U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
1996 APRIL: PATTERNS OF GLOBAL TERRORISM, 1995

Office of the Secretary
Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.

Appendix A:
Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1994

8 January

Algeria
Armed assailants attempted to kill two priests, one French and one Swiss, belonging to the order of the White Fathers. The priests escaped unharmed. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected in the attack.

12 January

Egypt
Suspected members of al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) opened fire on a passenger train. Six passengers, including two Argentine tourists, were injured.

15 January

Cambodia
A US tourist was killed and her husband was seriously wounded when Khmer Rouge rebels attacked their sightseeing convoy. A tour guide also was killed when the assailants fired a rocket at the van.

18 January

Colombia
Members of the People's Liberation Army kidnapped a US citizen, working as an administrative support officer for Cerrejon Coal Mine of Riohacha, in La Guajira.

Sierra Leone
Five Europeans and at least three Sierra Leoneans were kidnapped by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels. All of the victims were employed by the Swiss-owned Sierra Leone Ore and Metal Company (Sieromco).

22 January

Algeria
Gunmen shot and killed a Frenchman as he drove through a park. A woman also was injured in the attack. The GIA is suspected.

24 January

United Kingdom
An unidentified assailant shot and killed a Sikh newspaper editor, a known advocate for an independent Sikh state. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

25 January

Sierra Leone
The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) raided a mission near the Guinea border, taking 100 hostages. Seven nuns - six Italians and one Brazilian - were among the captives.

26 January

Colombia
Seven guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped three Venezuelan Corpoven engineers and killed a fourth near La Victoria.

31 January

Colombia
Suspected guerrillas kidnapped two Brazilian engineers at an abandoned hydroelectric dam. The engineers are employed by the Swiss Company, ASEA.

14 February

Pakistan
Three gunmen shot and killed a former Afghan Brigadier at his residence. The victim was affiliated with the moderate, pro-Afghanistan Council for Understanding and National Unity (CUNA). No group claimed responsibility, but Gulbuddin Hikmatyar's Hizb-I-Islami organization is suspected.

24 February

Jordan
A French diplomat posted to the French Embassy was shot and wounded by two assailants while he was sightseeing with his wife. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

27 February

Greece
Khidir Abd al-Abbas Hamza, a defecting Iraqi former nuclear scientist, was abducted in Athens while he was attempting to call a newspaper office from a phone booth. The Iraqi Ambassador in Athens has denied any Iraqi involvement, but the incident is similar to other Iraqi Government sponsored abductions.

28 February

Peru
An explosive device containing about 500 grams (one pound) of dynamite detonated on the sidewalk across the street from the US Embassy in Lima.

3 March

Algeria
A Palestinian student attending the Algerian Arab College was murdered by an armed group who stormed the area where he and his family lived. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected.

8 March

Pakistan
Two unidentified gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles opened fire on a US Consulate van in Karachi, killing two US diplomats and wounding a third. The Pakistani driver was not hurt.

27 March

Bahrain
A Pakistani man burned to death when a video store was set on fire. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

31 March

Israel
One Israeli civilian was killed and 20 others were wounded when suspected Hizballah members fired Katyusha rockets into western Galilee.

5 April

Honduras
Morazanist Patriotic Front (FPM) guerrillas claimed responsibility for a leaflet propaganda bomb that exploded in front of a Tegucigalpa building that houses US, German, and Spanish press agencies. The attack caused minor damage to nearby buildings.

9 April

Gaza Strip
A suicide bomber crashed an explosive-rigged van into an Israeli bus, killing a US citizen and seven Israelis. Over 50 other persons, including two US citizens, were injured. The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)-Shaqaqi Faction claimed responsibility for the attack.

Georgia
Assailants attacked the T'bilisi residence of the Russian special envoy and the headquarters of Russian troops in the Transcaucasus. There were no injuries. A group calling itself the Algeti Wolves claimed responsibility for the attack in revenge for events in Chechnya and for the signing of the treaty on Russian military bases in Georgia.

19 April

Colombia
Members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped two Italian oil workers from their car and killed their Colombian driver near Barrancabermeja.

21 April

Turkey
An attempted car bombing in front of the Iranian Consulate General in Istanbul killed a tow truck driver. The illegally parked vehicle was towed to an open parking lot where it detonated, killing the driver and damaging 18 other vehicles. No group has claimed responsibility.

22 April

Netherlands
Two Turkish citizens were shot by Kurdish extremists at a coffeehouse in The Hague. Four men were arrested in connection with the attack.

29 April

Somalia
A foreign businessman was killed near Chisimayu by Islamic fundamentalists.

5 May

Algeria
Suspected members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) attacked employees of a pipeline company, killing two Frenchmen, a Briton, a Canadian, and a Tunisian. One Algerian security guard was also killed and at least six other guards were injured.

Israel
Hizballah launched at least eight Katyusha rockets that struck near Qiryat Shemona. Four Israeli civilians were wounded in the attack.

7 May

Algeria
Armed assailants ambushed a two-vehicle advance for a convoy of foreigners, including Britons and Canadians, being escorted from a worksite to their accommodation camp. Several security forces were killed or wounded, but there were no foreign casualties.

15 May

Peru
Five alleged Sendero Luminoso (SL) members held up a bus near Chimbote and robbed some 50 passengers, including three US citizens. The assailants, wearing ski masks painted with a red hammer and sickle, threatened passengers with machineguns and grenades.

22 May

Colombia
Approximately one kilo of dynamite detonated under a metal security door of a Dunkin Donuts restaurant in Bogota. The damage was estimated at $18,000. No injuries were reported and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

23 May

Sierra Leone
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels abducted three Lebanese businessmen during attacks on towns in the Lebanese community of the diamond district of Kono.

24 May

Peru
Presumed members of Sendero Luminoso (SL) detonated a 50-kg car bomb in front of the Maria Angola Hotel in a suburb of Lima, killing three hotel employees and a passerby. About 30 others were injured.

31 May

Colombia
Seven National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas kidnapped a US citizen and three Colombians at the Verde Limon Gold Mine in Zaragoza. Shortly afterward, the Colombian Army freed the captives in a confrontation that left one Colombian hostage and two guerrillas dead.

5 June

Nicaragua
Three members of the Recontra 380 occupied the Chilean Embassy in Managua and took hostage the husband of Ambassador Laura Sota. The abductors left a package they claimed was a bomb and fled without making any reported statements or demands. The kidnap victim was released unharmed a few hours later.

7 June

Algeria
Suspected members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) shot and killed a French couple in Algiers. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

24 June

Colombia
Unknown guerrillas abducted the son of a British Exxon employee in Formeque and demanded a ransom of $500,000. On 12 August, during the course of negotiations, the victim's body was found.

25 June

Pakistan
Five gunmen kidnapped three German engineers and a Pakistani driver in the North-West Frontier Province. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of ten million rupees. One of the Germans and the Pakistani were released on 3 July, at which time the kidnappers added the release of four prisoners in Peshawar to their demands. The other two hostages were freed unharmed on 13 July. It does not appear that the demands were met.

26 June

Ethiopia
Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya claimed responsibility for a failed assassination attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa. As his motorcade headed from the airport to a meeting of the Organization of African Unity, two vehicles tried to block the road, and several gunmen fired at his armored limousine. President Mubarak was not injured. Two Ethiopian military guards died and one was wounded in the exchange of gunfire; two gunmen were killed and two others captured. The Palestinian Ambassador to Ethiopia also was injured.

3 July

Germany
Attackers smashed the windows of three vehicles at a Chrysler car dealership in Kassel. They also broke the salesroom window and scrawled graffiti protesting the scheduled execution of Mumia Abu Jamal, a convicted murderer, in Pennsylvania.

4-8 July

India
Six tourists - two US citizens, two Britons, a Norwegian, and a German - were taken hostage in Kashmir by the previously unknown militant group Al-Faran, which demanded the release of Muslim militants held in Indian prisons. Al-Faran may be part of the Kashmiri separatist group Harakat ul-Ansar based in Pakistan. One of the US citizens escaped on 8 July. On 13 August, Al-Faran murdered the Norwegian; his decapitated body was found with the name Al-Faran carved on his stomach and a note stating that the other hostages also would be killed if the group's demands were not met. The Indian Government has refused to comply with their demands.

11 July

France
Two assailants assassinated a cofounder of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front and his bodyguard in a Paris mosque. No one claimed responsibility for the murders. Earlier this year Algerian publications reportedly received a communique from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) listing their priority targets, including the victim.

13 July

Turkey
Kurdish separatists abducted a Japanese tourist at a rebel checkpoint near Siirt. No demands were made, and the kidnappers released the hostage unharmed on 17 July. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is suspected.

25 July

France
A bomb detonated aboard a Paris subway train as it arrived at St. Michel station, killing seven commuters and wounding 86.

5 August

Greece
A small improvised bomb detonated at a Citibank branch in Athens, causing minor damage. The Anti-Regime Nuclei (ARN) later claimed responsibility.

10 August

Germany
Assailants firebombed a vehicle parked at a US-owned Chrysler dealership in a small German city. No one was injured. A letter left at the scene identified the perpetrators as members of the Anti-Imperialistic Group Liberty for Mumia Abu Jamal.

12 August

Colombia
Members of the Jaime Bateman Cayon Front, a remnant of the 19 April Movement, kidnapped a British diplomat and a Colombian colleague along a highway near Tolima Department. On learning of the British official's diplomatic status, the terrorists demanded an unspecified ransom to free him. They released the Colombian national.

17 August

France
A nail-filled bomb detonated in a trash bin near a subway entrance in Paris injuring 17 people. Among those injured were four Hungarians, four Italians, three Portuguese, one German, and one Briton. Authorities determined a similar explosive device was used in the Paris subway bombing on 25 July.

20 August

France
Assailants threw a molotov cocktail at a building in Paris that houses a Turkish sporting and cultural association, injuring six persons and causing minor damage. Witnesses reported seeing three people flee the scene. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may be responsible for the attack.

21 August

Israel
A bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem, killing six persons, including one US citizen, and wounding two other US citizens and over 100 others. The Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS), claimed responsibility.

24 August

Pakistan
Sixteen men armed with steel pipes and at least one gun vandalized the BBC office in Islamabad. The attackers destroyed equipment and files, bombed the entry hall, and destroyed two cars. The BBC chief correspondent, a Canadian, and a Pakistani BBC staff member escaped with minor injuries. The radical Sunni organization Sipah-I-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) claimed responsibility, although the group's leader stated that he had ordered only a peaceful demonstration to protest the BBC airing of a documentary about the group.

27 August

Spain
Arsonists in San Sebastian doused a car bearing French license plates with gasoline and ignited it. There were no injuries. Authorities believe a support group of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) is responsible.

1 September

Colombia
Guerrillas intercepted and kidnapped a US businessman and his Colombian partner in Cali. The captors, five armed masked men, took the two men to a jungle camp. The Colombian negotiated a $30,000 ransom for his US partner, who was released on 22 September. No group has claimed responsibility.

Colombia
In Santa Marta, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas destroyed containers of bananas belonging to the US company Dole.

2 September

Algeria
Suspected Armed Islamic Group (GIA) militants shot and killed an Italian national in Oran.

3 September

Algeria
Unidentified assailants shot and killed two nuns in the Belcourt district of Algiers. One of the victims was French and the other Maltese. Authorities suspect the Armed Islamic Group (GIA).

5 September

West Bank
Unknown assailants stabbed to death an Israeli settler of British origin and wounded his US-born wife in the settlement of Ma'ale Mikmas, near Ram Allah. An anonymous caller claimed responsibility in the name of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The caller stated the attack was in retaliation for the arrest of three PFLP activists and the continued detention of a PFLP politburo member, imprisoned for three years.

Germany
Arsonists attacked two Turkish-owned facilities. In Luebeck, arsonists set fire to a bistro. Two persons died and 20 were injured. Arsonists also firebombed a nightclub in Freital. There were no injuries. Authorities suspect the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

7 September

India
A woman claiming to be from the militant group Dukhtaran-e-Millat delivered a parcel bomb to the office of the BBC in Srinagar, Kashmir. The bomb exploded later in the hands of a free lance photographer for Agence France-Presse, who died on 10 September from his injuries. The blast wounded two others and caused major damage. Dukhtaran-e-Millat denied responsibility for the bombing.

13 September

Russia
Unidentified assailants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the US Embassy in Moscow, causing minor damage to a sixth-floor office. No injuries were reported. Authorities suspect the attack was in retaliation for US participation in NATO airstrikes against Bosnian Serb targets.

20 September

Austria
In Vienna, assailants attempted to firebomb a German pharmaceutical firm, but the molotov cocktails failed to ignite. The German firm was hosting a US delegation and had raised the US flag outside the building.

21 September

Austria
Assailants threw lit bottles containing heating oil and paint thinner into two rooms of the American International School in Vienna. There were no injuries. The Austrian press later received a letter in which the Cell for Internationalism claimed responsibility. Authorities believe there may be a connection with the previous day's bombing.

13 October

Colombia
A letter bomb sent to the Italian Embassy in Bogota exploded when opened by a staff member, who was wounded. The injured employee is responsible for Italian cooperation with Colombia under their countries' economic drug-fighting agreements. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

20 October

Croatia
A car bomb detonated outside the local police headquarters building in Rijeka, killing the driver and injuring 29 bystanders. The Egyptian al- Gama'at al-Islamiyya claimed responsibility, warning that further attacks would continue unless authorities released an imprisoned Gama'at militant, Tala'at Fuad Kassem, who had been arrested in September 1995.

Turkey
A pipe bomb exploded outside a Coca-Cola Company warehouse in Istanbul, causing minor damage to the building and to a vehicle. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

27 October

Angola
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) soldiers killed two persons and kidnapped 32 others in Lunda Norte. Four of the hostages are South African citizens employed by the SA Export Company, Ltd.

8 November

Egypt
Islamic extremists opened fire on a train enroute to Cairo from Aswan, injuring a Dutchman, a French woman, and an Egyptian. Al-Gama'at al- Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG) claimed responsibility for the attack.

9 November

Algeria
Unidentified assailants set fire to the off-compound US Embassy warehouse in Algiers, destroying the facility and its contents. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) may be responsible for the attack.

10 November

Switzerland
Unknown assailants firebombed a Turkish-owned shop in Basel, injuring three persons and causing major damage. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

13 November

Saudi Arabia
A car bomb explosion in the parking lot of the Office of the Program Manager/Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM/SANG) in Riyadh, killed seven persons and wounded 42 others. The deceased include four US federal civilian employees, one US military person, and two Indian Government employees. The blast severely damaged the three-story building, which houses a US military advisory group, and several neighboring office buildings. Three groups, including the Islamic Movement for Change, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Switzerland
An Egyptian diplomat was shot and killed in the parking garage of his apartment building in Geneva. On 15 November the International Justice Group claimed responsibility for the attack.

15 November

Japan
An electric company employee discovered an explosive device burning on a powerline to a US military housing complex in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The explosion caused minor damage. No group has claimed responsibility, but both the Chukaku-Ha and the Kakurokyo-Ha had announced plans to disrupt the Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) summit in Osaka, held during 13 to 19 November.

19 November

Pakistan
A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the Egyptian Embassy compound in Islamabad, killing at least 16 persons and injuring some 60 others. The bomb destroyed the entire compound and caused damage and injuries within a half-mile radius. The Japanese and Indonesian Embassies, the Canadian High Commission, the UK housing compound, and Grindlays Bank were among the damaged buildings. Al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group or IG), Jihad Group, and the International Justice Group all claimed responsibility for the bombing.

21 November

India
A powerful bomb exploded outside a restaurant in the Connaught Place shopping area in New Delhi. The blast injured 22 persons, including two Dutch citizens, one South African and one Norwegian, and caused major damage to shops and parked cars. Both the Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front, a Kashmiri Muslim separatist group, and the Khalistan Liberation Tiger Force, a Sikh separatist group, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

30 November

Algeria
Four suspected Islamic extremists shot and killed two Latvian seamen and wounded a third. No one has claimed responsibility, but the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) is suspected.

9 December

France
Assailants in Bayonne set fire to a stolen vehicle and firebombed a bank after the French Government expelled a member of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA).

10 December

Ecuador
Three FARC militants kidnapped the treasurer for the Nazarine missions, who is a US citizen. A captured member of FARC led a rescue team to a mountainous area near Quito, where they rescued the victim. Three kidnappers were killed and two others escaped.

11 December

Austria
Two letter bombs detonated inside a mailbox located outside a local post office in Graz, wounding a passer-by. One was addressed to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' office. Remnants of a claimant letter were discovered at the scene. Two other letter bombs were discovered intact. Authorities suspect the Bavarian Liberation Army may be responsible.

16 December

Spain
Several bombs detonated in different areas of a department store in Valencia, killing one person and wounding eight others, including a US citizen. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

23 December

Germany
A bomb detonated outside an office building in Duesseldorf that housed the Peruvian Honorary Consulate, causing major damage. On 27 December the Anti-Imperialist Cell (AIZ) claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter stating that the Peruvian Government's domestic policies are "unbearable for the majority of Peruvians."

27 December

Philippines
Twenty Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped at least 16 vacationers, including six US citizens, at Lake Sebu, Mindanao. Two of the hostages escaped and four were released, carrying a ransom demand of $57,700. On 31 December the kidnappers released the remaining hostages in exchange for government promises of improvements in the south.

30 December

France
A bomb detonated outside a Paris branch of Citibank, causing major damage. Suspicion centered on sympathizers of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) who may be responsible.