Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on September 11th, the U.S. suffered the
most destructive terrorist attack on its soil by Middle Eastern
terrorists with the suicide bombing of the World Trade Center in New
York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., which killed over three
thousand Americans and wounded many more. This was the highest casualty
toll ever recorded for a single terrorist incident anywhere. Yet the
U.S. is by no means the only country to feel the wrath of Middle
Eastern terrorists in recent months.
The cancer of terrorism that has plagued the Middle East for decades
has now transformed into new and more deadly forms that pose grave
challenges to the United States and our allies. Middle Eastern
terrorists are now striking outside their home region, boldly attacking
high-profile targets, and killing in a more indiscriminant manner.
Nonetheless, the Middle East is a hotbed of state-sponsored
terrorism. Five of the seven states that have been branded by the U.S. government as sponsors of international terrorism--Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria--are part of the troubled Middle East region. The Middle East is not only infested with more terrorist groups than any other region, but the Middle East remains the world's foremost exporter of terrorism, with most of the spillover afflicting Western Europe and the United States. These state sponsors of terrorism are concerned with furthering their national goals only through the use of their terrorist networks. It remains imperative, therefore that the United States and our allies track down and destroy these terrorist groups and their global reach whereever they may be.
Accordingly, in wanting to bring to the attention of my colleagues a
list of the significant Middle Eastern terrorist incidents from 1961-
2001 based on the findings of the State Department's Office of the
Historian, I request that this terrorism list be printed at this point
in the Record.
Munich Olympic Massacre, September 5, 1972: Eight
Palestinian "Black September" terrorists seized 11 Israeli
athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich, West Germany. In a
bungled rescue attempt by West German authorities, nine of
the hostages and five terrorists were killed.
Ambassador to Sudan Assassinated, March 2, 1973: U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Cleo A. Noel and other diplomats were assassinated at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum by members of the Black September organization.
Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976: Members of the
Baader-Meinhof Group and the Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine (PFLP) seized an Air France airliner and its 258
passengers. They forced the plane to land in Uganda, where on
July 3, Israeli commandos successfully rescued the
passengers.
Iran Hostage Crisis, November 4, 1979: After President
Carter agreed to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S., Iranian radicals seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 66 American diplomats hostage. Thirteen hostages were soon released, but the remaining 53 were held until their release on January 20, 1981.
Grand Mosque Seizure, November 20, 1979: 200 Islamic
terrorists seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, taking hundreds of pilgrims hostage. Saudi and French security forces retook the shrine after an intense battle in which some 250 people were killed and 600 wounded.
Assassination of Egyptian President, October 6, 1981: Soldiers who were secretly members of the Takfir Wal-Hajira sect attacked and killed Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a troop review.
Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, September 14, 1982: Premier Bashir Gemayel was assassinated by a car bomb parked outside his party's Beirut headquarters.
Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut, April 18, 1983: Sixty-
three people including the CIA's Middle East director, were
killed, and 120 were injured in a 400-pound suicide truck-
bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. The
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
Bombing of Marine Barracks, Beirut, October 23, 1983: Simultaneous suicide truck-bomb attacks were made on American and French compounds in Beirut, Lebanon. A 12,000-pound bomb destroyed the U.S. compound, killing 242 Americans, while 58 French troops were killed when a 400-pound device destroyed a French base. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.