NCJ Number
89290
Date Published
1983
Length
202 pages
Annotation
An analysis of methods, network, and objectives of terrorism examines the training and funding of terrorists, tactics and weapons, and characteristics of terrorists.
Abstract
Kidnapping, assassination, skyjacking, hostagetaking, bombing, and armed robbery are discussed as the principal methods of terrorism, followed by a portrayal of the new worldwide terrorist network. The latter includes an examination of international terrorist alliances and transnational attacks, mutual support and assistance systems, and the issue of overall Soviet control of the terrorist enterprise. The various terrorist objectives are considered under the topics of nationalist-separatist movements, political-religious factions, and terrorist acts meant to produce government repression. A chapter on training and arming for terrorism describes the methods and motivations in terrorist training camps along with terrorist weapons, from Molotov cocktails to heat-seeking missiles. A portrayal of terrorist funding sources covers the costs of concealment and operations, the use of Middle East oil money as well as money from bank robberies and ransoms, American support for the Irish Republican Army, and American terrorist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. Carlos the Jackal and Libya's Qadaffi are studied as terrorist types. One hundred years of terrorism in various historical contexts are reviewed, followed by the future threats posed by terrorism given the destructive power of modern weaponry. The concluding chapter advises on combating terrorism. Forty-two references and a subject index are provided.