Al-Fatah Terrorist Seizes Iraqi Embassy 07/31/1969Spain – The terrorist group Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) was founded. 08/02/1990Iraq, Kuwait – Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait 08/02/1980Italy – Bologna Train Station Bombing Full Story and More Dates

A bomb hidden in a bag ripped through a busy cafeteria at Hebrew University, killing seven people Wednesday as it shattered the academic peace and left behind pools of blood in one of the few places where young Jews and Arabs still mixed freely. Full Story

An Algerian who infiltrated a London mosque for the British intelligence service has shed new light on suspected links between the 1999 activities at an Oregon ranch and the al-Qaida terror network. Full Story

Zacarias Moussaoui, the first person facing U.S. criminal charges related to the September 11 terrorist attacks, has asked his court-appointed lawyers to help him review the voluminous government evidence in the case. Full Story

A special appeal panel ruled Tuesday that emergency legislation passed after Sept. 11, under which foreign terrorist suspects have been held without trial, is discriminatory. Nine suspects detained under the legislation had appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission against the measure. Full Story

All Virginia government employees who work in potential terrorism targets such as water treatment plants, tunnels and electrical facilities will undergo criminal background checks when they are hired, state officials said today. Full Story

An assistant United States attorney told relatives of people who died on United Flight 93, the hijacked jet that crashed in western Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, that he believed that the passengers had broken down the cockpit door with a food cart, a book being published on Tuesday says. Full Story

An attempt by the US government to extradite a London-based Islamic bookseller on charges that he funded al-Qaida was thwarted in court yesterday after the home secretary ruled that there was insufficient evidence to proceed. Full Story

A hapless would-be car bomber who was intercepted after a traffic accident in the heart of Kabul told interrogators he was assigned by al-Qaida to assassinate President Hamid Karzai or, failing that, to kill foreigners in the Afghan capital, an Afghan intelligence chief said Wednesday. Full Story

A man who authorities said sold fake identification to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers apparently left on a flight to Egypt before authorities raided his home and businesses Wednesday, officials said. Full Story

Breakaway Kurds in northern Iraq warned the U.S. yesterday against counting on their support for an attack to oust dictator Saddam Hussein. Full Story