List of terrorist incidents, 1977
Encyclopedia
This is a timeline of incidents in 1977 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 8: Three explosions in Moscow
. A bomb
was detonated on a Moscow Metro
train as it rolled into Kurskaya
station. Seven people died and 33 were seriously injured in the incident, attributed to Armenia
n terrorists., January 27: Atocha massacre
in Spain. Far-right members (of?) killed five people in a shooting., March 9: Three buildings in Washington, DC were seized by members of the militant African-American Muslim Hanafi sect, and over 100 hostages were taken. One bystander was shot and killed, and Washington city councilman Marion Barry
was shot in the chest. After a two-day standoff, all hostages were released from the District Building (city hall), B'nai B'rith
headquarters, and the Islamic Center., April 7: Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback
and his driver were shot by two Red Army Faction
members., May 23: School hostage crisis in the Netherlands
. RMS activists kept 105 children and five teachers hostage in a school in Smilde., June 2: Three members of a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Police Force mobile patrol were shot and killed by IRA
snipers near Ardboe, County Tyrone
. It was part of ongoing attacks against police and army., June 11: Train hostage crisis in the Netherlands
. Near Groningen, a passenger train
was hijacked by members of the RMS, and 55 passengers were taken hostage. In an army rescue operation, six hijackers and two passengers were killed., July 24: The home of Morris Amitay was bombed in the early morning hours . Mr Amitay was Executive Director of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. None of the sleeping family was hurt., July 30: Jürgen Ponto
, then head of the Dresdner Bank
, was shot and killed by the Red Army Faction
in a failed kidnapping attempt., August 3: Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN
in Manhattan
, New York
bombed the offices of Mobil Oil and a building containing US Defense Department security personnel, killing one person and injuring eight others in the Mobil offices. In addition, the group warned that bombs were located in thirteen other buildings, including the Empire State Building
and the World Trade Center
, resulting in the evacuation of one hundred thousand people. Five days later, a bomb attributed to the group was found in the American Express (AMEX
) building., September 5: Hanns Martin Schleyer
was kidnapped by the Red Army Faction
, and murdered on October 19, 1977., October 13: Lufthansa flight LH 181
was hijacked by a group of four members of PFLP and taken to Mogadishu
, Somalia
; it was later released after a rescue operation launched by GSG 9
commando group., December 4: Malaysia Airlines Flight 653
is hijacked and crashes in Tanjung Kupang
, Johor
, killing all 100 on board., December 19: A bomb destroyed the luxury food shop Fauchon
in Paris.
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 8: Three explosions in Moscow
1977 Moscow bombings
The 1977 Moscow bombings were a series of bombings in Moscow committed on January 8, 1977. These terrorist attacks claimed seven lives, while thirty-seven people were seriously injured. No one ever claimed responsibility for the bombing, though three members of an Armenian nationalist organization...
. A bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
was detonated on a Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
train as it rolled into Kurskaya
Kurskaya-Radialnaya
Kurskaya , also known as Kurskaya-Radialnaya, is a station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. It is named for the Kursky Rail Terminal located nearby. Designed by L.M...
station. Seven people died and 33 were seriously injured in the incident, attributed to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n terrorists., January 27: Atocha massacre
1977 Massacre of Atocha
The 1977 Massacre of Atocha was a neo-fascist attack during the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of Franco in 1975, killing five and injuring four...
in Spain. Far-right members (of?) killed five people in a shooting., March 9: Three buildings in Washington, DC were seized by members of the militant African-American Muslim Hanafi sect, and over 100 hostages were taken. One bystander was shot and killed, and Washington city councilman Marion Barry
Marion Barry
Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...
was shot in the chest. After a two-day standoff, all hostages were released from the District Building (city hall), B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
headquarters, and the Islamic Center., April 7: Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback was the Attorney General of Germany from 1974-1977.Buback studied at the University of Leipzig. From 1940 to 1945 he was a member of the Nazi Party. From 1945 to 1947 he was a POW...
and his driver were shot by two Red Army Faction
Red 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...
members., May 23: School hostage crisis in the Netherlands
1977 Dutch school hostage crisis
On the morning of Monday, May 23, 1977, four armed South-Moluccans took hostage of 105 children and their 5 teachers at a primary school in Bovensmilde in the Dutch province of Drenthe. At the same time nine others hijacked a train in the nearby De Punt...
. RMS activists kept 105 children and five teachers hostage in a school in Smilde., June 2: Three members of a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Police Force mobile patrol were shot and killed by IRA
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...
snipers near Ardboe, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. It was part of ongoing attacks against police and army., June 11: Train hostage crisis in the Netherlands
1977 Dutch train hostage crisis
On May 23, 1977 a train hijacking took place close to Drentsche Aa river bridge at de Punt on the provincial border between Groningen and Drenthe, northeastern Netherlands. Nine armed Moluccans pulled the emergency brake around 9 AM and took about 50 people as hostages...
. Near Groningen, a passenger train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
was hijacked by members of the RMS, and 55 passengers were taken hostage. In an army rescue operation, six hijackers and two passengers were killed., July 24: The home of Morris Amitay was bombed in the early morning hours . Mr Amitay was Executive Director of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. None of the sleeping family was hurt., July 30: Jürgen Ponto
Jürgen Ponto
Jürgen Ponto, was a German banker and chairman of the Dresdner Bank board of directors. Previously, he had worked as a lawyer...
, then head of the Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank
Dresdner Bank AG was one of Germany's largest banking corporations and was based in Frankfurt. It was acquired by competitor Commerzbank in December 2009.- 19th century :...
, was shot and killed by the Red Army Faction
Red 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...
in a failed kidnapping attempt., August 3: Puerto Rican nationalist group 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...
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...
bombed the offices of Mobil Oil and a building containing US Defense Department security personnel, killing one person and injuring eight others in the Mobil offices. In addition, the group warned that bombs were located in thirteen other buildings, including the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
and the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, resulting in the evacuation of one hundred thousand people. Five days later, a bomb attributed to the group was found in the American Express (AMEX
AMEX
AMEX, AmEx or Amex may refer to:*American Stock Exchange*American Express, a global financial services corporation*American Express Community Stadium, association football stadium in Brighton, England, currently sponsored by American Express...
) building., September 5: Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hanns-Martin Schleyer was an SS officer, a German business executive and employer and industry representative, serving as President of the two influential organizations Confederation of German Employers' Associations and Federation of German Industries...
was kidnapped by the Red Army Faction
Red 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...
, and murdered on October 19, 1977., October 13: Lufthansa flight LH 181
Lufthansa Flight 181
Lufthansa Flight 181 was a Lufthansa Boeing 737-230 Adv aircraft named Landshut that was hijacked on October 13, 1977 by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
was hijacked by a group of four members of PFLP and taken to Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
; it was later released after a rescue operation launched by GSG 9
GSG 9
The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
commando group., December 4: Malaysia Airlines Flight 653
Malaysia Airlines Flight 653
Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 , a Boeing 737-2H6 aircraft registered as , crashed at Tanjung Kupang, Johor, in Malaysia on the evening of 4 December 1977. It was the deadliest and first fatal accident for Malaysia Airlines, with all 93 passengers and 7 crew killed instantly. The flight was...
is hijacked and crashes in Tanjung Kupang
Tanjung Kupang
Not to be confused with Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara and Tanjung Pinang in Riau IslandsTanjung Kupang is a small village near Nusajaya in Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia.-Malaysia Airlines Flight 653:...
, Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
, killing all 100 on board., December 19: A bomb destroyed the luxury food shop Fauchon
Fauchon
Fauchon is a French gourmet food company that was founded in 1886 by Auguste Fauchon. The company is based in Paris, France and operates retail outlets. Fauchon currently produces tea, chocolate, biscuits and sweets among other products.- History :...
in Paris.