EQ: How has terrorism
impacted the modern world?
KEY TERMS: SHINING PATH, ABIMAEL
GUZMAN, RED BRIGADE,BRIGATE
ROSSE, RENATO CURCIO, ALDO MORO,
JAMES DOZIER, HAMAS, AL-AQSA TV,
AL QAEDA, OSAMA BIN LADEN, WORLD
TRADE CENTER, TALIBAN, USS COLE,
HOMELAND SECURITY, TSA
Introduction
 In the latter half of the 20th century and into the new
millennium, terrorism has been used by extremist
groups as a weapon of warfare.
 Terrorist attacks have plagued nations all over the
world and have had a major effect on how the
modern world operates.
Shining Path
 A communist group from Peru formed in 1970 by
Abimael Guzman, a former philosophy professor
 They get their name from a speech made by the
founder of the Peruvian Communist Party, Jose
Carlos Mariatgui: “Marxism-Leninism will open the
shining path to revolution.”
 The goal of the Shining Path was to restore the
“pure” ideology of Mao Zedong in China. The
organization also modeled their plans after Stalinist
Russia and the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
 Guzman first recruited young intellectuals and then
got supporters from the countryside and poor urban
areas.
 The Shining Path used violence and intimidation to
gain territory; they mostly relied on guerrilla
warfare.
 Despite their harsh tactics and strict discipline, they
appealed to many natives who wanted more power
concentrated in the Spanish-speaking elite.
 Their first act of violence began in May of 1980,
when the small group of 500 declared war on the
Peruvian state by burning ballot boxes in a small
town in Ayacucho the day before national elections
were held.
 They continued their attacks, especially targeting
police stations. They were responsible for many
bombings of govt. buildings in the capital of Lima.
 Though the group never exceeded more than 3,000,
it is estimated that they killed almost 70,000 people
between 1980 and 2000.
 The Shining Path’s brutal tactics included stoning
victims to death or placing them in boiling water.
 They carried out massacres of peasant communities
considered to be against their struggle.
 Most of their activities were funded by cocaineprocessing plants and they ran many of the most
lucrative drug cartels.
A drug processing facility in the
jungles of Peru, protected by a
member of the Shining Path.
Millions of dollars worth of
cocaine confiscated from the
Shining Path.
It was then incinerated.
 President Alberto Fujimori took office in 1990 and
launched an assault on the Shining Path rebels,
capturing and torturing suspected sympathizers, as
well as arming Peasant Patrol armies.
 Guzman was captured in 1992 and later requested
that his followers negotiate a peace deal with the
govt.
 His request caused a break in the group, as some diehard communists viewed him as a traitor while
others remained loyal.
 Since this split, much of their activities have
diminished and the Shining Path no longer presents
a serious threat to the stability of the Peruvian govt.
 Guzman, now 80, is still serving a life sentence at a
maximum-security prison in Lima.
 While the remnants of the Shining Path still support
Maoist ideology, most of their activities are in drug
trafficking.
 Though the govt. is attempting to bring down the
drug cartel, their remote and very secret drug camps
in the jungle is making this task difficult.
Red Brigade
 Founded in Italy in 1967 by militant communist
Renato Curcio, the Brigate Rosse used terrorism to
attempt to withdraw Italy from NATO, remove
western democratic influence, and pave the way for a
communist state in Italy.
 At its height, the Red Brigade had 500 active
members, an additional 1,000 members who assisted
in periodic attacks, and several thousand supporters
who provided funds and shelter.
 The Red Brigades first acts of violence occurred in
November 1970, when several factories and
warehouses in Milan were firebombed.
 The following year, they began kidnapping
politicians and holding them for ransom. Some
victims were released unharmed; others were
tortured by “knee-capping” and a few were
assassinated.
 The Italian govt. used the antiterrorist squad to
capture hundreds of alleged members of the group.
 Curcio was caught and arrested in 1976, but the
kidnappings continued. It is estimated that between 1974
and 1988, the Red Brigade carried out 50 attacks in which
almost 50 people were killed.
 On March 16, 1978, the Red Brigade kidnapped former
prime minister Aldo Moro, murdering five of his
bodyguards in the process.
 Moro was held captive for two months, during which the
kidnappers attempted to negotiate his return for the release
of 16 Red Brigade members held in police custody.
 The Red Brigade had no intention of releasing Moro.
They held a secret trial, sentencing him to death.
 On May 9, he was told that he was being transported.
His captors instructed him to get into a car and cover
himself with a blanket.
 Once covered, they shot 11 rounds into him and
placed his dead body in the trunk of the car. It was
discovered later that day.
 His prominence made this an especially important
victory for the Red Brigade.
 In 1981, four of the Red Brigade
disguised themselves as plumbers
and gained access to the apartment
of US Army officer and NATO
Deputy Chief of Staff, James L.
Dozier.
 Dozier was the first foreigner and
only American to be captured by the
Red Brigade. He was held for 42
days and was rescued by a special
unit of the Italian police.
 The entire terrorist cell was captured
and most of the Red Brigade was
dismantled in the following years.
 Red Brigade founder,
Renato Curcio, was
released in 1998, having
served 18 years of his 24
year sentence.
 The following year,
Labor Minister advisor
Massimo D’ Antona was
assassinated and the
remnants of the Red
Brigade claimed credit.
Curcio in 2008
 Though Curcio’s role in
this killing is unknown,
to this day he expresses
no remorse for his
actions.
Hamas
 Hamas is an Arabic
acronym for “Islamic
Resistance Movement.”
 Established in 1987, it is
the largest of several
Palestinian militant
Islamist groups. The
main goal of Hamas is to
eliminate Israeli
occupation of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Founders of Hamas
Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi
Mahmoud Zahar
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
The Slogan of Hamas
“God is it’s target, the Prophet is it’s model, the Qur’an it’s
constitution: Jihad is it’s path and death for the sake of
God is the loftiest of it’s wishes.”
Hamas Finances
 Palestinian expatriates and private donors in Saudi
Arabia and other oil-rich Persian Gulf states finance
the organization.
 Iran also provides significant support.
Attacks
 Hamas is believed to have killed more than 500 people in
more than 350 separate terrorist attacks since 1993.
 Most of the killings were done by suicide bombers.
 Also use mortars, short-range rockets, and small arms fire.
Recent Activity
 There have been 350
separate terrorist attacks
since 1993
 On January 15, 2004, the
first female suicide
bomber killed 4 Israelis
 On May 14, 2004, double
suicide bombers killed
ten and wounded 16
Media
 In 2006, Hamas launched a television channel, Al-
Aqsa TV. It showed television programs, including
children’s shows, with anti-Semitic messages. It was
banned in 2010.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
 Sentenced to life in
prison, released after 1
year
 Assassinated on March
22, 2004 by Israeli
gunship helicopter
“We chose this road, and
will end with martyrdom
or victory”
Abdel Aziz Rantisi
 Took leadership after
Yassin’s death
 Assassinated on April 17,
2004
“Violent resistance is the only option
for the restoration of our stolen
rights”
Mahmoud Zahar
 Yassin’s personal
physician
 Senior official and
spokesperson
 Secretly assigned to
leadership after Rantisi’s
assassination
 Killed by Israeli gunfire
in Gaza on January 5,
2008
 Despite the deaths of the original founders, Hamas
has had leadership passed to other militants and is
still active today.
Potential Threat to U.S.
 November 8, 2006, Hamas called on Muslims
around the world to attack American targets
 So far, no attacks on the U.S. have been linked to
Hamas
Al-Qaeda
 Al Qaeda means “the Base.” It is a stateless (meaning
without a country) terrorist organization.
 It was founded and financed by Osama bin Laden, a
radical Sunni Muslim.
History of al-Qaeda and
Terrorism against the USA
 The beginnings of al-Qaeda go back to the 1980’s
when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
 Bin Laden and the Arab Afghans fought the Soviet
Union in Afghanistan.
 The Soviet army left in 1988.
Operation Desert Storm
 In 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded the
tiny, oil-rich country of Kuwait
 The United States feared Saddam would invade
Saudi Arabia too.
Iraqi tanks
US and Saudi coalition
 The United States asked the Saudis for permission
to establish military bases in their country.
 Osama bin Laden, back home from Afghanistan,
offered the Saudis the use of his soldiers to fight
the Iraqi army because “infidel” armies have no
place in the holy land of Islam.
Saudis chose the USA and snubbed bin Laden.
 1991—Bin Laden left Saudi Arabia for Sudan
USA in Somalia
 Dec. 4, 1992, George H.W. Bush sent 28,000
American troops to Somalia during a time of civil
war and violence.
 US presence in Somalia was very close to Bin Laden’s
group in the Sudan.
Black Hawk Down!
 In 1993, 18 Americans
died when their Black
Hawk helicopter was
shot down over
Mogadishu, Somalia.
 Al Qaeda operatives likely taught the Somalis how to
shoot down helicopters just like they did in
Afghanistan against the Soviets.
The World Trade Center
 Constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and containing the
tallest buildings in the world, the WTC was symbolic of
American wealth and power. As such, it was the target of
more than one Al Qaeda attack.
The 1993 Attack
 On February 26, 1993, at 12:18 p.m., a small cell of Al
Qaeda terrorists, with links to a local radical mosque and
broader Islamist terror networks, detonated about 1,200
pounds of explosives in a rental van in the underground
parking garage at the North Tower of the World Trade
Center. The terrorists fled the area after setting the bomb
to explode.
 Their intent was to cause enough structural damage to
send the North Tower crashing into the South Tower.
 Though it failed to do so, the explosion created a fivestory crater in the sub-grade levels of the towers and
undermined the floor of an adjoining hotel.
 Six people were killed
and more than 1,000
people were injured,
including 88 firefighters,
35 police officers, and an
emergency medical
services worker. About
50,000 people evacuated
from the WTC complex.
It sustained an estimated
$500 million in
damages.
1993 WTC bombing
 In the weeks after the attack, the planner and co-
conspirators were identified as members of Al
Qaeda.
 Four of the seven terrorists were arrested, convicted
and sentenced to life in prison.
 ABC News Coverage
 Twenty Years Later
 May 1996, Sudan expelled bin Laden, and he
returned to Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan was run by the Taliban, a violent local Afghani
group led by Mullah Omar.
 The Taliban did not plan the Al Qaeda attacks, but they let
Bin Laden operate from Afghanistan and refused to turn
him over to the US.
1996 car bombing of Khobar Towers
 19 Americans were killed and hundreds injured.
Fatwa—An Islamic legal pronouncement
 In August of 1998, Al Qaeda, led by bin Laden and
Ayman Zawahiri declared war on Americans.
Embassy bombings: 1998
 Two American embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania were
bombed simultaneously. 220
people were killed.
 US sent missiles against Qaeda training camps in
Sudan and Afghanistan—with little effect.
 In 2000, four Al Qaeda terrorists were arrested
crossing the Canadian border with nitroglycerin in
his trunk. They were planning to bomb LA
International Airport.
 In Yemen, a boat with explosives tried to bomb a
navy ship but sank due to being overloaded.
 October 2000, Al
Qaeda operatives
sent a suicide
bomber aboard a
small ship near the
USS Cole off the
coast of Yemen. It
detonated, blowing
a large hole in the
US Navy ship. 17
sailors were killed.
Al Qaeda’s most powerful attack
 2819 people were killed
 343 firefighters and
paramedics were killed
Khalid Sheik Muhhamad was the central
Planner of the 9/11. Most terrorists
were from Saudi Arabia.
Flight 93
Impact of Terrorism
Economic
• Loss of life and
property
• Loss of business for
the airline industry
had to be ‘cured’
through huge
government bailouts
•Increase of govt.
spending on security
measures
Political
• Tightening of
border security and
immigration
clearance
• Counter-terrorism
legislation that
infringe on
individual freedom
and personal privacy
(Homeland Security,
TSA)
Social
• Knee-jerk reactions
to crises
• Extremist rhetoric
and sensitive
political
developments over
people
• Causes suspicion
and tension among
different ethnic and
religious groups
• Causes paranoia
and fear
 September 11 Attacks
 Loss of life and property cost insurance companies close to
US$40 million.
 Loss of business to the airline industry as people were afraid of
flying following the incidents.
Government bail-outs were necessary to help support the airline
industry and prevent airlines from closing down.
 Despite this, many airlines cut down by retrenching staff or cutting
down orders for new aircraft.
 As people were afraid to fly, the tourism industry in some
countries suffered.
