Terrorism

Carol LamPeriod 6

Munich Olympics

Munich Olympics

• Eight Palestinian men, known as Black September, held 11 Israeli athletes hostage at the Munich Olympics, demanding the Israeli government to release 200 Arab prisoners and a safe passage out of Germany. It was the first terrorist attack to be globally televised in real time, attracting a large audience.

• German police confronted the terrorists twice • The helicopter that the Israelis were kept in was blown up by a

terrorist grenade, killing 3.• The remaining 9 were shot to death by one remaining terrorist• 5 of the 8 members of Black September were killed, along with

one policeman. • The remaining terrorists were set free

TWA Flight 841

TWA Flight 841

Flight 841 was enroute to New York City, from Tel Aviv, when it exploded in mid-air. The plane exploded and crashed into the Ionian Sea, after taking off at a layover in Athens, September 8th, 1974• sabotage was seen as “highly unlikely” by TWA representative, but a

youth organization in Beirut with connections to Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal claimed responsibility for placing a bomb on the plane

• However, in May 1995, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will find that the plane was destroyed by a bomb

• The bomb killed 79 passengers and 9 crew members• Although the case was never resolved, a suspect was identified as a

man named Al-Jawary who was also a part of the terrorist attack in Munich 1972

Ma’a lot Massacre

Ma’a lot MassacreOn May 15, 1974, three members of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine snuck across the border of Lebanon to Israel. Dressed as Israeli soldiers, they went to Ma’alot where they entered the Netiv Meir elementary school. • They held 105 students hostage and 10 adults • The students were forced to sit on the floor at gunpoint with explosives in

between them• Demanded the Israeli government to release 23 prisoners that were charged

for terrorism by 6:00 PM that same day• Some students and teachers were able to escape by jumping out windows• The terrorists were unable to free any prisoners and 22 students were killed

and 50 were injured.

TWC Bombing in 1993

TWC Bombing in 1993On Friday 26, 1993, a group of Islamic extremists drove a van with a bomb into the parking garage of the World Trade Center. The bomb collapsed several levels of the building and almost instantly killed 6. • Found 3 terrorists involved with the bombing a month later and were

sentenced to prison for life• Found the mastermind who created the bomb in 1995 in Pakistan. Also

sentenced to prison for life. • revealed that the bomb was intended to explode and also knock over the

next tower along with it• Motivated radically by Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, a radical Egyptian

religious leader who operated in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Oklahoma City Bombing

Oklahoma City bombingOn April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols plant a truck bomb outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The death toll was 168, including 19 children that were in the building’s day care. • McVeigh was deeply radicalized after discharging from the army during

the Cold War. He shifted from hating communist governments to being highly suspicious of the US government

• McVeigh was executed by lethal injection while Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison

Manhattan Attack FALN

Manhattan Attack FALN

On January 24, 1997 Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN bombed US Defense builds and Mobil Oil buildings. 8 were injured and 1 death was counted. • One escaped to Cuba and is still free to this day while

others who were involved were sentenced to 89 years of prison

• Effected the defense capabilities, power, and financial loss

9/11

September 11, 2001On 9/11, the Islamist group al Queda hijacked 4 jet airplanes and organized 4 separate suicide attacks on the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon. • Planes hijacked: American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175,

American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93• Casualties: 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers• al Queda wanted to express their retalliation to the US’ democratic and

capitalist beliefs

Anthrax Attack

Anthrax AttackOn September 17, 2001, five letters are sent to NBC, ABC, CBS, the New York Post and American Media, and also to Senator Daschle. Editors sniffed the anthrax powder in the letters, and two weeks later people begin being hospitalized. • President Bush announced that this was another form of terrorism• Bruce Ivins was identified as the prime suspect of the attack, but when

informed that legal actions were taking place, he committed suicide• A real motive was never uncovered after Ivin’s suicide

Shoe Bomber

Shoe Bomber

On December 22, 2001 Richard Reid attempted to detonate explosives that were hidden in his shoes. Reid was a British citizen that recently converted to Islam. • The passengers and crew members saw Reid

try to light the fuse of the explosive and landed in Boston for safety.

• The doctor on board tranquillized him and tied him down to his seat until landing

Chechen Car Bombing

Chechen Car BombingOn July 20, 2005, a group of Russian police approached a military vehicle in Northern Chechnya after being told that a dead policeman was in it. A bomb in the vehicle was planted by Chechen rebels, and killed 11 officers and 3 bystanders. 30 others were injured, and 5 in critical condition. • The rebels had support from outside countries. Russia accused Georgia of

harboring Chechen rebels• The rebels want to destabilize the sociopolitical situation in the republic• Russian government continued to monitor the Chechen territory and

struggled to control insurgents

Underwear Bomber

Underwear Bomber

On Christmas Day, 2009 a Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, tried to bomb Northwest Flight 253 by wearing underwear with explosives. • Failed to detonate, instead caught fire, and

caused severe burns• He sought out al Queda relentlessly, but they

kept turning him away, despite his Islamist motives.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Boston Marathon BombingOn April 15, 2013 two Chechen men brought two backpacks with pressure cooker bombs to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The Tsarnaevs were identified as the primary suspects of the bombing. • Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a gun exchange with the police when his

brother Dzhokhar ran him over. • Dzhokhar surrendered after hiding in a boat Watertown for several hours• Dzhokhar was pleaded not guilty and revealed that he was self motivated

by Islamist extremists and that the bombing was his brother’s idea

Reflection

Terrorism has been present in the world for decades, yet there is no right answer to end it. Controlling what terrorists and radicals think is

nearly impossible, and addressing terrorist attacks over media can provoke radicals. Countries should work together to find a solution to end violence against innocent

civilians.