NCJ Number
81399
Date Published
1981
Length
247 pages
Annotation
This work describes the organization, operation, and management of various terrorist groups in the United States, Latin America, and Western Europe. It delineates the roles of the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Libya in fomenting terrorism and discusses the activities of foreign terrorist groups in the United States. The text also analyzes antiterrorist measures used by Western European governments.
Abstract
The book is divided into two major sections -- operations and controls. The operations portion discusses the techniques and tactics used by terrorist groups and their relevance to the urban environment of the industrialized democracies, using as examples the Algerian FLN; the Tupamaros in Montevideo, Uruguay; and the Symbionese Liberation Army in the San Francisco Bay area. It examines those groups which were first exposed to revolutionary dogma in prison and later coordinated their activities there, including the Islamic guerrillas in the United States; the New World Liberation Front, a California-based terrorist group; and West Germany's Baader-Meinhof gang. The text reviews recent trends in the terrorist group organization in the United States. Under controls, the text comments on factors limiting the extension of police power to combat terrorists within a free society, thereby impairing the efficiency and effectiveness of the police as a social control agency. It points out methods of controlling political terrorism in a free society, while emphasizing that unless terrorists are controlled within the framework of established laws, democracy will be lost. While an internal passport system, forced quartering, and other repressive methods may be effective, they are incompatible with democratic principles. The text illustrates antiterrorist tactics pursued by the Western Europeans, with particular reference to suppression of the Irish Republican Army and Spanish and German terrorists, as well as Italy's Red Brigades. It highlights recent computer-assisted antiterrorist intelligence operations and establishes their usefulness. Finally, the text suggests an analytical framework for evaluating information pertaining to 'agitational' terrorism. Appendixes include a chronology of terrorist attacks (July 1979 to June 1980) and apprehensions/convictions (December 1977 to July 1980), a discussion of the investigation of Aldo Moro's assassination, and other material. Footnotes, an index, and 40 references are supplied.