List of terrorist incidents, 1975
Encyclopedia
This is a timeline of incidents in 1975 that have been labelled as "terrorism
" and are not believed to have been carried out by a government
or its forces (see state terrorism
and state-sponsored terrorism
).
, January 24: FALN bomb the Fraunces Tavern
, killing four and injuring more than 50., February 26: London
police
officer Stephen Tibble
, 22, is shot dead as he chases a Provisional Irish Republican Army
gunman escaping from a bomb
factory., March 1: A Nairobi
-Mombasa
regular route bus blast at Kenyan capital of Nairobi, killing 26, injuring another 60, Kenyan People Liberation Front has claimed responsibility this blast., March 2: Air Algérie's offices in Toulouse
and Lyon
s were bombed by the Charles Martel Group
. No one was killed or injured in either attack., March 5: In the Savoy Operation
, Palestine Liberation Organization
gunmen from Lebanon
take dozens of hostages at the Tel Aviv
Savoy Hotel, eventually killing eight hostages and three IDF
soldiers, and wounding eleven hostages., April 19: FALN
sets off four bombs within a forty minute period in Manhattan
, New York
, injuring at least five people.,
West Germany, April 24: West German embassy siege. RAF
occupies West Germany
's embassy in Stockholm
, and blows up the building before surrendering to the Swedish police., July 4: A bomb detonates in Zion Square
killing 13 people and wounding 72. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
states the death toll at 14 with 80 injured.,
Republic of Ireland, July 31: Three members of Ireland's popular Miami Showband killed in Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gun attack in Co. Down., September 22: Sarah Jane Moore tries to assassinate President Gerald Ford
in San Francisco, California
. The attempt fails when a bystander grabs her arm and deflects the shot. Moore has stated the motive was to create chaos to bring "the winds of change" because the U.S. government
had declared war on the left wing., December: Carlos the Jackal
and his rebels attack OPEC
headquarters in Vienna
and take over 60 hostages - mostly they were OPEC countries' leaders. On December 22, the hostages and rebels are transported in a DC-9
to Algiers
where 30 hostages were freed; the plane was then flown to Tripoli
, Libya
, where more hostages were freed before flying back to Algiers
where the remaining hostages were freed and the rebels were granted asylum., December 14: Near Beilen, a passenger train was hijacked by members of the Republik Maluku Selatan movement, passengers were kept hostage. Three passengers were killed by the hijackers., December 23: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Station Chief Richard Welch
was shot dead outside his home in Athens
by Marxist terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17 November
. Welch's murder led to the passage of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act
of 1982, making it illegal to reveal the name of an agent who has a covert relationship with an American intelligence organization., December 29: Bomb explodes at New York
's LaGuardia Airport
, killing eleven and injuring 75. No arrests ever made in this case and the reason for this attack remains unknown.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
" and are not believed to have been carried out by a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
or its forces (see state terrorism
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
and state-sponsored terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism is a term used to describe terrorism sponsored by nation-states. As with terrorism, the precise definition, and the identification of particular examples, are subjects of heated political dispute...
).
, January 24: FALN bomb the Fraunces Tavern
Fraunces Tavern
Fraunces Tavern is a tavern, restaurant and museum housed in a conjectural reconstruction of a building that played a prominent role in pre-Revolution and American Revolution history. The building, located at 54 Pearl Street at the corner of Broad Street, has been owned by Sons of the Revolution in...
, killing four and injuring more than 50., February 26: London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
officer Stephen Tibble
Stephen Tibble
PC Stephen Andrew Tibble, QPM, was a police officer in London's Metropolitan Police Service. During a chase through central London, Tibble was fatally shot by Liam Quinn, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army....
, 22, is shot dead as he chases a Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
gunman escaping from a bomb
Balcombe Street Siege
The Balcombe Street Siege was an incident involving members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Metropolitan Police Service of London, England lasting from 6 December to 12 December 1975. The siege ended with the surrender of the four IRA volunteers and the release of their two hostages...
factory., March 1: A Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
-Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
regular route bus blast at Kenyan capital of Nairobi, killing 26, injuring another 60, Kenyan People Liberation Front has claimed responsibility this blast., March 2: Air Algérie's offices in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
s were bombed by the Charles Martel Group
Charles Martel Group
The Charles Martel Group was a French far-right anti-Arab terrorist organization which operated in the 1970s and 1980s...
. No one was killed or injured in either attack., March 5: In the Savoy Operation
Savoy Operation
The Savoy Hotel Attack was a terrorist attack by members of the Palestine Liberation Organization against the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 4–5, 1975.- The attack :...
, Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
gunmen from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
take dozens of hostages at the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
Savoy Hotel, eventually killing eight hostages and three IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
soldiers, and wounding eleven hostages., April 19: FALN
FALN
FALN is an acronym for Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional .It can refer to:*Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña*Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional...
sets off four bombs within a forty minute period in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, injuring at least five people.,
West Germany, April 24: West German embassy siege. RAFRed Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
occupies West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
's embassy in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, and blows up the building before surrendering to the Swedish police., July 4: A bomb detonates in Zion Square
Zion Square
Zion Square is a public square at the east end of the Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Jerusalem. It abuts Jaffa Road, Herbert Samuel Street and Yoel Moshe Salomon Street as well....
killing 13 people and wounding 72. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other countries....
states the death toll at 14 with 80 injured.,
Republic of Ireland, July 31: Three members of Ireland's popular Miami Showband killed in Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gun attack in Co. Down., September 22: Sarah Jane Moore tries to assassinate President Gerald FordGerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The attempt fails when a bystander grabs her arm and deflects the shot. Moore has stated the motive was to create chaos to bring "the winds of change" because the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
had declared war on the left wing., December: Carlos the Jackal
Carlos the Jackal
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez , better known as Carlos the Jackal, is a Venezuelan pro-Palestinian currently serving a life sentence in France for shooting to death two French secret agents and a Lebanese informer in 1975....
and his rebels attack OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
headquarters in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and take over 60 hostages - mostly they were OPEC countries' leaders. On December 22, the hostages and rebels are transported in a DC-9
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
where 30 hostages were freed; the plane was then flown to Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, where more hostages were freed before flying back to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
where the remaining hostages were freed and the rebels were granted asylum., December 14: Near Beilen, a passenger train was hijacked by members of the Republik Maluku Selatan movement, passengers were kept hostage. Three passengers were killed by the hijackers., December 23: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Station Chief Richard Welch
Richard Welch
Richard Skeffington Welch , a Harvard-educated classicist, was a CIA Station Chief killed by the radical Marxist organization Revolutionary Organization 17 November .-Early life and CIA career:...
was shot dead outside his home in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
by Marxist terrorist group Revolutionary Organization 17 November
Revolutionary Organization 17 November
Revolutionary Organization 17 November , was a Marxist urban guerrilla organization formed in 1975 and believed to have been disbanded in 2002 after the arrest and trial of a...
. Welch's murder led to the passage of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act
Intelligence Identities Protection Act
The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 is a United States federal law that makes it a federal crime for those with access to classified information, or those who systematically seek to identify and expose covert agents and have reason to believe that it will harm the foreign...
of 1982, making it illegal to reveal the name of an agent who has a covert relationship with an American intelligence organization., December 29: Bomb explodes at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
, killing eleven and injuring 75. No arrests ever made in this case and the reason for this attack remains unknown.