NCJ Number
98739
Date Published
1984
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This review of patterns in international terrorism for 1981 considers types and location of attacks; types of victims, terrorist groups, and activities; the extent of state-sponsored international terrorism; and trends in international terrorism since 1968.
Abstract
Attacks in 1981 included kidnapping, hostagetaking, assassination, bombing, threats, and hoaxes. Attack location in the great majority of incidences continued to occur in a few areas where conditions facilitate publicity and, in some cases, provide relative safety for the perpetrators. More incidents occurred in the United States than in any other country, but Argentina, Lebanon, West Germany, France, and Italy were also sites of frequent terrorism. In 1981, citizens of 77 countries were victims of international terrorist incidents, more than any previous year since 1968. U.S. citizens were the primary targets, followed by citizens of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, Israel, Turkey, and Iraq. A total of 113 groups claimed credit for the incidents, down slightly from the high of 128 in 1980. Some of the significant groups were the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, Palestinian terrorists, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the Red Army Faction, the Red Brigades, Basque separatist organizations, the April 19 Movement, and the Marxist-Leninist Armed Propaganda Unit. Countries involved in state-sponsored terrorism include the Soviet Union, Libya, South Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Cuba. Tabular and graphic data, three notes, and two footnotes are provided.