U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation T ERRORISM 1998 United States in the COUNTERTERRORISM THREAT ASSESSMENT and WARNING UNIT NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION INSIDE ARSON FIRES pg. 4 (cid:2) TERR RISM in the United States 1998 Counterterrorism Threat Assessment and Warning Unit National Security Division I nnn accordance with U.S. counterterrorism nnpolicy, the FBI considers terrorists to be criminals. The FBI investigates terrorists in the United States under the following guidelines: (cid:2) Domestic terrorism investigations are conducted in accordance with the Attorney General's Guidelines on General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprise, and Domestic Security/Terrorism Investigations. These guidelines set forth the predication thresh- old and limits for investigations of U.S. persons who reside in the United States, who are not acting on behalf of a foreign power, and who may be conducting crimi- nal activities in support of terrorist objectives. (cid:2) International terrorism investigations are conduct- ed in accordance with the Attorney General Guidelines FBI POLICY for FBI Foreign Intelligence Collection and Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations. These guidelines set AND forth the predication level and limits for investigat- GUIDELINES ing U.S. persons or foreign nationals in the United States who are targeting national security interests on behalf of a foreign power. Although various Executive Orders, Presidential Decision Directives, and congressional statutes address the issue of terrorism, there is no single federal law specifically making terrorism a crime. Terrorists are arrested and convicted under existing criminal statutes. All suspected terrorists placed under arrest are provided access to legal counsel and normal judicial procedure, including Fifth Amendment guarantees. DEFINITIONS There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as“...the unlawful use of force and vio- lence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85) The FBI further describes terrorism as either domestic or international, depending on the origin, base, and objectives of the terrorist organization. For the purpose of this report, the FBI will use the following definitions: i (cid:2) Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States or Puerto Rico without foreign direction committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives (cid:2) International terrorism involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state. These acts appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian popu- lation, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping. International terrorist acts occur outside the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to coerce or intimidate, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum. THE FBI DIVIDES TERRORIST-RELATED ACTIVITY INTO THREE CATEGORIES: (cid:2) A terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States, or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof. (cid:2) A suspected terrorist incident is a potential act of terrorism to which responsibility cannot be attributed at the time to a known or suspected terrorist group or individual. (cid:2) A terrorism prevention is a documented instance in which a violent act by a known or suspected terrorist group or individual with the means and a proven propensity for violence is successfully interdicted through investigative activity. NOTE The FBI investigates terrorism-related matters with- out regard to race, religion, national origin, or gen- der. Reference to individual members of any politi- cal, ethnic, or religious group in this report is not meant to imply that all members of that group are terrorists. Terrorists represent a small criminal minority in any larger social context. Cover: Arson fire at the Vail Mountain ski resort, Vail, Colorado, October 19, 1998. Photograph courtesy of Mark Mobley, Vail Fire Department.(cid:2) ii TABLE of CONTENTS 1998 1 INTRODUCTION: TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES: 3 1998 IN REVIEW 3 TERRORIST INCIDENTS 5 PREVENTIONS 8 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS 18 IN-FOCUS 12 RESPONDING TO THE WMD THREAT 15 EXTRATERRITORIAL INVESTIGATIONS 17 PROTECTING CRITICAL NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURES 19 SAFEGUARDING U.S. MILITARY POSTS 22 CONCLUSION 23 APPENDIX: CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF INCIDENTS IN THE 1990-1998 UNITED STATES TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 2ii9i T he year 1998 demonstrated the wide range of terrorist threats confronting the United States. Terrorists in Colombia continued to target private American interests, kidnapping seven U.S. citizens throughout the year and carrying out 77 bombings against multinational oil pipelines, many of which are used by U.S. oil companies. On August 7, 1998, the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were attacked in nearly simultaneous truck bombings that left 224 persons dead, including 12 U.S. citizens (all victims of the Nairobi attack). The bombings also wounded over 4,500 persons. In the United States, the FBI recorded five terrorist incidents in 1998. Within the same year, 12 planned acts of terrorism were prevented in the United States. There were no suspected incidents of terrorism in the United States during 1998. Three of the terrorist incidents recorded in the United States occurred on the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. None of the three attacks--the bombing of a superaqueduct project in Arecibo and separate pipe bombings at bank offices in Rio Piedras and Santa Isabel--caused any deaths. By contrast, the bombing of a women's clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, left an off-duty police officer dead and a clinic nurse seriously wounded. (Eric Robert Rudolph was later charged in this attack--as well as three previous bombings in Atlanta, Georgia.) The fifth incident, a large-scale arson at a TERRORISM ski resort in Vail, Colorado, caused an estimated 12 million dollars in damage, but resulted in no deaths IN THE or injuries. All of the terrorist incidents recorded in UNITED STATES the United States during 1998 were attributed to domestic terrorists; there were no acts of internation- 1998 al terrorism carried out in the United States in 1998. Likewise, the12 acts of terrorism prevented in the United States during the year were being planned by domestic extremists. Nine of these planned acts were prevented as a result of the arrest of several members of the white supremacist group The New Order, based in Illinois. The six men, who were arrested on weapons violations charges in February 1998, planned to conduct a crime spree that was to include bombings, assassinations, and robberies. Consistent with a steady increase in cases involving the use or threatened use of chemical and biological agents, two additional terrorist preventions involved the planned use of biological toxins. The final prevention involved a plan to detonate a bomb at an unspecified target in Washington, D.C. TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 1 The United States continued to pursue an aggressive network Al-Qaeda (the base), as allegedly being policy toward terrorism in 1998. In January, interna- behind the embassy bombings. On November 4, tional terrorist Ramzi Ahmed Yousef received a 1998, Bin Laden and several members of his network, lengthy prison sentence for masterminding the including his military commander Muhammad Atef, February 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing, as as well as Odeh and al-Owhali, were named in an well as a foiled plot to bomb U.S. commercial aircraft indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New transiting the Far East in 1995. A Yousef accomplice York. Another subject, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, in the World Trade Center bombing was also sen- who had been arrested in Germany in September tenced in 1998. Eyad Mahmoud Ismail Najim, who 1998, was extradited to the United States on drove the bomb-laden van into the parking garage of December 20. In addition, Wadih El-Hage, a natu- the World Trade Center, was sentenced to 240 years ralized American citizen who was living in Arlington, in prison and ordered to pay 10 million dollars in Texas, at the time of the bombings, was arrested by restitution and a 250-thousand dollar fine. An asso- the FBI for making false statements during question- ciate of the plotters, Mohammad Abouhalima, who ing. El-Hage is believed to be a key member of the drove his brother (Mahmud) to Kennedy Al-Qeada network. International Airport after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced to eight years in At year's end, four suspects (Odeh, al-Owhali, Salim, prison. In addition, Ibrahim Ahmad Suleiman and El-Hage) were in custody in the Southern received a 10-month sentence for providing false District of New York, awaiting trial for their roles in statements to the grand jury investigating the bomb- the embassy bombings. The FBI continues to work ing. In May, Abdul Hakim Murad, an accomplice in with other agencies in the U.S. Intelligence Ramzi Yousef's plot to bomb U.S. airliners, was sen- Community and foreign governments to identify and tenced to life plus 60 years in prison, without parole. apprehend additional subjects involved in the bomb- In June, international terrorist Mohammed Rashid ing plot. was rendered to the United States from overseas to stand trial on charges related to the detonation of a This edition of Terrorism in the United Stateschroni- bomb on Pan Am flight 830 in 1982, which killed cles significant terrorism-related events occurring one passenger and wounded 15 others. within the United States during 1998. It also includes articles on issues relating to the terrorist In addition, a number of domestic terrorists and threat facing the United States. These articles focus extremists were convicted and/or sentenced for their on the threat posed to the security of the United illicit activities throughout the year. These included States by weapons of mass destruction, FBI efforts to Terry Lynn Nichols, who was sentenced to life in bring to justice subjects who perpetrate crimes prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing, against U.S. interests overseas, protection of our and 21 individuals convicted of charges related to the nation's critical infrastructure, and steps being taken 1996 Montana Freemen siege. to safeguard U.S. military facilities and personnel. In the immediate aftermath of the August 7 U.S. In addition, this report provides statistical data relat- embassy bombings in East Africa, the FBI launched ing to terrorism in the United States during the the largest extraterritorial investigation in its history. 1990s. (This data focuses only on activity taking Two subjects, Mohammed Sadeek Odeh and place in the United States and Puerto Rico, and Mohammed Rashed Daoud al-Owhali, were arrested therefore, does not include figures related to the U.S. in Kenya within 20 days of the bombings and, shortly embassy bombings in East Africa or other interna- thereafter, were rendered to the United States. tional incidents involving U.S. targets.) Information obtained from these subjects, as well as information collected through other investigative leads, quickly focused investigative attention on ter- rorist financier Usama Bin Laden and his terrorist TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 2 The FBI recorded 5 terrorist incidents and 12 terrorist preventions in the United States during 1998. (The FBI classified no acts as suspected terrorist incidents in the United States in 1998.) In addition, the United States apprehend- ed and prosecuted a number of terrorists. This section of Terrorism in the United States summarizes each of these terrorism related events. FBI designation of each case as being either domestic or international is noted in parentheses. (Please see classification definitions for domestic and international terrorism on pages i-ii.) TERRORIST INCIDENTS 1998 JANUARY 29, 1998 Bombing: Birmingham, Alabama IN (One act of Domestic Terrorism) REVIEW At approximately 7:30 on the morning of January 29, 1998, an explosion occurred outside the New Woman All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed a Birmingham police officer who worked part-time providing security at the clinic and severely injured a clinic employee. Immediately following the explosion, a witness observed a man walking quickly away from the site, and then getting into a grey Nissan pickup truck with North Carolina licence plates. Subsequent investigation indi- cated that the truck was registered to a resident of North Carolina named Eric Robert Rudolph. The day after the bombing, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama issued a material witness warrant for Rudolph. On February 14, 1998, the court issued an arrest warrant for Rudolph, charging him with maliciously damaging, by means of an explosive device, a building affecting interstate commerce in which a death resulted. The search for Rudolph centered in western North Carolina, near the small town of Andrews, where Rudolph had been observed the day after the bombing. On May 5, 1998, the FBI placed Rudolph on the Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and a reward of up to one million dollars was offered for information leading to his arrest. In letters to the media, the "Army of God" claimed respon- sibility for the Birmingham bombing. The Army of God also lclaimed responsibility for the January 16, 1997 bombing of an abor- tion clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, and the February 21, 1997 bombing of an alterna- tive lifestyle nightclub also in Atlanta. On October 14, 1998, Rudolph was charged in these bombings as well as the July 27, 1996 bombing of Centennial Park during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 3 MARCH 31, 1998 used was similar to the pipe bomb used in a bombing Bombing: at the Rio Piedras branch of the Banco Popular on June 9, 1998, which had been claimed by the violent Arecibo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican separatist group Los Macheteros. These (One act of Domestic Terrorism) similarities, as well as similarities in targeting, led the FBI to tie Los Macheteros to the June 25 bombing. By On March 31, 1998, an year's end, investigations into the bombings at the incendiary device exploded at a superaqueduct project and the two branch offices of superaqueduct construction project the Banco Popular were ongoing. in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The explosion caused significant damage to the project but caused no injuries. In a communique issued April 3, OCTOBER 19, 1998 Ejercito Popular Boricua-Macheteros (Popular Puerto ARSON FIRES: Rican Army--more commonly known as Los Vail, Colorado Macheteros), an extremist Puerto Rican separatist (One act of Domestic group, claimed responsibility for the incident and stat- ed that the bombing signaled the beginning of a series Terrorism) of attacks in defense of Puerto Rico and its natural In the early resources from the Government of Puerto Rico. morning hours of October 19, 1998, mul- JUNE 9, 1998 tiple fires were set at Bombing: eight structures located (cid:2) SKI LIFT Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico on Vail Mountain, a large ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. The fires (One act of Domestic Terrorism) resulted in 12 million dollars in damage, but caused On June 9, 1998, a pipe bomb exploded out- no injuries. side a branch office of Banco Popular in Rio Piedras, Five days before the fires, the District Court Puerto Rico. The explosion caused minimal property of Colorado had dismissed a lawsuit filed against the damage and caused no injuries. The Puerto Rican owners of the ski resort, ending a protracted seven- separatist group Los Macheteros issued a communique year legal battle initiated by several environmental claiming responsibility for the bombing, stating that groups in an attempt to stop the planned expansion the attack was to serve as a warning against the of the facility. Upon the court's ruling, October 19, impending sale of the Puerto Rican Telephone 1998 was announced as the proposed start date for Company to an American multinational firm. The land-clearing and construction related to the expan- communique specifically mentioned Banco Popular as sion project. one of the parties involved in the sale of the national Shortly after the fires, individuals associated telephone company. with the Earth Liberation Front, an extremist environ- mental movement, sent an electronic mail (e-mail) message to local universities, newspapers, and public JUNE 25, 1998 radio stations claiming responsibility for the fires. Bombing: The message also warned skiers to "...choose other Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico destinations" until the resort discontinued its expan- sion efforts. (One act of Domestic Terrorism) A joint investigation by the FBI, the Bureau On June 25, 1998, an explosion occurred out- of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Eagle County side a branch office of the Banco Popular in Santa Sheriff's Office, and the Vail Police Department was Isabel, Puerto Rico, injuring a police officer. launched immediately after the fires. Investigators Although no official claim of responsibility was issued quickly determined that an accelerant was used in the in connection to the bombing, the explosive device blazes. The investigation was ongoing at year's end. TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 4 PREVENTIONS FEBRUARY 23-26, 1998 Planned Attacks Against Multiple Targets Montgomery, Alabama St. Louis, Missouri East St. Louis, Illinois Los Angeles, California Centralia, Illinois New York, New York (cid:2) RALPH P. BOCK (Prevention of nine acts of Domestic Terrorism) Between February 23 and 26, 1998, several members of the white suprema- cist group The New Order (TNO) were arrested without incident in Illinois and Michigan and charged with weapons violations. Subsequent searches of their resi- dences revealed explosive powder, bomb-making materials, firearms, hand grenades, and a pipe bomb. Dennis McGiffen, Glenn Lavelle Lowtharp, Wallace Weicherding, Ralph P. Bock, Karl C. Schave, and Daniel Rick molded TNO after an earlier white supremacist group, The Order, which had been formed in the early 1980s by Robert J. Mathews (deceased). Like its predecessor, TNO denounced Jews, blacks, (cid:2) DANIEL RICK and other "non-white" races, and planned to commit violent criminal acts to support the group's white supremacist and antigovernment agenda. As the investigation unfolded, the extent of the group's violent intentions became clear. Between May 1997 and the time of their arrest in February 1998, members of TNO actively planned to rob an armored car in St. Louis, Missouri; kill the founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), either by firing a Light Anti-Tank Weapon rocket at the SPLC office in Montgomery, Alabama, or attacking him (and another indi- vidual associated with the SPLC) at various locations; poison the water supply in East St. Louis, Illinois, as a diversionary (cid:2) DENNIS McGIFFEN attack to divert law enforcement resources from a bank rob- bery they planned to commit elsewhere in the state; rob and kill a wealthy homosexual; kill an individual in California (cid:2) GLENN L. LOWTHARP who had criticized another white supremacist group, the Aryan Nations; bomb the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles; kill an African American radio talk show host (leading, they believed, to a race riot); kill a TNO member whom they believed was planning to leave the group; and attack the New York office of B'nai B'rith, a Jewish social service organization. Trials of the TNO members were scheduled to begin (cid:2) KARL C. SCHAVE in 1999. (cid:2) WALLACE WEICHERDING TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES 1998 5