Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1994

From: Patterns of Global Terrorism. United States Department of State Publication 10321

4 January

Ireland

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) claimed responsibility for two mail bombs sent to Sinn Fein's Dublin offices.

Turkey

Iranian state agents are believed responsible for the assassination of a member of the Iranian KDP Central Committee in Corum.

9 January

Iran

An armed attack was carried out against the British Embassy in Tehran. No one was injured, and no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

10 January

Italy

A bomb detonated in front of the NATO Defense College building in Rome. That evening, copies of an eight-page Red Brigades bulletin, claiming responsibility on behalf of the "Combatant Communist Nuclei" (NCC), were found in several provinces.

11 January

Peru

A suspected Sendero Luminoso (SL) satchel bomb exploded in front of the Peruvian-Japanese cultural center in Lima, causing minimal damage to the structure.

14 January

Colombia

Suspected members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) kidnapped US citizen Russell Vacek, his wife Elizabeth, and other family members as they were traveling in El Playon.

29 January

Lebanon

A Jordanian diplomat was shot and killed outside his home in Beirut. The Government of Lebanon arrested and prosecuted ANO terrorists for the attack.

2 February

Azerbaijan

Several bombs exploded inside railcars, killing five persons and injuring several others at the Baku train station.

3 February

Greece

A bomb detonated at the German Goethe (culture) Institute in Athens. A local newspaper received a warning a half hour before the detonation from the Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) terrorist group.

Italy

A bomb was placed underneath the car of a Spanish Military Attache, Lt. Col. Fernando Sagristano, in Rome. The device severely injured an embassy driver.

19 February

Egypt

Unknown assailants fired upon a passenger train and wounded a Polish woman, a Thai woman, and two Egyptian citizens in Asyut. The al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) claimed responsibility for the attack.

23 February

Egypt

A bomb explosion aboard a passenger train in Asyut injured six foreign touristswtwo New Zealanders, two Germans, and two Australianswand five Egyptian citizens. The Islamic Group (IG) claimed responsibility for the incident.

4 March

Egypt

Unknown gunmen opened fire at a Nile cruise ship and wounded a German tourist near the Sohag Governorate. The Islamic Group (IG) claimed responsibility for the incident.

Iraq

Unidentified gunmen fired on a European Relief Organization vehicle and wounded two local guards near Irbil.

9-13 March

United Kingdom

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) fired mortars at London's Heathrow International Airport in three separate attacks. There were no injuries because the fully primed mortars failed to detonate.

13 March

Lebanon

A grenade detonated on the British Embassy compound, causing minor damage and no injuries. No arrests or claims of responsibility were reported.

24 March

Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is believed responsible for bombing the Central Bazaar in Istanbul's historic tourist district. Four tourists, including two Romanian women, were injured by the blast.

27 March

Turkey

A bomb detonated in the gardens of the Saint Sophia Mosque and Museum in Istanbul, injuring three tourists: one German, one Spanish, and one Dutch. The Metropole Revenge Team of the political wing of the PKK claimed responsibility.

29 March

Iraq

Six assailants fired on a United Nations guard contingency bus traveling from Irbil to Mosul and seriously wounded two Austrian guards.

1 April

Colombia

Six members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped US citizen Raymond Rising, Security Chief of the Summer Linguistic Institution, as he rode his motorcycle from the Municipal Capital of Puerto Lleras.

2 April

Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for bombing the IC Bedesten, the old bazaar at the center of the bazaar complex, in Istanbul. Two foreign tourists, one Spanish and one Belgian, were killed, and 17 others were injured.

3 April

Iraq

Assailants fired on a German journalist and her bodyguard while they were traveling in their car near Suleymaniyah. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed instantly.

8 April

Sri Lanka

A small bomb exploded inside a bathroom at the Marriott Hotel in Colombo, causing minor damages and no casualties.

11 April

Greece

The 17 November terrorist group claimed responsibility for planting rockets aimed at a British aircraft carrier, the Arc Royal. The rockets were defused by explosives experts.

13 April

Lebanon

Five individuals, including two Iraqi diplomats, were arrested for assassinating Iraqi opposition figure Shaykh Talib Ali al-Suhayl in his house near West Beirut.

27 April

South Africa

A car bomb exploded at Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg, injuring 16 persons, including two Russian diplomats and a Swiss Air pilot. Although no group has claimed responsibility, white separatists opposed to South Africa's first multiracial election are believed responsible.

8 May

Algeria

Two French priests were shot and killed by two male assailants in the lower Casbah district of Algiers. In its weekly publication, the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility.

17 May

Greece

A time-detonated rocket was fired at an IBM office in downtown Athens. The 17 November terrorist group claimed responsibility in a warning call to a radio station.

29 May

Iraq

At least two unknown assailants shot and killed an Iranian dissident, Seyeed Ahmad Sadr Lahijani, as he drove his car through Ghalebieh.

17 June

Uganda

A driver for the Catholic Relief Services was badly beaten by Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels who ambushed the truck he was driving.

21-22 June

Turkey

In the coastal towns of Fethiye and Marmaris, bombs killed one foreign national and injured 10 others at tourist sites. The PKK claimed responsibility for the attacks on German television.

22 June

Turkey

Two bombs detonated within minutes of each other at a beach and park in the resort town of Marmaris, wounding 12 persons, including four British nationals, one of whom died five days later.

24 June

Greece

The Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA/1 May) claimed responsibility for a bombing outside the offices of the European Community in downtown Athens. There were no injuries reported.

4 July

Greece

A senior Turkish diplomat in Athens, Omer Sipahioglu, was killed by three gunmen as he sat in his car. "November 17vTheofilos Georgiadis Commandos" claimed responsibility for the attack.

11 July

Greece

A bomb detonated in a Lindos restaurant on the Island of Rhodes, seriously injuring an Italian tourist and a Greek citizen.

18 July

Argentina

A car bomb exploded at the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA), killing nearly 100 persons and wounding more than 200 others. The explosion caused the seven-story building to collapse and damaged adjacent buildings.

19 July

Panama

A commuter plane exploded in flight over the Santa Rita mountains. Among the 21 victims were Israeli nationals, dual Israeli-Panamanian citizens, three US citizens, and 12 Jewish persons.

23 July

West Bank

Two unknown Palestinians stabbed and seriously injured a US woman in the Arab quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The assailants escaped unharmed.

26 July

Cambodia

The Khmer Rouge attacked a train traveling in Kompong Trach and kidnapped a number of passengers, among them an Australian, a Briton, and a Frenchman.

United Kingdom

A car bomb exploded at the Israeli Embassy in London, injuring 14 persons. Police said the bomb was planted by a woman who was driving an Audi.

27 July

United Kingdom

A car bomb detonated outside a building that houses Jewish organizations in London. Five persons were injured in the attack.

3 August

Algeria

Five French Embassy employees were killed and one injured when guerrillas from the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) attacked a French residential compound in Algiers.

8 August

Turkey

The PKK kidnapped two Finnish nationals, stating that they did not have "entry visas for Kurdistan." The Finns were held for 22 days before being released unharmed.

12 August

Turkey

A bomb detonated in the Topkapi Bus Terminal, killing one Romanian consular official and wounding seven other people. The PKK is suspected.

18 August

Chile

A bomb exploded at a Santiago office building that houses the American company Fluor Daniel. The Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) claimed responsibility and stated that the incident was carried out in solidarity with Cuba and against the US economic blockade of the island.

26 August

Angola

A Portuguese priest and four nuns were kidnapped by suspected National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebels near Choba.

27 August

Philippines

Seven South Korean engineers and 30 Filipino workers were taken captive by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

23 September

Colombia

Twelve terrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped US citizen Thomas Hargrove when he stopped at a guerrilla roadblock.

27 September

Egypt

Three persons were killed and two were wounded when an assailant fired on a downtown tourist area in Hurghada. Two Egyptians and one German were killed in the attack. The Islamic Group claimed responsibility for the attack.

9 October

Israel

Two Arabs armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked pedestrians in Jerusalem. The gunmen killed two persons and injured 14 others. Two US citizens were among the injured. HAMAS has claimed responsibility for the incident.

18 October

Algeria

Approximately 30 members of the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) attacked an oil base, killing a French and an Italian worker.

23 October

Egypt

Assailants shot and killed a British tourist and wounded three others in an attack on a bus near Luxor. The Islamic Group is believed responsible for the attack.

11 December

Philippines

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) claimed responsibility for an explosion aboard a Philippine airliner. One Japanese citizen was killed, and at least 10 others were injured.

12 December

Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is believed responsible for a bomb blast outside a store in Istanbul, which injured eight persons, including four Romanian tourists.

24 December

Algeria

Members of the Armed Islamic Group (AIG) hijacked an Air France flight in Algeria. The plane arrived in Marseille, France, on 26 December. A French antiterrorist unit stormed the plane, ending the 54-hour siege in which three hostages were killed by the terrorists. All four terrorists were killed during the rescue.

25 December

Israel

An American was among 12 persons injured when a HAMAS supporter carrying a bag of explosives blew himself up at a West Jerusalem bus stop.

27 December

Algeria

The Armed Islamic Group (AIG) claimed responsibility for the murders of four Catholic priests. The murders were apparently in retaliation for the deaths of four GIA hijackers the previous day in Marseille.