NCJ Number
138478
Date Published
1991
Length
116 pages
Annotation
This report details and analyzes terrorist incidents recorded in RAND's Chronology of International Terrorism for 1987.
Abstract
This analysis of trends in terrorism is concerned with international terrorism, defined as "incidents in which terrorists go abroad to strike their targets, select victims or targets that have connections with a foreign state, or create international incidents by attacking airline passengers, personnel, and equipment." It excludes violence conducted by terrorists within their own country against their own nation, as well as terrorism perpetrated by governments against their own citizens. A terrorist act is defined as "violence, or the threat of violence, calculated to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm." Among the tactics manifested in the chronology of 1987 international terrorist incidents are kidnapping, bombing, attacks on installations, airline and other transportation hijackings, barricade and hostage situations, assassinations and shootings, and incidents that involve significant threats or conspiracies. The incidence of international terrorism continued to decline from 477 incidents in 1985 to 412 in 1986, and 394 in 1987. The number of persons killed by terrorists in 1987, however, increased 11 percent (374 in 1987 compared with 329 in 1986). This report discusses international terrorist tactics and targets, international terrorist attacks on American targets, state sponsorship of international terrorism, and regional trends in international terrorism. The chronology of terrorist incidents is presented by date, and each event is described according to place, tactic, and outcome. A statistical abstract and pertinent charts, tables, and a bibliography of terrorist perpetrators are presented in the appendixes.