INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: HOSTAGE SEIZURES - 1983/03/01

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: Argentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 05164492
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 25
• Document Creation Date: April 3, 2019
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2019
• Publication Date: March 1, 1983

Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
CIA HAS NO OBJECTION TO DECLASSIFICATION
AND/OR RELEASE OF THIS DOCUMENT DATE:
10-05-2018
International Terrorism:
Hostage Seizures
A statistical overview of international terrorist hostage seizures
from January 1968 through December 1982.
March 1983
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Terrorism: The threat or use of violence
for political purposes by individuals or
groups, whether acting for or in opposi-
tion to established governmental author-
ity, when such actions are intended to
shock, stun, or intimidate a target group
wider than the immediate victims. Terror-
ism has involved groups seeking to over-
throw specific regimes, to rectify per-
ceived national or group grievances, or to
undermine international order as an end
in itself.
international Terrorism: Terrorism con-
ducted with the support of a foreign
government or organization and/or direct-
ed against foreign nationals, institutions,
or governments.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
International Terrorism:
Hostage Seizures
On 27 February 1980, the Dominican
Republic's Embassy in Bogota, Colom-
bia, hosted a reception attended by dip-
lomats from 17 countries, including US
Ambassador Diego Asencio. Amidst the
measured cadences of international di-
plomacy, 12 members of the Colombian
terrorist organization M-19, dressed in
soccer uniforms, stormed the front of the
building, exchanging gunfire with the
guards. Simultaneously, other M-19 ter-
rorists, already inside the Embassy and
disguised as guests, drew their weapons
and secured the building from within.
During the takeover frightened diplomats
shouted from Embassy windows alerting
outsiders that there were wounded inside
and warning that any precipitous police
action might cause a massacre. The
siege and negotiations dragged on for
two months. Isolated and unsure of the
pace of negotiations, all of the diplomats
lived with the daily fear of death and
some showed clear signs of depression
and mental fatigue. Finally, on 27 April
after weeks of careful negotiations, the
Colombian Government reached an
agreement with the terrorists ending this
hostage-and-barricade situation. This
single event focused worldwide attention
on Colombia and catapulted the M-19 to
new prominence as a terrorist group.
International terrorists have employed a
wide variety of violent means in pursuit of
their goals, including complex and stressful
hostage-and-barricade operations similar
to the one described above. While such
hostage seizures represent only a small
portion of all terrorist activity, they are
among the most spectacular types of
event. Hostage-and-barricade situations
1
require a governmental response, draw the
attention of the international media, gener-
ally involve a well-trained and experienced
terrorist organization, and often place their
victims under severe and prolonged emo-
tional stress.
During the last 15 years, hostage seizures
have been conducted by 188 groups and
have victimized more than 3,000 individ-
uals from all parts of the world. This paper
provides a statistical overview of terrorist
kidnapings and hostage-and-barricade op-
erations conducted during 1968-82.1
General Findings
� The annual number of hostage seizures
has varied widely, ranging from one re-
corded incident in 1968 to 63 in 1975.
� Hostage seizures composed 540, or 7
percent, of the almost 8,000 terrorist
attacks which occurred during this peri-
od. Of the 3,162 hostages seized, 91
victims were killed and 106 wounded.
Approximately 20 percent of all hostage
operations resulted in death or personal
injury to the victims, compared with
roughly 30 percent of all international
terrorist attacks.
� Almost half of all hostage seizures oc-
curred in Latin America, with much of the
remainder roughly divided between
Western Europe and the Middle East.
' See appendixes A-C for the terrorist groups
responsible, nationalities of the victims, and
countries in which these hostage seizures oc-
curred. Appendix D is a chronology of selected
terrorist incidents involving hostage seizures
during the last 15 years.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
International Terrorist Incidents
Involving Hostage Seizure
January 1968-December 1982
80
60
40
20
1 I I I I_ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0
68
69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82
Total: 540
� Concessions in exchange for hostage
release were demanded from 56 coun-
tries and 46 companies or private organi-
zations. These demands included mon-
ey, release of fellow terrorists held in jail,
publication of a political statement, and
safe departure to another country for the
terrorists.
� Twenty-four countries�most often
Cuba, Libya, Algeria, and South Ye-
men�have granted asylum to terrorists
after a hostage seizure.
� The number of hostage seizures�both
kidnapings and hostage-and-barricade
operations�directed against diplomats
as a discrete category of victim has been
rising in recent years.
2
� Governments are dealing with hostage
seizures more effectively. Records for the
last three years show an increase in the
number of incidents in which hostages
were successfully rescued or freed with
only minor concessions to the terrorists.
Types of Hostage Seizures
In this publication, we consider two types
of hostage seizures: kidnapings�defined
as the seizure of one or more victims who
are subsequently moved to a hideout�
and hostage-and-barricade situations�
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
defined as the seizure of a facility with
whatever hostages are available.2 In both
cases, the release of hostages is made
contingent on meeting the terrorists'
demands.
Kidnapings. During 1968-82, we record-
ed 409 kidnapings involving 951 hostages.
Although kidnapings occurred every year,
most took place in the mid-1970s, when
Argentine terrorists routinely kidnaped US
businessmen for ransom. Kidnapers es-
caped with their hostages in more than 80
percent of all recorded attempts and col-
lected a ransom in almost 70 percent of
the cases in which a ransom was demand-
ed. Kidnaping attacks resulted in 36
deaths, including seven US citizens, and
62 woundings, including 11 US citizens.
Hostage and Barricade. Since 1968 we
have recorded 131 hostage-and-barricade
operations, in which 2,211 victims from 45
countries were seized. Two-thirds of these
operations were directed against embas-
sies or consulates. Thirty terrorist groups
conducted hostage-and-barricade opera-
tions in 46 countries, demands for money
or political change were made on 56 gov-
ernments, and at least 55 victims were
killed and 44 wounded in these attacks.
Our records show that, in 75 percent of the
attacks, the terrorists achieved at least a
portion of their demands, and in 44 per-
cent they obtained safe passage from the
scene.
Attacks in 1982
During 1982 international terrorists con-
ducted 30 hostage seizures. This is 11
fewer than recorded in 1981. The most
significant decrease occurred in Latin
America, where the number declined from
an average of 24 per year during 1968-81
to only 10 recorded incidents in 1982.
A third category, skyjackings�the seizure of
an airplane with whatever hostages are
aboard�is covered in a separate publication.
3
One highly publicized incident took place
on 7 August when two Armenian terrorists
attempted a hostage seizure at the Ankara
Airport. When their attempt failed, the ter-
rorists fired into a group of passengers and
exploded a bomb in a customs area. Nine
people were killed (including one US citi-
zen) , and 70 were wounded. One terrorist
was wounded by the police, and the other
fled to an airport cafeteria where he seized
hostages. He negotiated with the police for
about 30 minutes but was killed when
police stormed the cafeteria.
Major kidnapings during 1982 included six
conducted by Kurdish rebels in Iraq, three
by Turkish terrorists, and three by foreign
terrorists in Lebanon. Two other kidnap-
ings, highly publicized incidents involving
Americans, occurred in July. As of early
1983, both cases remained unsolved and
the fates of the victims unknown. In Beirut
on 19 July, David Dodge, the Acting Presi-
dent of the American University, was ab-
ducted by unidentified gunmen. On 23 July
nine tourists�Americans, Britains, and
Australians�were seized in Zimbabwe by
armed dissidents, who subsequently re-
leased only the three female hostages.
International
Terrorist Groups
Since the beginning of 1968, a total of 188
terrorist groups from every part of the
world have seized hostages (see appendix
A) . About 25 groups conduct hostage
seizures in an average year. This average
has decreased slightly even though the
total number of groups conducting terrorist
operations has increased. In 1970, for ex-
ample, 49 groups claimed credit for some
kind of terrorist attack, and 24 groups
carried out hostage seizures. In 1975, 111
groups claimed credit for attacks, and 35
seized hostages. In 1981, 131 groups
claimed credit for attacks, and 19 seized
hostages. Our records show that hostages
were successfully rescued by forces from
Britain, the Philippines, Turkey, Italy,
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Cuba, and Mexico in 1980 and by forces
from Indonesia, Bolivia, France, Pakistan,
Poland, Sweden, Spain, and the Nether-
lands in 1981.
Although Palestinian terrorists have not
been active in the past few years, they still
conducted over 10 percent of all interna-
tional attacks during the 15-year period,
including the most hostage seizures. A
total of 14 Palestinian terrorist groups con-
ducted almost 100 hostage-seizure opera-
tions in 15 countries. These incidents
ranged from the September 1972 Munich
Olympic attacks by Black September and
the May 1974 attack on Maalot by the
Popular Democratic Front for the Libera-
tion of Palestine to relatively minor kidnap-
ings conducted in Beirut and other Middle
Eastern cities. Although most Palestinian
attacks are directed against Israeli citizens,
Jews and non-Jews from 15 other coun-
tries have been taken hostage.
The Peoples Revolutionary Army (ERP) in
Argentina also often used hostage seizures
to achieve a wide range of goals including
publicity, financial gain, and the erosion of
government authority. ERP, virtually wiped
out during the mid-1970s, was a domestic
group that also attacked foreigners in Ar-
gentina. Although it primarily kidnaped US
businessmen and officials, it also seized
citizens from Chile, Austria, Italy, Denmark,
the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and
France. Its operations included the June
1973 kidnaping of the president of Fire-
stone's Buenos Aires subsidiary and two
kidnapings of the president of a British
firm�Roberts and Company�once in
1973, when he was released in exchange
for a $2 million ransom, and again in 1975,
when he was rescued after a police shoot-
out.
Another group, the Basque Fatherland and
Liberty (ETA) of Spain, primarily con-
ducts domestic operations, although it of-
ten seizes foreigners in Spain to collect
ransom or to discredit the Spanish regime.
It has kidnaped at least one foreigner in
Spain every year since 1970. These at-
tacks have mostly been against officials or
businessmen from other European coun-
tries.
4
Hostage-Seizure Victims
During the past 15 years, 3,162 victims
from 73 countries (see appendix B) were
taken hostage by international terrorists.
West Europeans were the most frequent
targets, followed by North Americans. Citi-
zens from the other regions account for
only about 35 percent of all hostage sei-
zures. Diplomats and other official govern-
ment representatives were seized in almost
half of all hostage takings, while business-
men were the victims of another one-fourth
of such attacks. Countries whose citizens
have been the most frequently victimized
are the United States, France, the United
Kingdom, West Germany, and Italy. At-
tacks against those nationalities account
for about half of all hostage seizures.
Americans were by far the most often
seized. Of the 540 hostage seizures, US
citizens were victims in 155.
The number of countries whose citizens
have been seized has remained rather con-
stant since 1968. We recorded hostages
from 16 countries in 1970, 19 in 1975,. and
21 in 1981. This is in sharp contrast to
other types of attacks, for which the num-
ber of countries involved has increased
dramatically during the last 10 years.
Since 1968 government representatives
have been taken hostage by international
terrorists in 220 separate seizures. These
representatives were from 57 different
countries, most often the United States,
France, West Germany, and the United
Kingdom. Seizures occurred in 57 coun-
tries with almost half in Latin America,
especially in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.
More than 1200, people were taken hos-
tage in these attacks. The following inci-
dents were among the most publicized:
� The M-19 attack on the Dominican Em-
bassy in Bogota on 27 February 1980;
57 hostages were seized, including am-
bassadors from 11 countries.
� The Japanese Red Army attack on the
US Consulate in Kuala Lumpur on 4
August 1975; 52 hostages were seized,
including diplomats from the United
States, Japan, Sweden, and Malaysia.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
t
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
International Terrorist Incidents Involving Hostage Seizure,
By Nationality of Victims
January 1968�December 1982
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
o
North
America
Total: 540
Latin Western
America Europe
USSR/
Eastern
Europe
Sub-
Saharan
Africa
Middle Asia Other
East/
North
Africa
Locations of Attacks
Although hostage seizures were concen-
trated in Latin America and Western Eu-
rope, almost every major country experi-
enced at least one such attack. Since
1968 hostage seizures have been recorded
in 73 countries (see appendix C) and, on
an average, occurred in about 25 different
countries each year. More than one-third
of the attacks, however, took place in only
six countries. The greatest number oc-
curred in Lebanon, which, until the 1982
Israeli invasion, was a virtual crossroads of
international terrorism, with almost every
major Middle Eastern terrorist group repre-
sented in Beirut. Other countries in which a
5
large number of hostage seizures have
occurred are El Salvador, Mexico, Guate-
mala, Colombia, and Ethiopia. In these
countries attacks were generally carried
out by indigenous groups against foreign
targets, most often representatives from
the United States and European countries.
Latin America. During 1968-82 we re-
corded 249 hostage seizures by interna-
tional terrorists in Latin America, almost
half of the world total. This primarily re-
flects domestic violence in several nations
and the effects of its spillover into the
international arena. Although citizens from
34 countries were held hostage in Latin
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Number of International Terrorist Incidents
Involving Hostage Seizure, 1968-82
The United Slates Government has not recognized
tIt. incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuanla
into the Soviet Union. Other boundary representation
is not necessarily authoritative.
505763 (547564) 3-83
82
(15.2%)
Western Europe
254
, (47.0%)
Latin America
1
(0.2%)
Eastern Europe/Soviet Union
102
(18.9%)
tiorth Africa/Middle East
58
(10.7%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
America, the kidnapings of US business-
men accounted for almost one-fourth of all
hostage seizures in that region.
Western Europe. Every year since we
began keeping records, both European
and non-European terrorists have conduct-
ed operations in Western Europe, where
they are likely to receive publicity and
where movement is relatively easy. We
have recorded 82 hostage-seizure inci-
dents there since 1968. These seizures
were most numerous during the mid-1970s
when Palestinian terrorists were most ac-
tive. The number decreased somewhat in
the late 1970s but increased again in
1980-81, primarily because of Armenian
and Red Brigades activity. During the 15
years, international terrorist groups from
27 countries conducted hostage-seizure
operations in Western Europe against citi-
zens from 32 countries. Half of all hostage
seizures in Western Europe were carried
out by non-European terrorists against
non-European victims.
6
31
(5.8%)
Asia/Pacific
Outcomes of
Hostage Seizures
Asylum for Terrorists. In more than 50
hostage-seizure cases, the terrorists were
able to obtain safe passage for themselves
and asylum in a friendly country. Although
24 countries have granted asylum to ter-
rorists, Libya and Cuba were involved in
almost half of the cases. Cuba has primari-
ly granted asylum to leftwing groups in
Latin America, such as the M-19 in Colom-
bia and the Peoples Revolutionary Armed
Forces in Mexico. Libya has granted asy-
lum to many different groups, although
most often to Palestinian terrorists. Libya
has also granted asylum to terrorists in-
volved in some of the more notorious inci-
dents, such as the seizure of the US Con-
sulate in Malaysia by the Japanese Red
Army in 1975.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Release of Hostages. From 1970 through
1982, meaningful negotiations resulted in
the release of hostages in 42 instances.3 In
those incidents with successful outcomes:
� The terrorists often allowed outsiders to
substitute for the hostages originally
seized. The practice of hostage substitu-
tion suggests a willingness by the terror-
ists to negotiate in good faith and a
certain dedication to reaching a
settlement.
� The terrorists set fewer deadlines during
negotiations, thereby allowing for ongo-
ing discussions and avoiding the need to
demonstrate the credibility of their
threats.
� Few of the events were barricade situa-
tions. Barricade incidents are high-ten-
sion situations for all parties involved and
tend to produce a psychological climate
that reduces chances for a nonviolent
outcome.
� The release of prisoners�perhaps the
most difficult concession for a govern-
ment to make�generally was not stipu-
lated or maintained as a nonnegotiable
demand by the terrorists.
Of the 534 hostage seizures during this 12-year
period, only 63 involved meaningful negotiations
with a series of exchanges between terrorists
and government; in 42 incidents all the hostages
were released, in 21 incidents some or all of the
hostages were killed.
7
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Appendix A
Terrorist Groups Responsible
for Hostage Seizures
This list contains the names of organizations responsible either by claim or attribution for
specific hostage seizures reflected in the statistics. Some of these seizures may have
taken place without the approval or even the foreknowledge of the leaders of the
organizations involved.
Certain of the claims of responsibility are probably false. Some of the names listed may
be fictional ones invented by organizations not wishing to accept responsibility for
particular actions or by criminals or psychotics for their own purposes. In other cases or-
ganizations may have claimed credit for (or have been blamed for) actions they did not
take.
Group Nationality
Afghanistan Dissidents Led by Afghanistan
Sahruddin Baez
Ananda Marg India
April 19 Movement (M-19) Colombia
Arab Liberation Front Palestine
Arab National Youth Organization Palestine
for the Liberation of Palestine
Argentine Forces of Liberation Argentina
Armed Forces of the Chadian Revolution Chad
Armed Forces of the El Salvador
National Resistance
Armed Revolutionary El Salvador
Party of the People
Armenian Secret Army for the Armenia
Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)
Army of National Liberation Colombia
Bandera Roja (Red Flag) Venezuela
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) Spain
ETA-Military (ETA-M)
ETA-Political/Military (ETA-PM)
Black June Palestine
Black September Organization Palestine
Black 1902 Thailand
Charles Martel Group France
Cuba National Liberation Front Cuba
Democratic Party for the Mozambique
Liberation of Mozambique
Eagles of the Palestinian Revolution Lebanon
Eritrean Liberation Forces Ethiopia
Eritrean Liberation Forces
General Command
9
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Group Nationality
Farabundo Marti Liberation Forces El Salvador
Fatah (Al Fatah) Palestine
February 28 Popular League El Salvador
Freedom for People Organization Iran
Front for the Liberation of Quebec (FLQ) Canada
Guerrilla Army of the Poor Guatemala
Honduran Revolutionary Union Honduras
Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth Spain
International Revolutionary Cells West Germany
Invisible Ones Colombia
January 12 Liberation Movement Dominican Republic
January 31 Popular Front Guatemala
Japanese Red Army Japan
June 2 Movement West Germany
Kurdish Liberation Army Iraq
Kurdish United Socialist Party Iraq
Marxist-Leninist Armed Propaganda Unit Turkey
Montoneros Argentina
Moro National Liberation Front Philippines
National Democratic Popular Front Mexico
National Liberation Front of Chad Chad
National Liberation Party Lebanon
National Organization of Cypriot Fighters Cyprus
National Union for the Total Angola
Independence of Angola (UNITA)
October 1st Anti-Fascist Revolutionary Spain
Group (GRAPO)
Pakistan Liberation Army Pakistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Iraq
Peoples Guerrilla Army Guatemala
Peoples Liberation Armed Forces Mexico
Peoples Revolutionary Armed Forces Mexico
Peoples Revolutionary Army Argentina
Peoples Revolutionary Vanguard Brazil
Philippine Moslem Rebels Philippines
Popular Colorado Movement Paraguay
Popular Democratic Front for the Palestine
Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP)
Popular Front for the Palestine
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC)
10
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
z
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Group Nationality
Popular Liberation Forces El Salvador
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Cabinda
Popular Revolutionary Bloc El Salvador
Proletarian Justice Italy
Provisional Irish Republican Army Ireland
Rebel Armed Forces Guatemala
Red Army Faction (RAF) West Germany
Red Brigades Italy
Red Resistance Front Netherlands
Revolutionary Action Front Honduras
Revolutionary Armed Forces Mexico
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Colombia
Revolutionary Left (Dev Sol) Turkey
Revolutionary Student Front Mexico
Revolutionary Way (Dev Yol) Turkey
Revolutionary Workers Party El Salvador
Saiqa (Al Sai'qa) Palestine/Syria
Secret Anti-Communist Democratic Front Guatemala
September 23 Communist League Mexico
Somali Liberation Front Somalia
South Moluccans Netherlands
Tupamaros Uruguay
Turkish People's Liberation Front (TPLF) Turkey
Turkish Revolutionary Youth Federation Turkey
United Popular Action Front El Salvador
Zaire People's Revolutionary Party Zaire
11
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
pproved for Release: 2018/10/05 005164492
Appendix B
Countries Whose Citizens Have Been Held Hostage By International Terrorists, 1968-82
United States
me ic
Kiribati
Belize
Orgcijara
Guatemala-
El Salvador
' The Bahamas
Cuba Dominican
Haiti) Republic
Jamaica
ragua
Antigua and Barbuda
St Lucia � oom,�,�ha �
st ,0,1Cent 11P0
Gresadnes vr. .d .5
Grenada
Trinidad and Tobago
Guyana
Surinarne
French Guiana
Costa Rica I
Panama
Greenland
(Den.)
Iceland
Svalbard
(Nor.)
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Denmark
"
United
Ireland Kingdom r
lad GB Poland
s '''Hung'-rania
il,,,-,-.Germany Czech
France ,
� Sa
Monaco 5 Mnarino, 'yugoslavie
Aust ROrn
ne-
Anrinda' -
P�auga{r Spain
Morocco
Al
Western
saharari
Italy - Bulgaria
ct40" Alb '
(Tunisia
Turkey
Greece
Malta CypruLes - s
banon
Iraq
Israel uliwait
Iran
'Jordan
Egypt Bahrain r
Qatar
Saudi Arabia U.A.E.
Mauritan
Carte �
Verde Sene-g2,
The Gambia
Guinea-Bissau G
Sierra Leortc�
IC
Liberia
Niger Chad
in
)1,
Nigeria /
2 CAR
/Camaro�n
Togo
Sao Some. vr.
and Principe"
Equatorial
Guinea
Yemen Yemen
Ethiopia 7
Somalia
da f
)eetya1.
Oman
Seychelles
Ozambigue
The United States Government has not rorawsnired the
,noorporstion of Estonia. Latvia, and Lithuania into the
Soviet Union, Names and boundary representation
:me not neumsarily authoritative
Soviet Union
Afghanistan
dagascar Mau"'"
esotho
abiland
Pakista
China
Maid
eit a t
BangtacleSh -7,
,Taman
India . -B
Burma
, s< ,poit }
Macau Kong r U K 1
., si"--'-�, , 'Vietnam .
It,na117.dmp:che.
Sri
Lanka
N. ,Korea
S. Korea
Philippines
Japan
sours
Vanuatu'',
New
Zealand
Tuvalu
Kiribati
Western
,
Samoa " � .
pproved for Release: 2018/10/05 005164492
13
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Appendix C
Locations of International Terrorist
Attacks Involving Hostage Seizure
Afghanistan France Peru
Algeria Greece Philippines
Angola Guatemala Saudi Arabia
Argentina Haiti Sierra Leone
Australia Honduras Somalia
Austria Iran South Africa
Bangladesh Iraq South Yemen (PDRY)
Belgium Ireland Soviet Union
Bolivia Israel Spain
Botswana Italy Sudan
Brazil Jordan Sweden
Burma Kuwait Switzerland
Burundi Lebanon Syria
Canada Lesotho Tanzania
Chad Luxembourg Thailand
Chile Malaysia Trinidad and Tobago
Colombia Mexico Tunisia
Costa Rica Morocco Turkey
Cuba Mozambique Uganda
Cyprus Namibia United Kingdom
Denmark Netherlands Uruguay
Dominican Republic Nicaragua Venezuela
Ecuador Norway West Germany
El Salvador Pakistan Zaire
Ethiopia Paraguay
15
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Appendix D
A Chronology of Selected Significant
Hostage Seizures, 1968-82
1970 7 June
Jordan. Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) seized 60 hostages, including American, British, Canadian, and
West German citizens, at the Intercontinental and Philadelphia Hotels in
Amman to protest the bombardment of Palestinian refugee camps by the
Jordanian Army. The hostages were released on 12 June, the day after a
cease-fire was arranged in Amman between the Jordanian Army and the
Palestinian guerrillas. The hostages then joined 500 foreigners who were
evacuated to Beirut in an airlift organized by the International Committee
of the Red Cross.
31 July
Uruguay. US AID official Dan A. Mitrione was kidnaped by Tupamaro
guerrillas who demanded the release of all political prisoners in Uruguay.
The government refused to negotiate, and Mitrione was found dead in
Montevideo.
5 October
Canada. James Richard Jasper Cross, the British Trade Commissioner in
Quebec, was kidnaped from his Montreal home by the Front for the
Liberation of Quebec (FLQ). Five days later another FLQ cell kidnaped
the Quebec Minister of Labor, Guy La Porte. The kidnapers of Cross
demanded the release of 23 FLQ members held by police. They also
demanded that the families of the prisoners be provided safe passage by
air from Montreal to Cuba or Algeria. The government rejected the
demands, but offered safe conduct out of the country for the kidnapers.
On 16 October the government invoked emergency powers, authorizing
police and troops to conduct searches and arrest without warrants. On 18
October, the Minister's body was found in a car trunk. This led to a
massive hunt for the kidnapers, with 500 individuals being arrested.
Cross's kidnapers released him unharmed and surrendered on 3 Decem-
ber.
1 December
Spain. West German Honorary Consul, Eugen Biehl, was kidnaped near
San Sebastian by members of the Basque separatist organization, ETA.
His captors demanded the release of all ETA members imprisoned in
Spain, including 16 Basque separatists who were on trial in Burgos for
killing a police chief. Biehl was freed on Christmas day, but six separatists
received death sentences, nine more were sentenced to terms of 12 to 70
years' imprisonment, and only one was acquitted.
17
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
1971 8 January
Uruguay. Sir Geoffrey M. S. Jackson, British Ambassador to Uruguay,
was kidnaped in Montevideo by the Tupamaros. The group demanded
the release of 150 political prisoners. On 11 January President Pacheco
Areco asked congress for a 90-day special police power to conduct a
search. The 11-member legislative commission granted him a 40-day
suspension of individual rights. The government remained firm in its
refusal to negotiate for Jackson's release, and on 22 May offered a
$50,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. On 6 September 106
Tupamaros, including their leader Raul Sendic, escaped from prison by
digging a tunnel. On 8 September the Tupamaros announced that they no
longer had a need to detain Jackson. He was found alive the next day on
the steps of a parish church in a Montevideo residential district after an
unidentified woman had phoned the UK Embassy.
10 February
Sweden. Two Croatian emigres seized the Yugoslav Consulate in Gote-
borg, took three staff members hostage, and demanded the release of a
Croatian terrorist imprisoned in Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav Government
refused to meet their demands, and the terrorists surrendered the next
day to Swedish authorities. They were tried and sentenced to three and a
half years' imprisonment. On 16 September 1972 they were released and
flown to Madrid after three Croatians hijacked a Scandinavian airliner and
demanded their freedom, along with the release of five Croatians involved
in the assassination of the Yugoslav Ambassador on 7 April 1971.
17 May
Turkey. The Israeli Consul General in Istanbul, Ephraim Elrom, was
kidnaped by four armed Turkish leftists. The government immediately
began an intensive search for the kidnaped diplomat and his abductors.
The kidnapers were members of the Turkish People's Liberation Front
(TPLF) . Deputy Premier Sadi Kocas reiterated in the Senate on 18 May
that the government had "no intention of bargaining with a handful of
adventurers." He also announced the arrest of a major suspect, Ayhan
Yalin. The Israeli Government expressed its confidence in the action of the
Turkish Government in attempting to save Elrom. The police found
Elrom's body on 23 May in an apartment less than 500 meters from the
Israeli Consulate.
1972 5 September
West Germany. The Black September Organization broke into the Israeli
quarters at the Olympic Games in Munich and took nine hostages. They
demanded the release of 236 guerrillas in Israeli jails, the release of
German terrorists Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, and safe passage
to a foreign country. During a shootout when police stormed the building,
the hostages, five of the terrorists, and a West German policeman were
killed. The three surviving terrorists, two of whom were wounded, were
released after the hijacking of a Lufthansa jet the following month.
18
28 December
Thailand. Four members of the Black September Organization seized the
Israeli Embassy in Bangkok and took 12 hostages, one of whom was the
Israeli Ambassador to Cambodia. They demanded the release of 36
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The Israeli Government did not comply, but
after 18 hours Thai authorities and the Egyptian Ambassador persuaded
the terrorists to free their hostages in return for safe conduct to Cairo.
1973 23 January
Haiti. Three Haitians kidnaped US Ambassador Clinton E. Knox. Their
initial demands were for the release of 31 political prisoners and a
$500,000 ransom. Consul General Ward L. Christensen voluntarily joined
Knox in captivity during the negotiations. The next day the terrorists
reduced their demands to the release of 16 political prisoners, a ransom
of $70,000, and safe conduct to Mexico. Knox and Christensen were
released after the Haitian Government met the reduced demands. The
terrorists and the released prisoners, accompanied by the Mexican
Ambassador, were flown to Mexico, where the ransom money was taken
from them and returned to Haiti. Mexico refused to accept the political
prisoners, who then proceeded to Chile.
1 March
Sudan. Eight members of the Black September Organization seized the
Saudi Embassy in Khartoum during a farewell reception for American
Charge d'Affaires George Curtis Moore. They took 10 hostages, including
Moore, incoming US Ambassador Cleo A. Noel, Jr., the Saudi Ambassa-
dor and his family, and the Belgian and Jordanian Charges. They
demanded the release of Al Fatah leader Abu Daoud, other Palestinians
held by Jordan and Israel, and members of the Baader-Meinhof Gang
imprisoned in Germany. All the hostages except Noel, Moore, and the
Belgian Charge, Guy Eid, were released, and the terrorists reduced their
demands to the release of Abu Daoud and 16 Palestinians held by
Jordan. The Government of Sudan refused to negotiate, and all the
remaining hostages were killed. The terrorists surrendered on 6 March.
President Nimeiri denounced the incident as "a criminal act devoid of any
reason or bravery," and the Sudanese Government banned further
operations by Palestinian organizations. The trial of the terrorists began
on 1 June 1974. They were convicted on 24 June and sentenced to life
imprisonment, but President Nimeiri commuted their sentences to seven
years and released them to the Palestine Liberation Organization the next
day. The terrorists were then flown to Cairo, where Egyptian authorities
imprisoned them.
4 May
Mexico. The US Consul General in Guadalajara, Terrence G. Leonhardy,
was kidnaped by members of the Peoples Revolutionary Armed Forces,
who demanded that 30 prisoners in Mexican jails be released and flown to
Cuba. Mexican President Luis Echeverria Alvarez quickly agreed to the
demands, and the 26 men and four women arrived in Havana on a
Mexican airliner on 6 May.
19
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
5 September
France. Five Palestinians seized the Saudi Embassy in Paris, took 13
hostages, and demanded that Jordan release imprisoned Al Fatah leader
Abu Daoud. The Jordanian Government did not grant this demand, and
the terrorists were allowed to leave France with four of their hostages.
They surrendered to authorities and released their hostages in Kuwait on
8 September, after stops in Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In October
the terrorists were allowed to go to Syria.
1974 6 February
Kuwait. Five members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) seized the Japanese Embassy and took 12 hostages, including
the Ambassador. They demanded that Japan arrange to fly two of their
comrades and two members of the Japanese Red Army to Kuwait from
Singapore, where they were imprisoned. Japan complied; Singapore
cooperated. After the hostages were freed, the terrorists were granted
safe passage to South Yemen.
20
22 March
Mexico. Members of the Peoples Liberation Armed Forces kidnaped
American Vice Consul John Patterson near Hermosillo. They demanded a
ransom of $500,000. Mrs. Patterson claimed that all attempts she made
to deliver the ransom were unsuccessful. Patterson was found dead in the
desert on 8 July.
21 April
Chad. Members of a Toubou rebel group calling themselves the Armed
Forces of the Chadian Revolution kidnaped five Europeans in a raid on a
medical research center. The rebels kept altering their demands, which
revolved around the provision of money and arms. The West German
Government agreed to pay a $1.2 million ransom and broadcast a
manifesto for the release of one hostage. The terrorists threatened to
execute a French hostage on 23 September if the French Government did
not provide $880,000 and 88 tons of military supplies. The group granted
the hostage a stay of execution when the French Government agreed to
the cash ransom. A new faction of the Toubou rebels agreed to release
the hostage.
15 May
Israel. The Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of ealestine
(PDFLP) attacked a van bringing Arab women home from work, killing
two and injuring one. They then proceeded to a school in the town of
Maalot, where they shot a janitor and then herded more than 90 children
from their dorms. The guerrillas asked that French Ambassador Hure and
Romanian Ambassador Ion Covaci be brought to the school to act as
mediators. The terrorists refused an Israeli demand to extend their
deadline, and the Israelis decided to storm the building within half an hour
of the deadline. One terrorist was shot as he ran to detonate an explosive;
and, before they died, two others fired on the children, killing 16 of them
and wounding 70 others. Five of the injured children died later. One of the
Israeli commandos was also killed in the raid.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
13 September
Netherlands. Four members of the Japanese Red Army seized the
French Embassy in The Hague and took 11 hostages, including the
French Ambassador, Jacques Senard. They demanded a ransom of $1
million, an aircraft, and the release of a comrade imprisoned in France.
The French and Dutch Governments met most of the demands; all
hostages were released on 16 and 17 September, and all four terrorists
were flown to Syria.
27 September
Dominican Republic. Members of the January 12 Liberation Movement
kidnaped USIA Director Barbara Hutchison and then seized the Venezue-
lan Consulate in Santo Domingo, capturing the Consul, the Vice Consul, a
Spanish priest, and four local employees. The terrorists demanded the
release of 38 political prisoners and a ransom of $1 million. The
Dominican Government refused to comply with the terrorists' demands,
and the hostages were freed on 9 October in return for safe conduct to
Panama.
/975 26 February
Argentina. Montoneros kidnaped John P. Egan, a retired businessman
serving as the American Honorary Consul in Cordoba. They demanded
that four captured guerrillas be shown on national television or else Egan
would be killed. Egan was found dead the next day.
24 April
Sweden. Six West German radicals affiliated with the Red Army Faction
(RAF) seized the West German Embassy in Stockholm, taking 12
hostages, including Ambassador Dietrich Stoecker. The military attache,
Lt. Col. Andreas von Mirbach, was killed by the terrorists when Swedish
police tried to enter the building. The terrorists demanded $20,000 and
the release of 26 comrades imprisoned in West Germany. Although the
West German Government had freed five terrorists earlier in the year after
the kidnaping of a West Berlin mayoral candidate, this time it refused to
meet the terrorists' demands. The terrorists then threatened to kill a
hostage every hour until their demands were met, and economic attache
Heinz Hillegaart was the first to die. An explosion took place in the
Embassy just before midnight, killing one terrorist. The Swedish police
captured others as they fled the building. The Swedish Government
extradited all five terrorists to West Germany. One died of injuries
received in the explosion; the other four were tried in Duesseldorf between
6 May 1976 and 20 July 1977. They were convicted and sentenced to
two terms of life imprisonment.
19 May
Tanzania. Members of the Zaire People's Revolutionary Party (PRP)
kidnaped a Dutch student and three American students from Stanford
University from Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania. One student
was released on 26 May to deliver the PRP's demand for $500,000, arms
and ammunition, and the release of two comrades held in Tanzania. The
21
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
22
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Tanzanian Government refused to meet the terrorists' demands, and
efforts by American diplomats and the families of the hostages to contact
them were unsuccessful. Two hostages were released on 28 June and the
last on 27 July after their families and Stanford University reportedly paid
a ransom of $40,000.
4 August
Malaysia. Five members of the Japanese Red Army (JRA) seized the
consular sections of the American and Swedish Embassies in Kuala
Lumpur and took 52 hostages, including the Swedish Charge d'Affaires
and the American Consul Robert S. Stebbins. The hostages werelreed
after Japan agreed to release five other members of the JRA. All 10
departed for Libya on 8 August.
15 September
Spain. Four members of the Black September Organization seized the
Egyptian Embassy and threatened to kill the Ambassador and two aides
unless Egypt renounced the Sinai agreement with Israel. The Ambassa-
dors of Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, and Jordan negotiated with the terrorists
and joined the Egyptian Ambassador in signing a document denouncing
this agreement. (The Egyptian Government later dismissed this statement
as "a worthless piece of paper.") The terrorists, accompanied by the
Iraqi and Algerian Ambassadors, flew to Algiers on 16 September and
released their hostages there.
4 December
Netherlands. Six South Moluccans seized the Indonesian Consulate in
Amsterdam, taking 47 hostages. They demanded independence for the
South Moluccan Islands. Another group, which had seized a passenger
train two days earlier, also demanded that the Dutch Government free five
Moluccans, recognize a Moluccan government-in-exile, and provide safe
conduct to an undisclosed destination. The Dutch Government rejected
all these demands. The Moluccans holding the train surrendered on 12
December, and those in the Consulate did so on 18 December.
21 December
Austria. Six pro-Palestinian guerrillas�members of International Revolu-
tionary Cells�attacked the OPEC Conference in Vienna, killing three
persons, wounding seven others, and taking 81 hostages. The hostages
included 11 OPEC oil ministers, among them Saudi Arabia's Shaykh
Ahmed Zaki Yamani. The terrorists reportedly were two Palestinians, one
Lebanese, two West Germans, and a Venezuelan, llich Ramirez Sanchez,
also known as Carlos. Their communique denounced Iran as an "imperial-
ist tool"; called Egyptian President Sadat a "leading traitor" for signing
the Sinai accord with Israel; praised Iraq, Syria, and the Palestinians as
"progressives"; and demanded that the Arab people have full sovereignty
over their oil resources.
Austrian Chancellor Kreisky and Algerian Foreign Minister Bouteflika
negotiated an agreement granting the terrorists safe conduct to Algeria in
return for the release of 41 Austrian hostages and a declaration by the
other hostages stating that they were voluntarily accompanying the
terrorists. The terrorists left Vienna aboard an Austrian airliner on 22
December and released the remaining hostages in Algiers and Tripoli
before surrendering to Algerian authorities on 23 December.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
1976 26 September
Syria. Members of Abu Nidal's Fatah dissident group Black June took
over the Semiramis Hotel in Damascus and took 90 hostages. During a
seven-hour gun battle, four of the hostages, including three women, and
the terrorists' leader were killed. Thirty-four hostages and an undisclosed
number of Syrian troops were wounded.
1977 5 September
West Germany. Hanns-Martin Schleyer, 62�President of the West
German Employers' Association and the Confederation of Industry, a
member of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz, and West Germa-
ny's most famous industrialist�was kidnaped by members of the Red
Army Faction. Between 10 and 15 terrorists firing submachineguns
ambushed his two-car convoy at an intersection in Cologne during rush
hour as he was being driven to his apartment. Schleyer's body was later
found after negotiations failed.
1978 13 March
Netherlands. South Moluccan gunmen seized a government building and
71 employees. The terrorists demanded in a letter delivered to the Justice
Ministry in The Hague the release of 21 South Moluccans imprisoned in
Holland for previous terrorist acts, $13 million in cash, a bus to take them
and the hostages to a local airport, a plane to fly them to Amsterdam's In-
ternational Airport, and then a DC-10 jetliner to take them to an
undisclosed destination. One hundred marines stormed the building after
using an explosive device to distract the gunmen. There were no
casualties among the attacking platoons, and the three gunmen were
captured uninjured. Seven hostages were injured, one seriously, in the 20-
minute assault that took place only moments before the planned slaying
of two of the hostages.
31 July
France. Two Arab terrorists with Fatah connections seized the Iraqi
Embassy in Paris. One terrorist fled, but the other took nine hostages and
demanded that Britain release an Arab woman who had tried to kill the
Iraqi Ambassador there. After eight hours of negotiation, the lone terrorist
surrendered to French police and freed the hostages. Iraqi security guards
then opened fire, wounding the terrorist and killing a policeman. The
French police returned the fire, killing one Iraqi and wounding three
others.
1979 16 January
El Salvador. Thirty members of the United Popular Action Front seized
the Mexican Embassy and the offices of the OAS and the Red Cross,
taking between 120 and 156 hostages. They demanded freedom for all
political prisoners in El Salvador but settled for safe passage to Mexico
after two days of negotiations.
23
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
24
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
14 February
Afghanistan. Four Afghans kidnaped US Ambassador Adolph Dubs in
Kabul and demanded the release of various "religious figures" held by the
Afghan Government. Dubs was killed when Afghan police stormed the
hotel room where he was being held. The US Government protested to
the Afghan Government for not having tried to secure Dubs's release
peacefully and drastically reduced its foreign aid programs there.
13 July
Turkey. Four Palestinians affiliated with Saiqa stormed the Egyptian
Embassy, killing a policeman and two security guards and taking 20
hostages, including the Egyptian Ambassador. They demanded that
Egypt free two Palestinians and that Turkey break relations with Egypt,
recognize Palestine, and grant them safe conduct to an undisclosed
destination. One hostage was freed during the negotiations and four
others escaped. The rest were freed when the terrorists surrendered two
days later.
14 November
Iran. A mob of Iranian students occupied the American Embassy in
Tehran and captured 63 Americans, all but two of them Embassy
personnel. Another three, who happened at the time to be at the Iranian
Foreign Ministry, were held there.
The captors released one woman and two Marine Security Guards on 19
November and four women and six black men the next day. The
remaining hostages were threatened at various times with trial as spies.
Six members of the Embassy staff had escaped from the consular section
during the takeover and found shelter at the Canadian Embassy. Canada
closed its Embassy on 28 January 1980, and brought the six Americans
out the next day.
An attempt to rescue the hostages failed on 25 April, resulting in the
deaths of eight American military personnel. Richard Queen, a consular
officer, was released on 10 July because of ill health.
On 3 November the Iranian militants turned the hostages over to the
government. Negotiations leading to the release of the hostages began in
Algiers on 10 November. Their actual release took place on 20 January
1981.
20 November
Saudi Arabia. Between 200 and 500 heavily armed rebels raided the
Grand Mosque at Mecca during dawn prayers, seizing hundreds of
worshippers of 30 nationalities. The attackers said that they sought
reversal of Saudi modernization and abolition of television, professional
soccer, and the employment of Saudi women outside the home.
Saudi National Guardsmen fought their way inside against the rebels, who
were armed with submachineguns, rifles, and pistols. Most of the hos-
tages escaped or were freed by the Saudis several hours after the
takeover, but the rebels held out for two weeks. Saudi troops used tanks,
heavy artillery, snipers, and tear and asphyxiating gases against the
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
4.
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
attackers, who had taken up sniper positions in the mosque's minarets.
Frequent Saudi claims of victory were proved premature, and it was not
until 3 December that Saudi troops routed the last of the rebels occupying
the mosque's basement.
1980 11 January
El Salvador. Fifty members of the February 28 Popular League seized
the Panamanian Embassy and took seven hostages, including the
Ambassadors of Panama and Costa Rica. They demanded the release of
several members of their group who had been arrested a month earlier.
The Salvadoran Government complied, and the hostages were released
on 14 January.
27 February
Colombia. M-19 terrorists seized the Embassy of the Dominican Republic
in Bogota, capturing 30 diplomats from 17 countries, including 15 chiefs
of mission. Ambassador Diego Asencio was the only American among
them. The terrorists initially demanded the release of 311 political
prisoners, a $50 million ransom, and government publication of their
manifesto. They gradually reduced their demands and released all but 18
of their hostages. The remaining hostages, including Ambassador Asen-
cio, were freed on 27 April in return for a $2.5 million ransom and passage
to Cuba.
30 April
United Kingdom. Six Iranian Arabs belonging to an organization backed
by the Iraqi Government seized the Iranian Embassy in London, took 26
hostages, and demanded that Iran release 91 political prisoners and grant
more rights to its Arab minority. Five hostages were released during the
next five days. On 5 May two hostages were killed and the rest threatened
with execution. A Special Air Services team stormed the Embassy,
rescued the remaining 19 hostages, and killed five of the six terrorists.
Much of the Embassy was destroyed by fire.
1981 19 January
Colombia. A faction of the April 19 Movement (M-19) kidnaped Chester
Bitterman, a translator for the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) . The
group demanded that the SIL leave Colombia. The fate of Bitterman was
clouded by a series of disagreements among factions of the M-19. His
body was discovered on 7 March in an industrial/residential section of
Bogota.
6 February
Lebanon. Pro-Syrian terrorists, calling themselves The Eagles of the
Palestinian Revolution, kidnaped Jordanian Charge d'Affaires, Hisham
Moheissen, in Beirut. Three security guards were killed. The terrorists
threatened to kill Moheissen unless seven defecting Syrian Air Force pilots
were returned, two from Jordan and five from Iraq. A 9 February deadline
for compliance passed, but Moheissen's whereabouts remained un-
known. Jordan recalled its Ambassador to Syria.
25
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
19 Feburary
Spain. Striking during the night, ETA-PM terrorists kidnaped three
honorary consuls from their homes in the Basque region. Three teams of
masked guerrillas abducted the honorary consuls of Austria, El Salvador,
and Uruguay. The first two resided in Bilbao; the latter in Pamplona.
On 28 February the ETA-PM 'released the honorary consuls unharmed.
The hostages later reported they had been kept in a single room in a small
country house but were well treated.
24 September
France. Four Armenian terrorists affiliated with the Armenian Secret
Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) stormed the Turkish
Consulate where police, alerted by the commotion, exchanged gunfire
with the terrorists. One Turkish guard was killed, a vice consul seriously
wounded, and two terrorists slightly wounded. Shortly after occupying the
Consulate, the terrorists threw a typed tract out a window which stated in
excellent French that they were the "ASALA, Suicide Commando Yeghia
Kechichian, Van Operation." They demanded the release of all Armenian
prisoners in Turkey plus five Turkish revolutionaries and five Kurds. They
stated that if this did not happen within 12 hours, all hostages held in the
Consulate would be executed and the building blown up.
Late in the afternoon, one of the wounded terrorists requested medical
treatment and, apparently only slightly wounded, walked under his own
power to an ambulance raising his arm in a "victory" signal. Negotiations
with the French police continued, including arrangements for the second
wounded terrorist to receive medical attention. Fifteen hours after occu-
pying the Consulate, the terrorists surrendered and released their hos-
tages unharmed. Several press reports stated that the terrorists used the
hostages as shields as they went from the Consulate to police cars.
17 December
Italy. Two males disguised as plumbers kidnaped US Army Brig. Gen.
James Dozier. The Red Brigades claimed the kidnaping in an anonymous
telephone call to an Italian news agency office in Milan. Italian counterter-
rorist squads rescued the General from a Red Brigades safehouse on 28
January 1982.
1982 12 January
Guatemala. Thirteen guerrillas, affiliated with the January 31 Popular
Front, seized the Brazilian Embassy. They took the Brazilian Ambassador
to Guatemala and eight others hostage and demanded they be allowed to
hold a press conference to denounce the Guatemalan Government. The
guerrillas, armed with two guns and nine molotov cocktails, unfurled a flag
of the January 31 Popular Front. On 13 May following negotiations, the
hostages were released and the attackers bused to the airport. On 14
May they were flown to Merida, Mexico, along with several Brazilian and
Guatemalan officials, and were granted political asylum by the Mexican
Government. No injuries were reported during the incident, and all but the
13 guerrillas returned to Guatemala.
26
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492
Office for Combatting Terrorism
Department of State
Approved for Release: 2018/10/05 C05164492