NCJ Number
92515
Date Published
1983
Length
80 pages
Annotation
Between 1980 and 1981, incidents of international terrorism increased dramatically, with there being 250 incidents in 1980 and 326 in 1981, almost a 100-percent increase over the previous 2-year period. The number of incidents with fatalities and multiple fatalities also increased.
Abstract
Six basic tactics accounted for 95 percent of the total incidents: bombings, assassinations, armed assaults, kidnapings, barricade and hostage situations, and hijackings. Diplomatic facilities continued to be a popular target for terrorist seizures, and diplomats were the most common target in incidents of international terrorism. In 1980, terrorists directed 38 percent of their attacks against diplomats and diplomatic facilities. In 1981, diplomats were targeted in 29 percent of all incidents. This is a 60-percent increase in attacks on diplomatic facilities over the previous 2 years. In 1980 and 1981, numerous incidents were also directed against nuclear facilities abroad by political terrorists, antinuclear extremists, and foreign governments. The Basque separatist group ETA continued its violent campaign against the nuclear reactors at Lemoniz, murdering two plant officials in separate incidents and temporarily succeeding in halting work on the plant. In addition to a number of bombings of nuclear-related facilities, France experienced the first recorded instance of a high-level standoff attack against a nuclear facility when five antitank rockets were fired at the breeder reactor under construction at Creys-Malville. Attacks on persons involved in nuclear programs became more common, as did violent actions aimed at halting nuclear proliferation. Several incidents wre directed against the Iraqi nuclear program and foreign businesses participating in it. The note includes chronologies of selected international terrorist incidents and nuclear incidents abroad in 1980-81. (Author summary modified)