NCJ Number
88996
Date Published
1983
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Terrorist attacks against business facilities and personnel have increased steadily since the mid-1970's, and by 1980 business was the largest single category of activity targeted by terrorists.
Abstract
While business's inability to restrict public access to installations has contributed to terrorists' interest in such targets, the Marxist ideology espoused by many groups has also promoted this trend. In 1980, 48.7 percent of 1,006 recorded bombings were directed against corporations. Terrorists used explosives, particularly plastique, rather than incendiary devices in 83 percent of all operations against businesses and other targets during 1980-81. Over the past 11 years, kidnapping of key business personnel for ransom has accounted for over 47 percent of all terrorist abductions. Known payments for the release of kidnapped victims in this period totaled over $156 million. Although facility attacks affecting businesses have declined in recent years, these actions remain an important source of operational funds for terrorists and continue to occur in the same countries -- Latin America, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and France. By the end of 1980, 56.5 percent of the 2,773 reported terrorist operations worldwide occurred in Latin America, versus 21.5 percent in Europe and 15.4 percent in Middle East - North Africa. El Salvador was the most active Nation, followed by Guatemala. Almost 90 percent of all terrorist incidents targeting businesses between January 1980 and mid-1981 affected domestic companies. Firms controlled by foreign nationals were involved in 7.1 percent of these incidents and U.S. corporations in 3.7 percent. Business firms are likely to remain favored targets for terrorists in the 1980's. Moreover, many terrorist groups now see cutting highly vulnerable power and communications systems as a means to destroy a government. Tables and 17 footnotes are included.