Modern Terrorism Timeline 1972 - Today

Munich Olympics September 5, 1972 Membersof the Israeli olympic team were taken hostage during the 1972 Summer Olympics, in Muncih Germany, by the Palestinian group, Black September.  This was the first (unintentionally) televised terrorist attack in history.

Iran Hostage Crisis November 4, 1979 In Tehran, Iranian radicals seized the U.S. Embassy, after President Carter agreed to let the Shah of Iran into the United States. They took 66 American diplomats hostage.  First, 13 hostages were released, but the other 53 were held until January of '81.

Hijacking at the Rome Airport Dec. 17, 1973 First, five terrorists killed two bystanders whilst exposing their weapons in the terminal lounge at the Rome Airport.  They then hijacked a Pan American 707 on its way to Beirut and Tehran.  Twenty nine people were killed.

Assassination of Egyptian President Oct. 6, 1981 Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, was killed during a troop review.  The perpetrators were soldiers who duped as members of the Takfir Wal-Hajira sect.

Bombing of US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon April 18, 1983 The Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack on the US Embassy by a 400-pound suicide bomb in Beirut, Lebanon. Sixty-three people were killed, and 120 were injured.

Bombing of Marine Barracks Oct. 23, 1983 A US compound in Beirut was attacked by a 12,000-pound bomb, killing 242 Americans. Meanwhile, 58 French troops were killed when a French base was attacked by a 400-pound bomb . Islamic Jihad was responsible.

Naval Officer Assassinated in Greece Nov. 15, 1983 In Athens, Greece, a US Navy officer was shot while in his car, stopped at a red light. The Nov. 17 terrorist group was responsible.

Restaurant Bombing in Spain April 12, 1984 In Torrejon Spain, a restaurant was bombed near a US Air Force Base, killing 18 US servicemen, and injuring 83.

TWA Hijacking June 14, 1985 Two Lebanese Hizballah terrorists hijacked a Trans-World Airlines flight, and flew it to Beirut. The crew members and hostages were held hostage for 17 days, in which a US Navy Sailor was murdered.

Achille Lauro Hijacking Oct. 7, 1985 Four Palestinian Liberation Front terrorists took over 700 hostages when seizing an Italian cruise liner in the Mediterranean Sea. One American passenger was murdered before granted freedom.

Airport Attacks in Rome and Vienna Dec. 27, 1985 The Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome was attacked by the Abu Nidal Organization. They bombarded the ticket counters with grenades and automatic rifles. Thirteen people were killed, while 75 were wounded. Three of the gunmen were killed, and the fourth was captured. At the Schwechat Airport in Vienna, more Abu Nidal terrorists attacked, killing three people and injuring 30.

Assassination of US Army Officer April 21, 1989 Colonel James Rowe and two other US government defense contractors were assassinated by the New People’s Army, in Manila.

World Trade Center Bombing Feb. 26, 1993 A car bomb was put in front of the WTC by Islamic terrorists (part of the Umar Abd al-Rahman). Six people died and 1,000 were injured.

Athens Embassy Attack Feb. 15, 1996 A rocket was fired at the US Embassy compound in Athens. No injuries, just surrounding vehicles and buildings. The perps. Are unidentified.

Terrorist Attack at WTC Sep. 11, 2001 Two airplanes were hijacked and crashed into the twin towers in NYC, as well as the Pentagon building. The fourth hijacked plane’s course failed. 3,025 US citizens were killed. Osama bin Laden was claimed to have been the mastermind behind the whole attack.

Kidnapping of Daniel Pearl Jan. 23, 2002 Reporter from Wall Street /journal was kidnapped in Karachi, Islam. The four subjects murdered Daniel, and were convicted on July 15. Saeed, the leader was sentenced to death. The other three were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bomb Attack on U.S. Diplomats in the Gaza Strip Oct. 15, 2003 A car was bombed in a US diplomatic convoy, passing through the Northern Gaza strip. All of the employees of DynCorp were killed, as well as three security guards. The diplomats were about to do an interview that would get them scholarships to study in the US. Palestinian President and Prime Minister dismissed the attack, but military forces arrested suspects the next day.

Civilian Vehicle Attacked in Iraq April 9, 2004 Unknown perpetrators attacked a civilian vehicle near Baghdad. Eight US contractors were kidnapped. Five of which were found dead later that month. The sixth was found dead the following January, the seventh escaped, and the eighth’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Bombing of Transportation Targets in London Jul. 7, 2005 The morning of, four suicide bombers were station at four different locations within the commuter rail transit system, in London, UK. Their weapons were IEDs (improvised explosive devices) disguised in backpacks.

Hostages Found and Freed in Baghdad March 23, 2006 Three hostages were freed in Baghdad, Iraq, by US and British troops. The Swords of Righteousness Brigades were responsible.

Cite Information: http://www.army.mil/terrorism/1979-1970/index.html http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/munich.html http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0212088/tertime.htm   Pictures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jul/27/alqaida.egypt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_United_States_embassy_bombing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing http://www.defence.pk/forums/u-s-foreign-affairs/50073-us-has-no-better-friend-than-israel-2.html http://www.xtimeline.com/evt/view.aspx?id=796784 http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/oct-7-1985-palestinian-gunmen-hijack-achille-lauro/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_and_Vienna_airport_attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_N._Rowe http://factreal.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/remembering-the-first-world-trade-center-bombing-february-26-1993/ http://911digitalarchive.org/galleries.php?collection_id=26 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020129/world.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-10/16/content_272506.htm

Reflection 3 Most Memorable Events: Bombing of Transportation System in London—this caught my attention right away, because I remember reading about a first-hand account in a magazine a few years ago. World Trade Center bombing in 1993—I didn’t know that the WTC was targeted before 9/11. This provided me with a more in-depth perception of the entire 9/11 event. The Munich Olympics—I think that it is interesting that this was the very first televised terrorist attack, caught live on tape. 2 Events/ People I Would Like to Learn More About: New People’s Army—I have never heard of this terrorist group before. They’ve done some damage, so I think it’s odd that they are not familiar at all. Islamic Jihad group—This group showed up quite frequently on the timeline, so I’m interested in their other involvements with terrorism. How to Stop Terrorism: If there was an actual cure for terrorism, it would have been found by now. There really isn’t any way to get everyone on the earth to see the same light, but people can rid the world of ignorance and prejudice through promotion and example. If people see how functional peace and acceptance is, they might follow that lead. Those are what most conflicts birth from, anyway, so to eliminate them would be to eliminate and excuse for war.