Middle-East Connected Anti-American Terror Attacks
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Special Section: September 11, Background and Consequences for the Middle East MIDDLE-EAST CONNECTED TERROR ATTACKS ON AMERICANS *Compiled by Caroline Taillandier Notice: (+) indicates that Americans were killed or wounded in the described attack, though the intended aim most likely was not specifically to harm Americans. 1970: main airport, killing 26 and wounding 78 +February 23, 1970--Halhoul, West Bank people. Many of the casualties were American Barbara Ertle of Granville, Michigan was citizens, mostly from Puerto Rico. killed during a PLO shooting attack on a busload of pilgrims in Halhoul, a village near +September 5, 1972--Munich, Germany Hebron. Two other Americans were wounded During the Olympic Games in Munich, in the attack. Black September, a front for Fatah, took hostage 11 members of the Israeli Olympic March 28-29, 1970--Beirut, Lebanon team. Nine athletes were killed including The Popular Front for the Liberation of weightlifter David Berger, an American-Israeli Palestine (PFLP) fired seven rockets against from Cleveland, Ohio. American targets in Beirut -- the U.S. Embassy, the American Insurance Company, Bank of 1973: America and the John F. Kennedy library. The March 2, 1973--Khartoum, Sudan attacks were in retaliation “for plans of the Cleo A. Noel, Jr., U.S. ambassador to United States Embassy in Beirut to foment Sudan, and George C. Moore, also a U.S. religious strife and create civil massacres in diplomat, were held hostage and then killed by Lebanon aimed at paralyzing the Palestinian terrorists at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum. It resistance movement,” according to a PFLP seems likely that Fatah was responsible for the statement. attack. September 14, 1970--En route to Amman, 1975: Jordan June 29, 1975--Beirut, Lebanon The PFLP hijacked a TWA flight from The PFLP kidnapped the U.S. military Zurich, Switzerland and forced it to land in attaché to Lebanon, Ernest Morgan, and Amman, Jordan. During the hijacking, four demanded food, clothing and building materials American citizens were injured. for indigent residents living near Beirut harbor. The American diplomat was released after an 1972: anonymous benefactor provided food to the +May 30, 1972--Ben Gurion Airport, Israel neighborhood. Three members of the Japanese Red Army, acting on the PFLP’s behalf, carried out a +November 14, 1975--Jerusalem, Israel machine-gun and grenade attack at Israel’s Lola Nunberg, 53, of New York, was injured 90 Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 4 (December 2001) Caroline Taillandier during a bombing attack in downtown November 4, 1979--Teheran, Iran Jerusalem. Fatah claimed responsibility for the After President Carter agreed to admit the bombing, which killed six people and wounded Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian radicals 38. seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages +November 21, 1975--Ramat Hamagshimim, were soon freed, but the remaining 53 were Israel held until their release on January 20, 1981. Michael Nadler, an American-Israeli from Miami Beach, Florida, was killed when axe- 1980: wielding terrorists from the Democrat Front for +May 2, 1980--Hebron, West Bank the Liberation of Palestine, a PLO faction, Eli Haze'ev, an American-Israeli from attacked students in the Golan Heights. Alexandria, Virginia, was killed in a PLO attack on Jewish worshippers walking home 1976: from a synagogue in Hebron. +August 11--Istanbul, Turkey The PFLP launched an attack on the 1982: terminal of Israel’s major airline, El Al, at the July 19, 1982--Beirut, Lebanon Istanbul airport. Four civilians, including Hizballah members kidnapped David Harold Rosenthal of Philadelphia, Dodge, acting president of the American Pennsylvania, were killed and 20 injured. University in Beirut. After a year in captivity, Dodge was released. Rifat Assad, head of January 1--Beirut, Lebanon Syrian Intelligence, helped in the negotiation Frances E. Meloy, U.S. ambassador to with the terrorists. Lebanon, and Robert O.Waring, the U.S. economic counselor, were kidnapped by PFLP +August 19, 1982--Paris, France members as they crossed a militia checkpoint Two American citizens, Anne Van Zanten separating the Christian from the Muslim parts and Grace Cutler, were killed when the PLO of Beirut. They were later shot to death. bombed a Jewish restaurant in Paris. 1978: 1983: +March 11, 1978--Tel Aviv, Israel March 16, 1983--Beirut, Lebanon Gail Rubin, niece of U.S Senator Abraham Five American Marines were wounded in a Ribicoff, was among 38 people shot to death by hand grenade attack while on patrol north of PLO terrorists on an Israeli beach. Beirut International Airport. The Islamic Jihad and Al-Amal, a Shi’ite militia, claimed +June 2, 1978--Jerusalem, Israel responsibility for the attack. Richard Fishman, a medical student from Maryland, was among six killed in a PLO bus April 18, 1983--Beirut, Lebanon bombing in Jerusalem. Chava Sprecher, another A truck-bomb detonated by a remote control American citizen from Seattle, Washington, exploded in front of the U.S. Embassy in was injured. Beirut, killing 63 employees, including the CIA's Middle East director, and wounding 120. 1979: Hizballah, with financial backing from Iran, +May 4, 1979--Tiberias, Israel was responsible for the attack. Haim Mark and his wife, Haya, of New Haven, Connecticut were injured in a PLO +July 1, 1983--Hebron, Israel bombing attack in northern Israel. Aharon Gross, 19, an American-Israeli from New York, was stabbed to death by PLO Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 4 (December 2001) 91 Middle East Connected Terror Attacks on Americans terrorists in the Hebron marketplace. political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. Buckley was supposed to be exchanged for September 29, 1983--Beirut, Lebanon prisoners. However when the transaction failed Two American marines were kidnapped by to take place, he was reportedly transported to Amal members. They were released after Iran. Although his body was never found, the intervention by a Lebanese army officer. U.S. administration declared the American diplomat dead. October 23, 1983--Beirut, Lebanon A truck loaded with a bomb crashed into the April 12, 1984--Torrejon, Spain lobby of the U.S. Marines headquarters in Hizballah bombed a restaurant near an U.S. Beirut, killing 241 soldiers and wounding 81. Air Force base in Torrejon, Spain, killing 18 The attack was carried out by Hizballah with servicemen and wounding 83 people. the help of Syrian intelligence and financed by Iran. September 20, 1984--Beirut, Lebanon A suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy +December 19, 1983--Jerusalem, Israel in East Beirut killed 23 people and injured 21. Serena Sussman, a 60-year-old tourist from The American and British ambassadors were Anderson, South Carolina, died from injuries slightly injured in the attack, attributed to the from the PLO bombing of a bus in Jerusalem Iranian backed Hizballah group. 13 days earlier. +December 4, 1984--Tehran, Iran 1984: Hizballah terrorists hijacked a Kuwait January 18, 1984--Beirut, Lebanon Airlines plane en route from Dubai, United Malcolm Kerr, a Lebanese born American Emirates, to Karachi, Pakistan. They demanded who was president of the American University the release from Kuwaiti jails of members of of Beirut, was killed by two gunmen outside his Da’Wa, a group of Shiite extremists serving office. Hizballah said the assassination was part sentences for attacks on French and American of the organization’s plan to "drive all targets on Kuwaiti territory. The terrorists Americans out from Lebanon." forced the pilot to fly to Tehran where the terrorists murdered two passengers--American March 7, 1984--Beirut, Lebanon Agency for International Development Hizballah members kidnapped Jeremy employees, Charles Hegna and William Levin, Beirut bureau chief of Cable News Stanford. Although an Iranian special unit Network (CNN). Levin managed to escape and ended the incident by storming the plane and reach Syrian army barracks. He was later arresting the terrorists, the Iranian government transferred to American hands. might also have been involved in the hijacking. March 8, 1984--Beirut, Lebanon 1985: Three Hizballah members kidnapped June 14, 1985--Between Athens and Rome Reverend Benjamin T. Weir, while he was Two Hizballah members hijacked a TWA walking with his wife in Beirut’s Manara flight en route to Rome from Athens and forced neighborhood. Weir was released after 16 the pilot to fly to Beirut. The terrorists, believed months of captivity with Syrian and Iranian to belong to Hizballah, asked for the release of assistance. members of the group Kuwait 17 and 700 Shi’ite prisoners held in Israeli and South March 16, 1984--Tannounkein, Beirut, Lebanese prisons. The eight crewmembers and Lebanon 145 passengers were held for 17 days during Hizballah kidnapped William Buckley, a which one of the hostages, a U.S. Navy sailor, 92 Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 4 (December 2001) Caroline Taillandier was murdered. After being flown twice to Algiers, the aircraft returned to Beirut and the April 5, 1986--West Berlin, Germany hostages were released. Later on, four An explosion at the “La Belle” nightclub in Hizballah members were secretly indicted. One Berlin, frequented by American soldiers, killed of them, the Hizballah senior officer Imad three--2 U.S. soldiers and a Turkish woman-and Mughniyah, was indicted in absentia. wounded 191 including 41 U.S. soldiers. Given evidence of Libyan involvement, the U.S. Air October 7, 1985--Between Alexandria, Egypt Force made a retaliatory attack against Libyan and Haifa, Israel targets on April 17. Libya refused to hand over A four-member PFLP squad took over the to Germany five suspects believed to be there. Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, as it was Others, however, were tried including Yassir sailing from Alexandria, Egypt, to Israel.