Central European Terrorism

NIT- No Impact From Terrorism.

Rank- The lower your rank, the higher impact from terrorism. 44 countires tied for 116th this year due to NIT. [1a]

Rank- The lower the rank the more peaceful the country was ranked. [1b]

Belgium: 107 on the Terrorism index, and ranked as a peaceful nation by the global peace index (GPI).

Belgium has been victimized by modern day terrorism since the 1970’s. Terrorism in the 1970’s and 1980’s was conducted mostly by left wing groups, liberal Marxist and liberation groups. There were several extremist groups that operated in Belgium during this time, many with ties to other International left wing groups, such
as the Red Army Faction. [2]

–CCC (Communist Combatant Cells): The CCC is a terrorist organization with communist  ideals that was only active for about 2 years. They mostly focused on domestic bombings, and their attacks were focused on capitalist property and assets rather than people. During their active years the group carried out around 20 attacks between ’84 and ’85. The CCC was effectively shut down when its leader, Pierre Carette, was arrested in 1985, and convicted of murder in 1986. [3]

-A major terror attack that stands out is the 1981 bombing of a Portuguese Jewish Synagogue in the city of Antwerp. On October 19, 1981 a delivery truck was parked outside of the synagogue. The truck was missing a wheel and appeared to have broken down. The following morning, October 20, a bomb hidden inside the truck exploded. The blast destroyed the doors and windows of the synagogue, destroyed storefronts and windows in a 4 block radius and ultimately left 3 people dead and 106 wounded. It is still unknown who is to blame for this attack. [4]

Germany: 62 on Terrorism index, and ranked as a peaceful nation on the GPI.

Germany has an extensive history of terrorism since the end of the First World War. During the Weimer Republic era and the Cold War terrorist acts were conducted by far-left and far-right extremist groups. These groups were mostly extremist nationalist groups. The peak of terrorism in Cold War West Germany was in the 1970’s. The incidents that standout most are the Munich Massacre during the 1972 Olympics and the German Autumn of 1977, see below. An American tie to German terrorism is the Hamburg Cell, see below. [5]

–Munich Massacre: During the 1972 summer Olympics, September 5, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s

faction “Black September” kidnapped 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team in their sleep. The hostage takers demanded the release of 234 prisoners that had been held in Israeli prisons and the release of the two founders of the German Red Army faction, who were incarcerated in Germany prisons. The Palestinians then demanded transportation to Cairo, and here the German police saw its chance to ambush the attackers. They provided Helicopters that were to fly the terrorists and their hostages to the nearby NATO airbase, from which they would board a plane to Cairo, Egypt. German had missed their chance to ambush the assailants before they could get to the Helicopters, so they focused on preparing for their arrival at the Airbase and strategically placed snipers. As two of the terrorists inspected the aircraft they realized that they walked into a trap and started running back towards the helicopters. As they ran past the control tower one of the snipers decided to take a shot at the leader of the group, but missed. Shortly after the authorities gave orders for all the snipers to fire and a gun battle ensued, during which two of the hostage takers were killed. Realizing their bad situation, one of the terrorists turned towards the bound hostages in one of the helicopters, started firing at them with his fully automatic rifle and shortly after pulled the pin of a hand grenade which he tossed into the helicopter. The total death toll of the attacks is 17. All of the israeli hostages, one german police officer and five of the eight assailants were killed on this day. The three remaining attackers were taken into custody. [6] [7]

– Germany Autumn: The German Autumn is a series of terror attacks in 1977. These attacks were conducted by the Red Army Faction, see below, on April 7, 1977, July 30, 1977, and September 5, 1977. These attacks resulted in the kidnapping and/or deaths of nine people. The targets of the attacks were prominent German businessmen
and a government official. Siegfried Buback, West Germany’s chief federal prosecutor, was the target of the attack
on April 7, 1977. He and two other men also died when gunmen opened fire on the vehicle they were riding in. On July 30, 1977 Jürgen Ponto was killed in his home. He was the head of Dresdner Bank. On September 5, 1977 Hanns Martin Schleyer, president of the German employee association, was kidnapped during an ambush on his police escorted convoy. The attack resulted in the death of Schleyer’s driver and three of the police escorts. Schleyer was later killed and his body found on October 19, 1977. [8]

– Red Army Faction: The Red Army Faction, RAF, was a left-wing communist  organization that was founded in  by Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, Horst Mahler, and Ulrike Meinhof. The group is also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. The RAF is the most well-known German terrorist group and was active from 1970 to 1998. The RAF is responsible for attacks that resulted in the deaths of 34 targeted individuals and dozens of other collateral deaths and injuries. The German Autumn is what the RAF is most well known for. On April 20, 1998, Reuters news agency received an eight page typed letter declaring the RAF as dissolved. There have been no reported attacks by the RAF since. [9]

– Hamburg Cell: The Hamburg Cell was a group of radical islamists that started in 1998. The members of the group included Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, which would later turn out to be major players in the attacks of 9/11 and other minor players. Mohamed Atta, who attended the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, was personally chosen by Osama Bin Laden to be the leader of the group during a visit to Kandahar, Afghanistan. After their trip they started enrolling in flight school and continued their planning of the attacks, before they went to the U.S., where they continued their training and ultimately carried out the attacks. Atta, an egyptian native, later served as the pilot of flight 11 that hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. [10]

Denmark: 77 on Terrorism index, and ranked as a more peaceful nation on the GPI.

Denmark has had 36 events listed on the Global Terrorism Database, GTD, as terrorist attacks. The first identified terrorist attack on the list occurred on January 15, 1979, and was conducted by the Arab Revolutionary Army. It was an attack on food and water supply with no identified fatalities. The most recent terror incident listed on the database occurred on August 30, 2011, and was conducted by unknown assailants. The attack was against private citizens and property resulting in one death and two injuries. In total, according to the database, Denmark has had three individuals die as a result of terrorism and 23 injured.

The most disruptive of the attacks, based on number of killed and injured, occurred on July 22, 1985. That day there were two separate attacks claimed by Hezbollah. One is listed as against airports and aircraft, with the other listed as against religious figures/institutions. These attacks resulted in one death and ten injured, according to the GTD. Below this attack will be highlighted in more detail.

Most terror attacks in Denmark have unknown perpetrators, and no one group seems to be actively at war with the country, its people, industrial complex, or government. Attacks have been carried out by anarchists, Islamic radical groups, Armenian separatist groups, and the IRA. [11]

–July 22, 1985: This morning two bombs, some reports say three, exploded in Copenhagen. One bomb was thrown into the Northwest Orient Airlines office, the only American based airline with offices in Copenhagen, which left several people lying scattered on the floor. Only minutes later another bomb, possibly two, went off at the Copenhagen Synagogue and Meyers Minne Nursing Home, a Jewish respite home for the elderly. Reports say that one person was killed at the airline office and a total of around 25-30 were injured during both explosions, four of which were in critical condition. According to the Los Angeles Times, an anonymous caller told Associated Press in Beirut that the attacks were carried out by the Shia Muslim terrorist organization Islamic Jihad to avenge an Israeli raid on a southern Lebanese village the previous Sunday. The attacks were later linked to members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. There is a disparity between the LA Times article and the GTD of reported injured; the reason for the difference in figures is unknown. [12]

Austria: 69 on Terror index, and ranked as a peaceful nation on the GPI.

Austria has had 105 attacks reported by the Global Terrorism Database, GTD. The first terror attack on the list occurred on January 19, 1977 and was conducted by unknown assailants. The attack was Transportation infrastructure in Vienna resulting in no deaths or injuries reported. The most recent attack listed on the GTD was on January 18, 2011. The Conspiracy of Cells of Fire suspected as being responsible for that attack. This attack was against government diplomats and resulted in no deaths or injuries reported.

There are two parties that are suspected or have claimed responsibility for more attacks than any other group. The Kurdistan Worker’s Party, PKK, has claimed or is suspected of eight terror attacks, and Neo-Nazi groups are suspected or have claimed responsibility for 13 attacks. The PKK is a single identifiable group, while the Neo-Nazi terrorist is an ideology that has spawned terrorist activity, not necessarily a single group.

The single most devastating terror attack in Austrian history, in reference to casualty count, occurred on December 27, 1985. This attack resulted in the deaths of four people and injured 38. It additionally resulted in the death of one of the attackers and injured the other two. Three armed Abu Nidal Organization members used automatic weapons and grenades to attack the El Al Airline counter at the Viennas Schwecat Airport, in Vienna Austria.

Most of the attacks in Austria have unknown perpetrators. The one group that seems to have the greatest grievance with Austria seems to be the PKK, with Neo-Nazi factions also being of significant concern. The ideologies of terror groups that have been active in Austria range from Neo-Nazism, to Liberation groups, to Islamic radicals, to nationalist and separatist group, all the way to right-wing extremists. [13]

– August 29, 1981, two young palestinian gunners, age 21 and 25, used machine guns and grenades to attack a Bar mitzvah servive at a synagogue in Vienna. The two men killed two individuals and left about 30 others wounded. The younger of the two assailants was later also indicted for the assassination of Heinz Nittel, the president of the Austrian- Israeli friendship association, who was murdered only a few months before, on may 1. The attacks were later attributed to the Abu Nidal Organization. [14]

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, “Poland is a country not directly threatened by terrorist attacks. But we can not completely exclude the increased interest in Poland on the part of terrorist organisations, especially in the context of our involvement, among others, in Afghanistan.” Additionally, the Polish government’s antiterrorism website declares that the current terror threat level is “zero.” [15] [16]

Czech Republic: 88 on Terror index, and ranked as a peaceful nation on the GPI.

The Czech Republic is a relatively new nation, under its current status. It has, however, garnered enough status to incur terror attacks. The nation, as it current exists, was formed on January 1, 1993.  A mere 19 months and 28 days later it suffered its first terrorist attack. The attack occurred on July 28, 1994 and was conducted against an American institution there in Prague, Czech Republic, a McDonalds. The details of the attack were not available on the Global Terrorism Database. However it is known that the attack resulted in no deaths or injuries. The most recent attack occurred on September 2, 2011 in Zlicin, a district of Prague and was conducted by unknown assailants. The attack was designed to be an IED attack at an IKEA, but was disrupted by a security guard when he found the device and it was successfully disarmed, resulting in no deaths or injuries.

The terrorist attack that resulted in the greatest number of injuries and/or deaths occurred on June 6, 2008 in Brno, Czech Republic. The attack was conducted during the Czech Republic’s first Gay Pride Parade when right-wing extremists launched tear gas canisters and fireworks into the parade crowd, resulting in the injury of 20 people. Authorities made three arrests in connection with the attacks, but no group took credit for the attack.

The deadliest attack in Czech Republic history occurred on November 26, 1996 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. This attack was a bombing on a local hospital and resulted in the death of two people and injured one more. No group has claimed responsibility for this attack either.

In all the Czech Republic has been victimized by 17 terrorist attacks resulting in four deaths and 27 injuries. Neo-Nazi factions are the only groups that have been identified as perpetrators in any of the attacks. They are suspected in two of the 17 attacks. The other 15 have unknown assailants. There seems to be no direct threat from international terrorist currently. [18] [19]

While the Czech Republic is fairly well insulated from the hard-liner ideological terrorist the previous countries suffer from, the Czech Republic is resting on its laurels when it comes to terrorism policy making. The first sentence of the Czech’s terrorism policy states: “Despite the absence of any evidence of activities connected to the threat from international and domestic terrorism, the authorities pay great attention to emerging threats and menaces that are likely to endanger the security of Czech Republic.” [20]

Slovakia: 116 on Terror index, and ranked as a peaceful nation on the GPI.

According to the Overseas Security Advisory Council of the United States Department of State, “There are no known indigenous terrorist organizations in Slovakia. There have been several incidents of homegrown “lone-wolf” actors who conducted or were planning to conduct terrorist incidents.” Slovensko.com contributes this lack of terrorism to “Slovakia is a very small player on the international scene and there are no cities with over half a million inhabitants” and because “the threat of terrorism is taken seriously and all necessary preventive measures are in place.” [21] [22]

In slight contrast to the reported lack of terrorism in Slovakia, the Global Terrorism Database reports four documented terrorist attacks in Slovakian history. The first reported terrorist event occurred on April 14, 1995 and was a bombing of a government office in Bratislava, Slovakia resulting in no deaths of injuries. The most recent event occurred on October 14, 1999 in Bratislava, Slovakia when armed gunmen opened fire on the publisher of a magazine and he was wounded in the leg. The publisher was the only injury from the attack and no deaths reported. In these four attacks there is a reported one death and three injuries. All four attacks have been conducted by unknown assailants. [23]

Endnotes:

[1a] http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/terrorism-index

[1b] http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index

[2] http://www.cf2r.org/fr/tribune-libre/islamist-terrorism-in-europe-the-case-of-belgium.php#_ftn2

[3] http://www.start.umd.edu/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=299

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Antwerp_bombing

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Germany

[6] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr_F_r2Fv1I

[7] http://history1900s.about.com/od/famouscrimesscandals/p/munichmassacre.htm

[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autumn

[9]  http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Red_Army_Faction.html

[10] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgLwu2FhfDM

[11] http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&search=denmark&count=100&charttype=line&chart=overtime&expanded=no&ob=CountryText&od=asc#results-table

[12] http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-22/news/mn-6060_1_terrorist-explosions

[13] http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&search=austria&count=100&expanded=no&charttype=line&chart=overtime&ob=CountryText&od=asc#results-table

[14] http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/147611#.UXhQlnB_dLQ

[15] http://www.msz.gov.pl/en/foreign_policy/security_policy/international_terrorism/

[16] http://www.antyterroryzm.gov.pl/eng/terrorism-threat-level/859,Terrorist-threat-level-in-Poland.html

[17] http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&search=Poland&charttype=line&chart=overtime&expanded=no&ob=CountryText&od=asc#results-table

[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic

[19] http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&search=czech republic&charttype=line&chart=overtime&expanded=no&ob=CountryText&od=asc#results-table

[20] www.coe.int/gmt

[21] https://www.osac.gov/pages/contentreportdetails.aspx?cid=11972

[22] http://www.slovensko.com/about/war-terrorism-slovakia

[23] http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?search=slovakia&sa.x=0&sa.y=0