Terrorist Timeline


Many terrorist events have happened all over the world. The timeline shown here represents just a few of them.

November 4, 1979 Teran, Iran		U.S. Embassy Taken Over A group of Iranian students who were angry at the United States attacked and seized its embassy in Tehran, Iran. They were supported by the countries leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. Details

1982 - 1991 Lebanon		18 Americans Kidnapped David Dodge was the president of the American University in Beirut. He was kidnapped the first time while he was on his way home from work. He was released, but he was kidnapped again. This time he was killed. His murder was called the most gruesome abduction, torture, and killing of a United States citizen. The terrorists videotaped his torture and murder. A group called the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth claimed responsibility, but the real suspects are the Hezbollah guerillas. Details

April 18, 1983 Beirut, Lebanon		Truck Bombing of U.S. Embassy A large vehicle packed with explosives is driven quickly into the U.S. Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes it kills 63 people. A group of terrorists called the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Details

October 23, 1983 Beirut, Lebanon		Truck Bombing of U.S. Marine Barracks A large truck bomb with 2,500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut. 241 U.S. servicement are killed when it expoldes. A French paratrooper base is blown up just a few minutes later and 58 French soldiers are killed. A terrorist group called the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Details

December 12, 1983 Kuwait City, Kuwait		U.S. Embassy Annex Attacked A truck loaded with explosives crashed into the U.S. Embassy anex in Kuwait. Four people were killed and at least 62 were injured. A terrorist group called the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Details

September 20, 1984 Beirut, Lebanon		U.S. Embassy Compound Attacked A van filled with explosives sped through several barriers and groups of U.S. soldiers and stopped about 30 feet in front of the embassy annex. The driver of the van and 12 soldiers and visitors to the annex were killed. A terrorist group called the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Details

April 12, 1985 Madrid, Spain		Restaurant Bombing A bomb exploded in a restaurant where U.S. soldiers liked to eat. The explosion killed 18 Spaniard citizens and injured 82 other people. Only 15 of the Americans were injured, but none were killed. Details

June 13, 1985 Beirut, Lebanon/ Algiers, Algeria		TWA Flight 847 This airliner took off in Rome, Italy, but was hijacked and forced to fly to Beirut, Lebanon. Mohammed Hamadei from the terrorist group Hezbollah, Hassan Izz-al-Din from Lebanon, and Ali Atwa another terrorist hijacked the plane. Details

August 8, 1985 Frankfurt, Germany		Rhein-Main Airbase Bombing Two Americans and 20 others are injured when a Volkswagon car loaded with explosives blew up at the U.S. Rhein-Main air base in Frankfurt, Germany. Two terrorist groups, West German Red Army faction and the French Direct Action, claimed responsibility for the bombing. Details

October 7, 1985 Port Said, Egypt		The Ship Achille Lauro is Hijacked Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacked by four Palistinian men who are members of the Palestine Liberation Organization. They murder a handicapped man from New York and throw his body overboard. Details

November 23, 1985 Valeta, Malta		Egyptair Flight 648 Hijacked Three Arab men from the terrorist group Abu Nidal Organization hijacked this plane and forced it to land in Valletta, Malta. There was a 30 hour standoff between the hijackers and the Egyptian comandos. Details

December 27, 1985 Rome, Italy and Vienna, Austria		Grenades and Guns are used to Massacre Passengers at Rome and Vienna Airport At the same time two groups of terrorists, one in Rome and one in Vienna, charge up to the counters of Israel's El Air airline. They throw grenades at the tourists getting ready to fly on the airline. Details

April 02, 1986 Athens, Greece		TWA Flight 840 Bombed As the plane was beginning to land in Athens a plastic explosive bomb exploded under the seat of the passenger sitting in seat 10F. Four people were killed and nine others were wounded. The terrorist group called Ezzedine Kassam Unit of the Arab Revolutionary Cells claimed responsibility.Details

April 05, 1986 West Berlin		La Belle Disco in Berlin Bombed The La Belle is a nightclub that was popular with the United States servicemen. Two United States soldiers and one Turkish woman were killed in the explosion

December 21, 1988 Lockerbie, Scotland		Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing The bomb that blew up this flight was packed in a small radio case. It was left on the plane by a terrorist that got off of the plane at an earlier stop. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist group claimed responsibility. The bombing was carried out so that they could take revenge on America when one of its warships accidentally mistook a Palestinian passenger plane as a war plane and shot it down. Details

January 25, 1993 Langley, Virginia		CIA Employees in Langley, VA are Shot A Pakisini man, Mir Aimal Kasi, who lived in Virginia drove up to the CIA building in Langley, Virginia and shot two CIA agents. He was angry because he believed that the United States were mistreating Muslims who lived in the Middle East. Details

February 26, 1993 New York, New York		1993 World Trade Center in New York Bombed A group of Muslim terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives and driven into the World Trade Center's underground parking garage. Six people were killed and more than 1,000 are injured in this terrorist attack Details

November 13, 1995 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia		U.S. Military Complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is Bombed Seven people are killed when a powerful car bomb explodes in front of a military center run by the United States military. Three terrorist groups: Islamic Movement for Change, the Tigers of the Gulf, and the Combatant Partisans of God claim responsibility for the bombing of this military center. Details

June 25, 1996 Dhahran, Saudi Arabia		Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia are Bombed A fuel truck was parked 35 yards away from a United States military compound. When the truck blew up 19 American soldiers were killed and 500 more people were wounded. The Movement for Islamic Change claimed responsibility for the bombing. Details

August 07, 1998 Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania		U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are Bombed These terrorist attacks happened almost at the same time. More than 5,000 people were injured and 224 were killed when the buildings that they were working in collapsed during the explosions. Details

October 12, 2000 Aden, Yemen		USS Cole Bombed The USS Cole was docked in Aden Yemen for refueling. A small craft pulled alongside the ship and two terrorists set off the bomb. The two terrorists were killed and so were 17 U.S. Navy seamen when the explosion blew a 20 by 40 foot hole in the side of the ship. Details

September 11, 2001 New York City, Washington, D.C.		World Trade Center is Destroyed and the Pentagon is Attacked Terrorists hijack 4 domestic flights from Boston airport. Two of the planes slam in to the two World Trade Center towers, causing them to collapse. A third flight crashes into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashes in Pennsylvania. Details

Bibliography and Citations

Photographic Citations: Photographic citations can be found by moving your mouse over the picture.

Text Citations:
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/issues/terrordata/