Terrorism Incidents 1970 – 1979

1970

February 10

Three Arab terrorists attempt to hijack an El Al Boeing 707 at Munich airport, Germany, but are thwarted by the pilot who grappled with a terrorist in the terminal lounge. One Israeli is killed and eleven others wounded.

February 21

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine blow up a Swiss airliner just after it has taken off from Zurich, Switzerland, killing all forty seven people on board.

May 14

German left-wing terrorist leader Andreas Baader freed in rescue raid on West Berlin jail led by fellow terrorist Ulrike Meinhof. The two become notorious as leaders of the Baader-Meinhof gang.

September 6

“Skyjack Sunday” takes places at Dawson Field, in Jordan. TWA, Swissair, BOAC aircraft, along with more than four hundred hostages, were hijacked and ordered to the Jordanian airport by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Another terrorist team tried to hijack an El Al Boeing over London but security staff foiled the attempt and captured one of the hijackers, Leila Khalid, alive. The German, Swiss and British Governments all agreed to the PFLP’s demands and released a number of terrorists, including Khalid, held in their jails.

October 10

Quebec separatists kidnapped state government minister Pierre LaPorte and later murdered him. The same group kidnapped British trade commissioner James Cross but released him unharmed.

1971

January 8

British ambassador to Uruguay Sir Geoffrey Jackson kidnapped and held for eight months by Tupamaros terrorists, demanding the release of political prisoners.

May 17

Turkish radicals assassinate Israeli consul general in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of a joint operation with Palestinian terrorists.

August 8

Black Panther leader George Jackson killed in gun battle inside San Quintin jail, United States.

November 28

Jordanian prime minister Wasfi Tal shot and killed by Palestinian Black September terrorists at the Sheraton Hotel in Cairo, Egypt. A month later the Jordanian ambassador in London, England, is shot and wounded by a Black September hit squad.

December 4

Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) terrorists explode bomb in Catholic area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing fifteen civilians.

1972

February 22

Irish Republican Army bomb attack on the British Parachute Regiment Officers Mess (club) in Aldershot, England, kills seven people.

March 4

Two killed and one hundred and thirty one people killed when Protestant terrorists bomb the Abercorn restaurant in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

May 5

Italian terrorist and publisher Giangiancomo Feltrinelli blew himself up while planting a bomb on an electricity pylon near Florence, Italy.

May 8

Israeli commandos storm hijacked Belgian Sabena airliner at Ben Gurion airport, Israel, killing the four Palestinian Black September terrorists aboard the aircraft and freeing the hostages. One passenger and five Israeli soldiers were killed.

May 11

US Army headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, attacked by Red Army Faction car bomb killing one American officer and injuring thirteen people. Three more US servicemen injured in another Red Army Faction car bomb attack on the US Army headquarters at Heidleburg, Germany, later in the month.

May 30

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Japanese Red Army terrorists open fire in passenger terminal of Lod Airport, Israel, killing twenty six civilians and wounding seventy eight others. Japanese terrorist Kozo Okamoto survives and is captured by the Israelis.

July 21

Bloody Friday Irish Republican Army bombing attacks on Belfast, Northern Ireland, kills eleven people and injures one hundred and thirty civilians. Ten days IRA three car bomb attacks in the village of Claudy leave six dead.

September 5

Eight Palestinian Black September terrorists seize eleven Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich, Germany. In a bungled rescue attempt by the West German authorities nine of the hostages and five terrorists are killed.

September 9

Member of the Israeli embassy staff in London, England, killed by Palestinian letter bomb.

1973

February 4

Irish Republican Army explode bomb on coach packed with British soldiers on M62 motorway, England, killing twelve people.

March 12

Palestinian Black September terrorists murder an Israeli businessman on Cyprus.

August 5

Black September suicide squad attacks passenger terminals at Athens airport, Greece, killing three civilians and injuring fifty five.

August 4

Twelve people killed and forty eight injured when neo-fascists explode bomb on a train approaching Bologna, Italy. In May another right wing bomb at a demonstration in Brescia killed eight people.

December 17

Palestinian terrorists bomb Pan Am office at Fiumicino airport, Rome, Italy killing thirty two and injuring fifty. The terrorist then take seven Italian policemen hostage and hijack an aircraft to Athens, Greece, before flying on to Kuwait after killing one of the hostages. They then surrendered.

December 20

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorists kill Spanish Prime Minister Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, in a spectacular bomb attack in Madrid, Spain.

1974

February 4

American heiress Patricia Hearst kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army terrorists and later joined the group, participating in a raid on the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco, United States.

March 1

Saudi Arabian embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, seized by Black September terrorists and a number of diplomats from Arab and western countries taken hostages. The terrorists murder two American and one Belgian diplomat.

April 11

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command terrorists seize part of the Qirayt Shemona settlement in northern Israel. Eighteen Israelis killed after the terrorists detonate explosives during a rescue attempt.

May 15

Ninety children are held hostage by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists in a school at Ma’alot, Israel. Twenty one people are killed and seventy eight wounded during a bungled rescue attempt by Israeli special forces troops.

May 17

Car bomb exploded in Dublin, Ireland, killing 22 people. Protestant Northern Ireland terrorists blamed.

June 13

The Shamir kibbutz in Israel raided by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The four terrorists and several Israelis killed in ensuing gun battle.

June 26

Al Fatah Palestinian terrorists land by boat near Nahariya, Israel, and attempt to take civilians hostage. Three Israelis and all the terrorists are killed in a firefight.

November 21

Irish Republican Army sets off bombs in bars in Birmingham, England, killing 21 civilians, as part of major bombing campaign on the British mainland.

November 23

British DC-10 airliner hijacked at Dubai, UAE, by Palestinian Rejectionist front terrorists and eventually flown to Tunisia where a German passenger was killed.

1975

January 19

Arab terrorists attack Orly airport, Paris, France, seizing ten hostages in a terminal bathroom. Eventually the French provided the terrorists with a plane to fly them to safety in Baghdad, Iraq.

January 21

Indian railway minister Narayan Mishra blown up in Bihar, India, by Anang Marg terrorists.

January 27

Politician Peter Lorenz kidnapped in West Berlin, Germany, by June the Second Movement terrorists. Four days later the German government gave into the terrorists’ demands for his release and five jailed terrorists were allowed to fly to freedom in South Yemen.

April 24

German left wing terrorists seized the German embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, and took twelve staff hostage to force the release of Baader-Meinhof gang terrorists. One hostage was murdered and a terrorist killed when explosives went off by accident. Led to formulation of the so-called “Stockholm syndrome” theory, which holds that hostages start to sympathise with their captors.

October 3

Irish Republican Army terrorists kidnap Dutch industrialist Teide Herrema in Dublin, Ireland, after a month long hunt the Irish police surrounded the terrorists hide out, forcing his release.

October 4

Left wing First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) terrorists murder four Spanish policemen after the execution of five members of the group in Spanish custody.

November 27

British publisher Ross McWhirter shot by Irish Republican Army terrorists at his home London, England, after offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of terrorist bombers.

December 2

South Moluccan terrorists seize train at Beilen, Netherlands, for twelve days. Three hostages were shot before the terrorists surrendered.

December 4

Seven South Moluccan terrorist seize the Indonesian embassy in Amsterdam, Netherlands, beginning a two week long siege. One of the thirty six hostages died jumping from a window to escape the terrorists.

December 6

Four Irish Republican Army terrorists seize two hostages in Balcombe Street, London, England for six days before surrendering to police; hostages released unharmed.

December 21

Top international terrorist, Carlos “The Jackal” holds eleven oil ministers and fifty nine civilians hostage during the OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria. After flying to Algeria and taking delivery of several hundred million dollars in ransom money, Carlos and his Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists escape.

1976

June 27

An Air France airliner is hijacked by a joint German Baader-Meinhof/Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group and its crew are forced to fly to Entebbe airport in Uganda. Some two hundred and fifty eight passengers and crew are held hostage but all non-Israeli passengers are eventually released. On 4 July Israeli commandos fly to Uganda and rescue the remaining hostages. All the terrorists were killed in the rescue, as are three passengers and one commando.

July 21

British ambassador to Irish Republic Christopher Ewart Briggs killed when Irish Republic Army landmine destroys his car near Dublin, Ireland.

August 11

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Japanese Red Army terrorists attack passenger terminal at Istanbul airport, Turkey, killing four civilians and injuring twenty.

September 21

Chilean exile Orlando Letelier murdered in car bomb in the centre of Washington DC, United States, by Chilean secret service agents.

September 10

A TWA airliner flying from New York, United States, to Paris, France is hijacked by Croatian terrorists, seizing ninety three hostages. The terrorists surrendered in Paris and released their hostages. A New York policeman was killed by a bomb left by the terrorists in a locker in Grand Central Station.

October 10

Seventy three people killed when Miami,United States, based El Condor Cuban exiles explode a bomb aboard a Cuban Airlines jet as it takes off from Barbados.

1977

January 10

Ten civilians killed when their mini-bus was ambushed by Irish Republican Army at Kingsmills, Northern Ireland.

May 23

Thirteen South Moluccan terrorists seize eighty five hostages on a train at Assen, Netherlands. Two hostages were killed when Dutch Marines stormed the train to end a nineteen day siege.

September 5

West German business leader Hans Martin Schleyer kidnapped by the Baader-Meinhof gang. He was later murdered.

October 13

Four Palestinian terrorists hijack a German Lufthansa Boeing 737 and order it to fly around a number of Middle East destinations for four days. After the plane’s pilot is killed by the terrorists, it is stormed by German GSG9 counter-terrorist troops, assisted by two British Army Special Air Service soldiers, when it puts down at Mogadishu, Somalia. All the ninety hostages are rescued and three terrorists killed.

1978

February 17

Irish Republican Army kill twelve civilians when they explode bomb in La Mon House restaurant, Comber, Northern Ireland

February 19

Airliner hijacked at Larnica, Cyprus, airport by Arab terrorist who had just murdered a leading Egyptian publisher at a nearby hotel. After being refused permission to land at a number of Arab capitals the hijacker return to Larnica. Egyptian commandos land and try to attack the plane but end up in gun battle with Cypriot troops. Fifteen Egyptian troops, seven Cypriot soldiers and a German cameraman are killed.

March 11

A nine strong Al Fatah Palestinian seaborne raiding party lands in Israel and hijacks a bus, killing twenty six civilians and wounding seventy. All the terrorists are killed by Israeli security forces. The Israelis retaliate by invading southern Lebanon, under codename Operation Litani.

March 16

Italian industrialist Aldo Moro kidnapped by the Red Brigades terrorist group and later murdered after fifty five days in captivity.

May 16

One person hurt in a package bomb explosion at Northwestern University, United States, which is designated as the first ever attack by the so-called Unabomber.

August 20

El Al stewardess killed when crew bus ambushed by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists outside Europa Hotel, London, England.

September 7

Bulgarian exile journalist Georgi Markov murdered by Bulgarian secret service agents who injected him with poison on a street in London, England, using a specially modified umbrella.

1979

March 30

British politician Airey Neave is killed when a bomb planted under his car explodes in the car park of the House of Commons, London, England, by the Irish National Liberation Army.

May 9

One person hurt in a bomb explosion at Northwestern University, United States, which is blamed on the so-called Unabomber.

June 18

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexander Haig escapes death after a terrorist bomb explodes under a bridge just after his motorcade has passed over it. The German Red Army Faction is blamed by western intelligence sources.

August 27

Eighteen British Parachute Regiment soldiers killed in two bomb attacks on patrols operating near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army detonated the bombs by remote control from across the border in the Irish Republic. Earl Mountbatten of Burma murdered by a Irish Republican Army bomb which destroyed his boat during a fishing trip off the coast of the Irish Republic.

November 4

Iranian radicals seize the US Embassy in Tehran, taking sixty-six American diplomats hostage. The crisis continues until 20 January 1981 when the hostages are released by diplomatic means. A US rescue effort led by the Delta Force counter terrorist unit failed on 25 April 1980 when a Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter crashed into a USAF C-130 transport aircraft at forward refueling site in central Iran, killing eight Americans and injuring five.

November 15

Twelve people injured in a bomb explosion on a American Airlines flight in the United States, that is blamed on the so-called Unabomber.

November 20

Two hundred Islamic terrorists seize Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, taking hundred of pilgrims hostage. Saudi and French security forces retake the Islamic world’s most holy shrine after a intense battle, in which some two hundred and fifty people were killed and six hundred wounded.

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1940 -1949
1950 -1959
1960 -1969
1970 -1979
1980 -1989
1990 -1998
1999 – 2004

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