Terrorism-Groups

The Nizari ASSASSINS

• Shiite kingdom in mountains of Persia, Lebanon

• assassinated political enemies with daggers

Anarchists and Anarchism

• originated in early 19th century

• part of utopian intellectual ferment of the time

• opposition to the state and other established institutions

• belief in self organizing society

• effective tactically but failed strategically

KKK

• founded in 1866 by Nathan Bedford Forrest

• white supremascist group

• violent intimidation

• lynchings

IRA

• irish republican paramilitary force

• sought to end British rule in North ireland

• catholic

• guerilla tactics

Fenians

• irish national secret society

• mid 1800s

• present in US

• similar goals of IRA

Irgun

• founded in 1936

• jewish terrorists, violence needed in response to arab violence

• carried out terrorism campaign from 1936-1939

Stern Gang

• founded in 1939

• continued attacks of british

Malaysian Insurgency

• in 1945 communist party that opened an insurgency against British

• assassinations combined w guerrilla warfare

FLN

• estb in 1954

• guerrilla org wanting to gain independence from France in Algeria

• blitz attacks, hit and run

Palestine Liberation Organization

• founded in 1964

• wanted to get land back

• engaged and protracted in a guerrila war against Israel

Black September

• branch of PFLP

• retaliate for Jordainain crackdown

• strengthen radical wing of palestinian national movement

• carried out the Munich Olympics attack in 1972

The rejectionists

• some palestinians opposed all negotiations

• Abu Nidal group assassinated Arab and Palestinian leaders

• Ended up a terrorist for hire “Carlos the Jackal”

Tamil Tigers

• sri lanka

• Sinhalese (majority) limited the minority Tamil group

• became a dominant rebel group

• used car bombs and adopted suicide bombing in 1987

Tupamaros

• uraguay

• pursued Robin Hood strat, robing banks and food for the poor

• later turned to kidnapping and assassinations

• right wing gov crushed them

• military coup overthrew democratic leader

Colombia and FARC

• revolutionary armed forces

• founded in 1964

• estb control over large areas of the countryside

• engaged in killing and assassinations

• alliances w drug lords

• peace plan with gov in 2016

Shining Path

• comm party of peru

• founded in 1970 by Abinal Guzman

• Began war in 1980

• Estb base in countryside

• killed hundreds of public officials, police, and judges

• over 30 k died in conflict

• Guzman captured by security forces in 1992

U.S. weather underground

• more radical offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society 1969

• radical left ideology

• anti-vietnam war

• new-left ideology

• series of bombings (NYC, pentagon, senate)

Red Army Faction (RAF)

• Far left militant group in germany

• estb 1970

• kidnappings, bank robberies, bombings

• bombed US military personnel

• second gen kidnapped high ranking former Nazi

Red Brigade

• italian far left marxist group

• founded 1970

• kidnapped and killed Aldo Moro

ANTIFA

• far left movement

• anti fascist, capitalist, anarchist

• direct action

• confront far-right groups

Muslim Brotherhood

• egypt 1928

• Islamist groups opposing modern secularism

• Focused on organizing, education, propaganda, social service provisions and operated w/i weak states

• Member Mohamed Morsi won the 2012 Egypt prez election, overthrown by military in 2013

Hezbollah

• Lebanese shia islamist political party and paramilitary group

• allied w Assad regime

• ost Oct 7 2023 attacks on Palestine, initially attacked Israel a little, but then stopped bc of retaliation

• October 23 1982, they attacked barracks holding US and French peacekeepers, killing 241 americans which was the highest loss of life since ww2 battle of Iwogima

Hamas

• Offshoot of muslim brotherhood in palestine

• Prominent w/ first intifada in 1987

• Goal to liberate palestine and establish an islamic state

• Suicide bombong campaign against Oslo accords in 1990s

• High level of attacks in the Second Intifada 2000-2005

• Control of the Gaza Strip

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

• founded in 1981

• Hamas Adjacent

• Goal to destroy Israel and create Islamic state

Al-Qaeda

• founded 1988

• Sunni fundameltalist (islam)

• wants to unite the Muslims under a supranational Islamic caliphate

• Key innovation was taking the fight to the USA

• USA root of all problems (head of the snake)

ISIS

• Extension of IS and global Alafi-Jihadist movement

• expelled from Al-Qaeda for being too extremem

• ambushes, IED attacks, kidnappings, military style assaults, suicide operations, targeted killings

• initially led by Baghdadi

Aryan Brotherhood

• white prison gang founded in 1964

• murder for hire, drugs, prostitution, extortion

• many alr serving life sentences when they join

Proud boys

• founded in 2016

• far right neo fascist group

• western chauvinists

• trump supporters

• led by enrique tarrio

Boko Haram

• originated in the 1990s and became violent after its leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed in 2009

• Sunni violent extremist/militant group

• later split into 2 groups

Montoneros

• argentina

• far left catholic revolutionary guerrilla organization

• peronist nationalism

• emerged during period of political instability, dictatorship, and severe repression in Argentina

• used targeted assassination, kidnappings, bombings, sabotage and propaganda

People’s revolutionary army

• Argentina

• Marxist-Leninist guerilla org

• anti-Peronist and explicitly communist

• more rural and military oriented