An Introduction from the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (ACFEI) — Various forms of terrorism have existed throughout history, but never before have terrorist organizations posed more of a grave and looming threat to our civilization. The attacks carried out against our nation on September 11, 2001, were a shocking and tragic wake-up call to all Americans that our nation is not immune to terrorism, but rather is a major target for those who seek to destroy freedom, democracy, and our very way of life. Although terrorist groups are based all across the globe, today’s greatest threats stem from terrorist groups that originated in or have ties to the Middle East. To understand the terrorist mind-set that has evolved from the Middle East region, we must first examine the historical background that set the stage for the events that would unfold over several generations, leading to much of the terrorist activity occurring in our world today. Our goal in developing this historical overview of incidents related to Middle East-based terrorism is to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the background behind the majority of modern-day terrorist activities. This timeline presents historical vents occurring from biblical times to modern day, examining all facets related to Middle East-based terrorism, including terrorist plots that were uncovered and thwarted, the costs and financial aspects of terrorism, unexplained events that are suspected to have been related to terrorism, and actual terrorist attacks that were carried out, often with tragic and devastating results. This Timeline of Terrorism is brought to you by Dr. Robert O’Block, founder of ACFEI, who would like to extend sincere gratitude to the many individuals who contributed their time and expertise to compiling and reviewing this historic project, including several CHS members and ACFEI staff members. This timeline raises controversial issues, but it also reveals troubling-but-true facts about the terror-related trends that have evolved from the Middle East region. Our goal in presenting this information to you is to provide you with a complete understanding of the events that have led to the formation and proliferation of terrorist organizations that threaten not only our nation, but all nations across the globe. This understanding is vital to our ultimate security, because until we fully understand the enemies that we face, we will never be able to defeat them.

Help us keep this list accurate and up-to-date. Let us know if you see any inaccurate information or if you believe that a significant terrorist incident has been missed. Attacks are judged for inclusion based on the damage/casualities they produce and their significance in history. Send your comments, suggestions.

Abraham (Abram) considered spiritual father of three of the worldʼs major religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Ishmael (son of Abraham and his Egyptian maid Hagar) is born. Ishmael, the Patriarch for Arabs, leads the Ishmaelites and bears 12 sons.

Isaac, son of Abraham and wife, Sarah, is born. Twins, Jacob and Esau (Edom) are born to Isaac and his wife, Rebekah. Jacob is later named “Israel” as the father of Israel and becomes the patriarch of/for the Israelites. The tribes of Israel are named after Jacobʼs 12 sons. Jacobʼs son Joseph becomes a slave in Egypt and later becomes a minister to the Pharaoh.

Rameses II is crowned Pharaoh (King of Egypt) and enslaves the Jewish people.

The Philistines conquer Israel.

King David unites Judah and Israel.

Solomon builds the First Temple of Jerusalem at the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah. The Ark of the Covenant is placed in the completed temple.

The kingdom of Israel and Judah are divided.

The declining kingdom of Egypt is split into two parts: Middle Egypt and Lower Egypt.

Israel falls to Assyria.

The conquests of Babylon, Syria, and Palestine lead to Assyrian domination.

Egypt is ruled by Nubia.

The Arab conquest of Jerusalem begins.

Babylonia (the new Babylonian Empire) takes Jews into captivity.

Psanmtik frees Egypt from foreign rule. Egypt becomes a sea-faring power.

Judah falls to Babylon.

The building of the Second Temple of Jerusalem begins at the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah, despite fierce opposition, and is completed 15 years later.

Jerusalem priests dissuade Alexander the Great from destroying Jerusalem by showing him Scriptures predicting his rise to power.

Jesus of Nazareth is born.

Jesus Christ is crucified.

Judah and Jerusalem are destroyed; survivors are driven into exile in other nations. The Second Jerusalem Temple is burned and torn apart.

Hadrian erects the Temple of Jupiter on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, places a statue of himself facing east in front of the building. Jews attempt to build the third Temple, but fail.

The Islamic prophet Muhammad is born.

Muhammad makes a final pilgrimage to Mecca with over 100,000 of his followers; he dies at Medina.

The Muslim conquest of Babylon begins.

The Muslim El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are built by Abd el-Malik at the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

An earthquake destroys the El Aksa Mosque on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

Pope Urban II begins the First Crusade to liberate Christian holy sites from Muslim rule.

Christian crusaders capture Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is reconsecrated as “Temple Domini,” and El Aksa is reconsecrated as “Temple Salomonis.”

The Second Crusade.

Salidan captures Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock and El Aksa are restored to Islamic rule.

The Third Crusade to recover Jerusalem.

The Fourth Crusade.

The Fifth Crusade.

The Sixth Crusade.

The Seventh Crusade.

The Eighth Crusade.

Turkish Muslims establish the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia.

Timur attacks Anatolia and Egypt.

The Shi'ite Safavids under Shah Ismail establish themselves in Persia (Iran). Shiite Islam becomes the official religion of Persia. From 1501 until 1722, the Safavids rule Iran and parts of Iraq.

The Ottomans capture Egypt and Syria and establish a protectorate over the holy places in Arabia. Palestine falls under Ottoman control and remains so until 1917.

The first permanent English settlement in America is established at Jamestown, Va.

Treaty of Karlowitz - Ottomans are forced to give up many of their European territories, including Hungary, to the Hapsburgs.

The Wahhabi movement to “purify” Islam begins in Arabia.

Drawing inspiration from the Wahhabi Muslim sect, the tribe of Saud captures Riyadh and begins to spread a political and religious reform movement throughout the Arabian peninsula.

Tripoli (Libya) declares war on the United States because the Americans refuse to pay tribute to raiding Arab corsairs. Tripoli ambassador explains to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson that Muslims considered these raids their duty commanded by the Qurʼan and the Hadith, by which they were bound to wage attacks on all who refused to acknowledge Muslim authority.

The first well-organized wave of Jewish immigration into Palestine takes place, consisting of individuals and small groups, mainly under the inspiration of "Hibbat Zion" (an organization of Russian Jews) and the BILU movement (an organization of mostly students from eastern Europe).

World War I.

Balfour Declaration: The British Government takes Jerusalem from Turk rule, recognizes the Jewish peopleʼs right to a national home in the land of Israel. The Temple Mount is open to Europeans for the first time in history.

In the "Declaration to the Seven" the British reaffirm to Arab leaders earlier promises to promote the "complete and sovereign independence of the Arabs" in the Arabian Peninsula, stating that the future of Iraq and Palestine will be determined in accordance with "the principle of the consent of the governed."

Transjordan is divided and closed to Jewish settlement.

The Jewish Haganah (Defense) is formed; it is a secret army organized to protect against and respond to attacks by Arabs.

Wailing Wall Incident: Jewish worshippers, without permission from the Muslim authorities in charge of the Jewish Temple Mount, begin coming to Wailing Wall to pray. Fights break out, and violence escalates into a small civil war resulting in hundreds of casualties on both sides.

In escalation of fighting, Arabs massacre almost all the Jews living in Hebron. The Jews complain to the British, but the British blame the unrest on Jewish immigration and land purchases.

Saudi Arabia is founded.

World War II. Millions of Jews are killed under Hitler.

Britain's colonial secretary in the Mandate Lord Moyne is assassinated by the militantly Zionist LEHI organization (formerly called the Stern Gang).

The Arab League is formed when Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen join together, proclaiming their intent to defend Palestine.

The U.N. votes to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, with Jerusalem designated an internationalized zone. Palestinian Arabs reject the plan.

The modern-day state of Israel is established.

Count Folke Bernadotte, a U.N. mediator in Palestine, is assassinated by Jewish commandos under the leadership of Yitzhak Shamir.

The Arab-Israeli War: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invade Israel.

More than 123,000 Iraqi Jews and 20,000 Egyptian Jews flee to Israel; 100s are killed in riots.

Height of the Korean War.

Abdullah, King of Jordan, is assassinated by a Palestinian in the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Israel begins moving government offices from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The United States protests that the move violates the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan declaring Jerusalem to be an internationalized zone.

Israeli army Unit 101 under the command of Ariel Sharon attacks the Palestinian refugee camp of al-Bureig in the Gaza Strip, killing 20 residents. The raid is in retaliation for Arab paramilitary fedayeen (commando) raids against Israel.

Sharon and Unit 101 raid the village of Qibya, Jordan, killing 70 residents inside their homes. The raid is in retaliation for an alleged attack against an Israeli village in which a woman and two children were murdered.

The Sinai Campaign: large groups of terrorists enter Israel, and the security of Israeli ports is threatened.

Yasar Arafat of Egypt founds Al Fatah, an underground terrorist organization.

Arab-Israeli War.

Vietnam War (Escalated U.S. involvement from 1965-1969.)

The PLO is founded to support the establishment of a Palestinian state through legal and political methods as well as acts of violence.

Israel launches raids against the West Bank towns of Qalqiya, Shuna, and Jenin in reprisal for Palestinian attacks. Calls go through the Arab world for war against Israel, confirming the strategy of al-Fatah, which uses attacks on Israelis to provoke Israeli reprisals against Palestinians, which in turn would, it was hoped, start a new war of Palestinian liberation.

The Israeli military conquers the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai, and Golan Heights. The United Nations calls on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories. Control and stewardship of the Temple Mount is returned to the Muslims.

Osama bin Laden inherits millions when his father, Mohammed bin Oud bin Laden, owner of the largest construction firm in Saudi Arabia, dies in a helicopter accident in Texas.

Six-Day War: Arab terrorists raid across Egyptian and Jordanian borders into Israel. Israel launches a massive air assault that cripples Arab air capability, and the Knesset passes a law effectively annexing Arab East Jerusalem.

The U.N. responds to Israelʼs annexation of East Jerusalem with Resolution 267, stipulating that Arab Jerusalem is "occupied territory."

The U.N. issues Resolution 242 calling on Israel to withdraw from "territories occupied in the recent conflict." Israel formally accepts the resolution, but refuses to withdraw from Palestinian lands.

Arafat becomes leader of the PLO, commits more than 200 major terrorist acts.

U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated in Los Angeles, Calif., by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian who was reportedly motivated by Kennedyʼs pro-Israel positions.

An El Al flight en route from Rome, Italy, to Israel is hijacked by PFLP terrorists and forced to land in Algiers, Algeria; 42 hostages are taken.

An estimated 560 raids into Israel from the Lebanese side of the border take place; Lebanon (and Jordan) increasingly become targets for Israeli retaliatory attacks.

Palestinian terrorists attack an El Al airliner at the Zurich, Switzerland, airport; one pilot is killed, and one pilot is wounded.

A TWA flight from Los Angeles is hijacked by PFLP terrorists and forced to land in Damascus, Israel; 6 passengers are held hostage.

Palestinian terrorists attack El Al offices in Brussels, Belgium; Athens, Greece; and Berlin, Germany, using bombs and hand grenades.

The Action Organization for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack a bus at the Munich, West Germany, airport; one passenger is killed, and 11 are injured.

PLO guerrillas fail in a plot to assassinate Jordanian King Hussein.

Pan Am, Swissair, and TWA flights carrying a total of 400 passengers are hijacked by PFLP terrorists from Amsterdam, Netherlands; Zurich, Switzerland; and Frankfurt, Germany; the planes are forced to land in Zerqa, Jordan, and Cairo, Egypt, where each are blown up on the ground.

Palestinian guerrillas in Jordan hijack four commercial airliners (one Swiss, two American, and one British), taking the passengers and crews hostage.

In retaliation for the plane hijackings the week before, Jordanʼs army attacks Palestinian positions and expels PLO officials and commandos from Jordan. 20,000 die when Palestinian neighborhoods and refugee camps are shelled. The PLO moves its base of operations to Beirut, Lebanon.

Jordanian Prime Minister Wash Tel is assassinated in Cairo, Egypt, by members of Black September.

Black September attempts to assassinate Jordanʼs Ambassador to London, Zeid Al Rifai.

A West German electrical installation and a Dutch gas plant are blown up by members of Black September.

A Belgian Sabena flight en route from Vienna, Austria, to Tel Aviv, Israel, is hijacked. Lod airport in Israel is attacked; 24 killed. A Tel Aviv bus terminal is bombed, 11 injured. An oil refinery in Trieste, Italy, is attacked. All attacks were carried out by Black September.

The Munich Massacre: 9 Israeli athletes are killed and 11 are taken hostage by Black September at the Olympic grounds in West Germany.

Black September assassinates the U.S. Ambassador to Sudan and other diplomats in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Khartoum, Saudi Arabia.

Israeli commandos, including Ehud Barak, enter Beirut, Lebanon, and assassinate three PLO officials who Israel claims had been involved in the attack on Israeli athletes at Munich in 1972.

Yom Kippur War: Egypt and Syria attack Israel.

An airport terminal lounge in Rome, Italy, and Pan American flight 202 bound for Beirut, Lebanon, and Tehran, Iran, are attacked; 29 killed, five taken hostage. The perpetrators demand release of two Arab terrorists.

U.N. General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognizes the right of Palestinian people to independence and sovereignty, and recognizes the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people.

OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria, are raided by Carlos the Jackal and PFLP associates; 3 killed, 62 hostages taken. PFLP demands a statement to be read on TV, and demands and receives an airplane to escape. Hostages are released after $40 million ransom is paid.

An Air France airliner is hijacked by the Baader-Meinhof Group and the PFLP and forced to land in Uganda; 258 passengers are taken hostage.

Islamic Jihad is founded by Islamic fundamentalist Fathi Shaqaqi and other radical Palestinian students.

U.S. Ambassador Adolph Dubs is kidnapped in Kabul, Afghanistan, with demand to release “religious figures;” Dubs and four alleged terrorists are killed.

Iran Hostage Crisis: The U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iraq, is seized by fundamentalist Islamic students; 52 American diplomats taken hostage with demands that the United States extradite the overthrown Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, who is in the United States for medical treatment. Hostages are released 444 days later, hours after the U.S. presidential inauguration.

The Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is seized by Islamic terrorists; hundreds of pilgrims are taken hostage, 250 are killed, and 600 are injured.

Osama bin Laden and his associate Mohammed Atef become involved in the Mujadeen rebellion when the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.

Iran-Iraq war: Iraq uses chemical weapons in the war.

Islamic terrorists seize the Iranian embassy in London, England; 2 are killed.

Pope John Paul II is shot in a failed assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turk, at St. Peterʼs Square in the Vatican. Agca initially claims that he was working for the Bulgarian intelligence service, but later retracts that statement. Agca also claims to be a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, but the group denies any ties to the man.

Egypt President Anwar al-Sadat is assassinated by members of the Al-Jihad group (Muslim extremists in his own army) in Cairo; the group also injures 20 by attacking an annual military parade in the country.

Operation Peace for Galilee and the Lebanon invasion of Israel (The 1982 War). The PLO perpetuates repeated terrorist attacks in northern Israel (Galilee).

David Dodge, President of the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, is kidnapped, released, kidnapped again, tortured, and finally killed by Hizballah.

A bomb planted by Palestinian terrorist Mohammad Rashid explodes in a Pan Am flight over Honolulu, Hawaii; one passenger is killed, several are injured.

Lebanese Prime Minster Premier Bashir Gemayel is assassinated in Beirut, Lebanon.

The U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, is destroyed by a suicide car-bombing by Radical Islamic Jihad members; 63 killed, 120 injured.

A truck bomb is detonated near U.S. military barracks in West Beirut, Lebanon, and a second bomb follows; 241 Marines and 58 French paratroopers are killed. Attacks are carried out by Shiite suicide bombers under Imad Magniyah, bin Ladenʼs “terrorism teacher.”

Truck bombing kills six and injures dozens at U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait; members of the Islamic Jihad carry out the attacks.

Osama bin Laden moves to Pakistan, co-founds Maktub al-Khidamat (MAK) to organize approximately 20,000 anti-Soviet Mujahideen rebels, and channels overseas weapons and funds to the group.

More than $250 million per year in arms and resistance is sent from the U.S. government to Afghanistan; part of these funds are unknowingly contributed to Osama bin Ladenʼs terrorist cause.

CIA station chief William Buckley is kidnapped, tortured, and executed in Beirut, Lebanon, by members of the Islamic Jihad.

A suicide bomb explodes at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon; 23 are killed and 21 injured, including U.S. and British ambassadors. The attack is attributed to the Iranian-backed Hizballah, but Islamic Jihadʼs Imad Magniyah (Osama bin Ladenʼs “terrorism teacher”) is later believed responsible.

Kuwait Airways Flight 221 is hijacked and diverted to Tehran, Iran, by Islamic Jihad members, including Imad Mughniyah, Osama bin Ladenʼs “terrorism teacher.” Hijackers demand the release of 17 suspects arrested after Kuwait attack. Iranian troops storm the plane and arrest the hijackers, but later release them; two passengers are killed.

A bomb exploded in a restaurant where U.S. soldiers were known to eat. The explosion killed 18 Spaniard citizens and injured 82 other people. Only 15 of the Americans were injured, but none were killed.

U.S. academic Thomas Sutherland is kidnapped in Lebanon by alleged Hizballah members, and is held hostage for more than 5 years.

A Transworld Airline flight leaving Rome, Italy, is hijacked and forced to fly to Beirut, Lebanon.

TWA flight 847 en route from Athens, Greece, to Rome, Italy, is hijacked and forced to fly to Beirut, Lebanon. Eight crew members and 145 passengers are held hostage, one American hostage is murdered. The aircraft is flown twice to Algiers, Algeria, and is finally returned to Beirut after Israel releases 435 Lebanese and Palestinian Shiite prisoners.

Iran-Contra: The United States begins selling weapons to Iran to persuade the nationʼs leaders to release hostages, and channels funds to the Contra militants fighting the Sandanista government in Nicaragua. In response, Iran immediately releases Benjamin Weir and later releases Martin Jenco and David Jacobson.

PLO commandos led by Muhammad ("Abu") Abbas hijack an Achille Lauro cruise ship at Port Said, Egypt; more than 700 hostages are taken, one handicapped American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer, is shot and then pushed over the side of the ship in his wheelchair. Hijackers demand the release of Palestinians imprisoned worldwide; the Egyptian government offers the terrorists safe haven, and the hostages are released.

Egypt Air flight 648 is hijacked by Abu Nidal in Valleta, Malta; a 30-hour standoff between the hijackers and the Egyptian commandos ensues.

U.S. and Israeli airport check-in desks at Israelʼs El Al airline in Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria, are attacked simultaneously with grenades; 20 are killed (including four terrorists). The terrorists are working for the Libyan government, which funds and monetarily rewards various Palestinian terrorist groups.

A chartered DC-8 flight holding 248 members of the 101st Airborne Division of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and eight flight-crew members crashes during takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland. The soldiers were going home after completing peacekeeping duties in the Middle East. All passengers and flight crew aboard are killed.

Terrorists throwing hand grenades and firing automatic rifles simultaneously storm the check-in counters for Israel's El Al airline at check-in counters in Rome and Vienna. A total of 20 people die in the two attacks, including three of the four guerrillas in Rome and one of the three in Vienna. A caller to a Malaga, Spain, news service claims the raids are carried out by the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO).

A bomb planted under a seat of TWA Flight 840 en route from Rome, Italy, is detonated by Palestinian splinter group Ezzedine Kassam, a unit of the Arab Revolutionary Cells and the Iraqi-backed May 15 organization, as it approaches Athens Airport; four U.S. citizens are killed, and nine injured.

LaBelle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, a spot frequented by U.S. servicemen, is bombed by terrorists working for the Libyan government, which funds and monetarily rewards various Palestinian terrorist groups. Three are killed, and 150 injured.

In retaliation for the April 5, 1986, LaBelle disco bombing, the United States bombs Benghazi and Tripoli in Libya, and bombs the home of Libyan leader Moammar Qadaffi.

Frank Reed, director of the American University in Beirut, is kidnapped in Lebanon by Hizballah and released 44 months later.

Joseph Cicippio, acting comptroller at the American University in Beirut, is kidnapped in Lebanon by Hizballah and released 5 years later.

U.S. citizen Edward A. Tracy is kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon, by Hizballah and released 5 years later.

Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement), the Palestinian anti-Israel terrorist organization, is founded. Known for bombings and suicide attacks, Hamas also eventually employs a political organization and has candidates running in local elections.

The al Muthanna State Establishment and the Nuclear Research Center at Al Tuwaitha in Iraq researches radiological weapons and tests three prototypes. The center is abandoned in 1988; the whereabouts of 100 bomb casings from the site are still unknown.

United Nations hostage negotiator Terry Waite, a representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, is taken hostage by Iranian Hizballah terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon, and held until November 1991.

American citizens Jesse Turner and Alann Steen are kidnapped by Islamic terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon, and held until 1991.

The first Palestinian intifada (uprising) breaks out in the Israeli-occupied territories (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank). Palestinians go on strike, close their businesses, throw stones, burn tires in the streets, and erect barricades. The Israeli response uses tear gas, bullets, and mass detentions, among other tactics.

Al Qaeda (the Base) is organized from Osama bin Ladenʼs former Mujahideen members.

While serving with the U.N. Truce Organization, U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel William Higgins, the American Chief of the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization, is kidnapped and murdered in Southern Lebanon by the Iranian-backed Hizballah/Lebanese Party of God.

A car bomb is detonated outside a USO hub in Naples, Italy, by the Organization of Jihad Brigades; one U.S. sailor is killed.

A bomb explodes in a C-130 Hercules aircraft just after take-off from Bahawalpu, Pakistan, killing Pakistani President General Zia Al Haq, a U.S. ambassador, and 37 others.

Saddam Hussein uses chemical weapons against the Kurds in Iraq.

Pan Am Boeing 747 flight 103 explodes and crashes in Lockerbie, Scotland, when a bomb planted by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and the Libyan government explodes; all 259 passengers are killed, including U.S. students and military personnel. Eleven also die on the ground.

The final Soviet withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan: The Soviets install a new leader of Afghanistan, Mohammed Najibullah.

The Persian Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait and annexes it as “the Iraqi province of Kuwait.” The United States begins bombing Iraq and sends ground troops, quickly ousting Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Saddam Hussein remains in power.

Saudi Arabia rejects Osama bin Ladenʼs offer to assist in fighting Iraq and then permits U.S. troops to use its military bases, fueling bin Ladenʼs hatred of the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Ethnic civil war under Taliban leadership in Kabul, Afghanistan; 50,000 are killed, mainly Persians.

Osama bin Laden proposes that Hizballah, the pro-Iran Shiite terrorist group, join in a common objective of killing U.S. troops stationed in Asia and Africa.

Osama bin Laden establishes legal businesses (farms, a tannery, and a construction firm) in Sudan to increase his available funds for al Qaeda.

A Christian center in Argentina is bombed by Imad Mugniyah of Hizballah.

A hotel in Aden, Yemen, recently used by U.S. troops preparing to go to Somalia is bombed; two tourists are killed.

A gunman outside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Va., fires a high-powered rifle and kills two CIA employees. Three others are wounded. Mir Aimal Kasi, a Pakistani immigrant living in Reston, Va., was charged with the crime. Agents testified that Kasi said he shot the employees in retaliation for U.S. policies against Muslims in the Middle East, including the bombing of Iraq.

The Day of Terror: A rented van packed with explosives explodes in the World Trade Centerʼs underground garage; six people and an unborn child are killed, more than 1,040 are injured. The bomb plot includes a device designed to release cyanide gas that would kill emergency response crews and area residents, but the cyanide is destroyed in the fire. Four Islamic terrorists, including the Abu Sayyat group mastermind Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, carry out the attack. Osama bin Laden is suspected to be behind the plot, but denies involvement. Yousef wanted 250,000 deaths to result from the attack, and was quoted as saying, “Our calculations were not very accurate this time. However we promise you that next time it will be very precise and the Trade Center will be one of our targets.” Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman of Egypt (the blind Sheik) is later given a life sentence in a U.S. medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, for his role in the bombing.

The World Trade Center bombing causes $500 million in damage.

An attempt to assassinate U.S. President George Bush in Kuwait fails.

Jihad members attempt to assassinate Egyptian Interior Minister Hassan al Alfi, but fail.

Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO, and Yitzak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, sign the historic Declaration of Principles (Oslo Accords) on the lawn of the White House. The pact sets into motion a five-year transitional designed to lead toward autonomy for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

In Israel, 256 civilians and soldiers are killed by terrorist attacks in their nation.

Black Hawk Down: Two U.S. helicopters on a humanitarian mission are shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia, by militants trained by Al Qaeda using weapons supplied by Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atef; 18 U.S. soldiers are killed, and some of their bodies are abused and dragged through the streets.

A Jihad attempt to assassinate Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Sedky fails.

Osama bin Ladenʼs citizenship is revoked by Saudi Arabia, and his family and friends publicly disown him because of his crimes.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas end their rivalry with the foundation of the Palestinian Authority; Hamas adopts a new strategy of suicide bombings.

Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO and President of the Palestinian National Authority; Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister of Israel; and Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel, are all awarded the Noble Peace Prize for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East.

Dr. Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli-American physician and member of the militant Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron, opens fire on early morning Muslim worshippers at the Machpelah Cave grave site of the Patriarch Abraham in Jerusalem, killing 29. Riots break out in the territories.

A plot between Yousef and the Abu Sayyat group to attack the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok with an ammonium nitrate fuel oil bomb fails when a truck carrying the bomb crashes; the driver of the truck is found dead, floating in the bomb mix.

A bomb planted in the Masshad Reza Shiite mosque in Iran explodes; 26 are killed and 170 injured. Yousef, who trained with Al Qaeda and the Abu Sayyat Group, is responsible for the bombing.

The Jewish community headquarters (AMIA) in Buenos Aires is bombed, killing 87 people and wounding more than 100 others. Though Iran was suspected of involvement, the perpetrators have never been found. In 2005, an Argentine prosecutor said the AMIA bombing was carried out by a 21-year-old Lebanese suicide bomber who belonged to Hizballah.

Carlos the Jackal (Ilich Ramirez-Sanchez) is arrested by the French Secret Service and is sentenced to life in prison.

Yousef and the Abu Sayyat group twice attempt to assassinate the future Pakistani Prime Minister in Pakistan; both attempts fail.

The Taliban militia conquers Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The Treaty of Peace: Jordan makes peace with Israel.

An Israeli cultural center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is bombed by Hizballah agents.

PAL flight 434, en route to Japan, is bombed; one passenger is killed. (The bomb is constructed by Yousef on the first leg of the two-leg flight using diluted nitroglycerine in a contact lens cleaner bottle and a wristwatch as a timer. Yousef leaves the plane before the second leg of the flight, avoiding the explosion.) The Abu Sayyat Group and Yousef carried out the attack as a “practice run” for their Bojinka plot, which would blow up 11 airliners with similar types of bombing devices.

An Air France jumbo jet laden with fuel is hijacked in a failed attempt to fly the plane to Paris to take down the Eiffel Tower. Algerian Islamic terrorists with ties to Osama bin Laden carry out the hijacking.

Investigators in the Philippines uncover plots to 1.) assassinate Pope John Paul II on a visit to Manila in January 1995; 2.) create undetectable bombs to be smuggled onto 11 U.S. jumbo jets entering the United States from Asia (this plot, called Bojinka, would blow up all 11 planes in a coordinated attack); 3.) coordinate training of Islamic pilots at U.S. schools and then fly airliners into buildings in the United States (including the CIA, the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, the Sears Tower, the Transamerica Tower, and a U.S. nuclear facility); and 4.) assassinate U.S. President Bill Clinton during visits to the Philippines. (The fourth plan was rejected to focus on the other three plots.)

Islamic Jihad explodes a truck bomb at the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; 15 are killed. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is suspected to be involved.

Two U.S. diplomats are killed and a third wounded by unidentified gunmen at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The gunmen, who were backed by Yousef and the Abu Sayyat Group, may have been acting in retaliation for the 1995 convictions of those involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

A car bomb is detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The building collapses from the blast, killing 168 (including 19 children) and injuring 600. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, members of a U.S.-based anti-government militia, plan and carry out the attack. A manhunt for a third suspect is eventually dropped. Yousef is suspected to have designed the bomb for Terry Nichols while he was visiting the Philippines.

An attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, fails. Osama bin Laden is suspected.

The U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia, is attacked by rocket-propelled grenades, possibly in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Serb positions in Bosnia.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, by Yigal Amir, an Israeli law student and alleged member of a right-wing Israeli organization opposed to the peace process.

A Saudi National Guard training facility run by U.S. officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is attacked by car bomb; seven are killed. In a separate incident, four anti-royal Saudi Arabian dissidents are beheaded. Islamic Movement for Change, the Tigers of the Gulf, and the Combatant Partisans of God claim responsibility.

The Taliban takes control of Afghanistan and conquers Jalalabad and Kabul; Kabul University is shut down. Taliban law limits male students to a high school education and bans female students over the age of 12 from all schooling. The Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam political party in Pakistan assists in the organization of terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is expelled from Sudan and establishes a training facility near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, to develop al Qaeda into an international terrorist network.

A U.S. Air Force flight crash kills U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 others in Croatia. The crash is officially blamed on pilot error, poor equipment, and weather conditions (the plane was flying through a heavy rainstorm when it crashed), though rumors persist that the crash was not an accident.

A truck bomb is detonated outside the U.S. Air Force complex Khobar Towers in Dharan, Saudi Arabia; 19 U.S. servicemen are killed and 515 people are injured, including 240 U.S. citizens. The attack is blamed on the Movement for Islamic Change organization, with key suspects Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil, Ibrahim al-Yacoub, and Abdel Karim al-Nasser.

TWA flight 800 en route from JFK airport to Paris crashes near Long Island; all 230 aboard are killed. The location of the explosion—over the planeʼs fuel tank—is identical to the point of detonation aboard PAL flight 434, a bombing that was carried out by Yousef. The explosion is immediately believed to be a terrorist attack, but eventually an electrical short is blamed and the investigation is shut down.

A bomb planted by the Algerian Armed Islamic Group explodes at the home of the French Archbishop of Oran in Algeria, killing the Archbishop and his chauffeur.

Osama bin Laden releases a written declaration of war against the United States, including a demand to withdraw U.S. troops and to overthrow the Saudi Arabian government.

The Taliban conquers the capital city of Kabul, Afghanistan, and hangs Mohammed Najibullah on a public street.

Letter bombs with Alexandria, Egypt, postmarks are discovered at Al-Hayat newspaper bureaus and at a prison facility in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Leavenworth, Kansas; London, England; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A Palestinian gunman opens fire on an observation deck atop the Empire State Building in New York City, killing a Danish national and tourists from the United States, Argentina, Switzerland, and France. The gunmanʼs suicide note claimed his attack was a punishment against “the enemies of Palestine.”

A Taliban militia executes 11 Iranian diplomats in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, after conquering the city.

Pakistan formally recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Four U.S. auditors and a Pakistani driver are killed in Karachi, Pakistan, by the Islamic Inquilabi (Revolutionary) Council and the Aimal Khufia Action Committee. The attack may have been carried out in retaliation for the U.S. conviction of Pakistanis who murdered two CIA agents.

Six militants claiming to be members of Jamaat al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Group) and a combination of "Talaa Al Fath" and its parent group Jihad massacre 58 foreign tourists at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt.

The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation (with prayer houses in Ashland, Oregon, and Springfield, Missouri), raises over $30 million a year; part of these funds are directed to Osama bin Laden. The Global Relief Foundation in Chicago, Ill., knowingly or unknowingly raises more than $5 million per year to be given to bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden releases a declaration stating that, “To kill Americans and their allies, civilians, and military is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it, in any country in which it is possible to do it.” Bin Laden also stated in an interview, “Our battle against the Americans is far greater than our battle was against the Russians. We anticipate a black future for America. Instead of remaining United States, it shall end up separated states and shall have to carry the bodies of its sons back to America.”

The United Nations is forced out of Iraq; an announcement is made that Saddam Hussein produced thousands of liters of weaponized anthrax and botulinum toxin, more than enough to kill every human on earth.

The U.S. embassy in Lebanon, Beirut, is attacked by rocket-propelled grenades.

The U.N. General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to give Palestinians a larger role in the U.N. The Palestinians hail the vote as a first step toward full U.N. membership.

The Taliban government of Afghanistan murders 4,000 to 6,000 people of the Hazara ethnic group and of the Shi'ite sect of Islam.

Truck bombs are detonated almost simultaneously outside two U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring more than 5,000. The attacks are carried out by 22 al Qaeda members, including Osama bin Laden.

The United States retaliates for the attack against U.S. Embassies by bombing key targets in Afghanistan and Sudan with cruise missiles. Osama bin Laden is targeted in the attack, but escapes from a training camp in Khost, Afghanistan, before it is hit.

The U.S. Justice Department indicts Osama bin Laden for the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The 11-year-old son of a U.S. businessman is kidnapped, held for $1 million ransom, and later released.

The Aden Abyan Islamic Army takes 17 western tourists hostage in Yemen.

The wife and son of Afghan political moderate Abdul Haq are killed in their home in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The U.S. Justice Department indicts Osama bin Laden and 11 other al Qaeda members. Osama bin Laden is added to the FBIʼs Most Wanted list.

Mohammed Jehanzeb, secretary of the anti-Taliban organizer Haji Qadir, is assassinated in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission condemns the Taliban government for Afghanistanʼs human rights abuses. Afghanistan is designated a “terrorist-sponsored state.”

The United Nations Security Council resolves that the Taliban must turn over Osama bin Laden.

Ahmed Ressamʼs plot to blow up LAX airport is thwarted when U.S. Customs agents find explosives in the trunk of the vehicle he was attempting to drive across the Canadian-U.S. border at Port Angeles, Wa.

A plot to kill U.S. and Israeli millennium celebrators by bombing a fully booked hotel and prominent Christian sites in Amman, Jordan, is thwarted by a tip to intelligence officials.

More than 1,000 people are killed through Palestinian terrorism and violence; the majority are killed by suicide bombings.

A plot to bomb a hotel in Amman, Jordan, an attack on Mount Nebo, and an attack at a site on the Jordan River are all thwarted. A plan to bomb Los Angeles International Airport is thwarted. A plan to bomb The USS Sullivans with a boat laden with explosives is thwarted. All plots were formed by al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda defector Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl testifies that Osama bin Laden had tried to buy uranium on the black market for $1.5 million in a presumed attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes rise past 3,000. Israel has been demolishing the homes of suicide bombers and their families in efforts to deter and punish attackers.

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and other national monuments in Washington, D.C., are identified as possible terrorist targets.

Four U.S. citizens are taken hostage in Kara-Su Valley by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan; the hostages later escape.

The New Intifada, a Palestinian rebellion against Israeli occupation, begins.

A U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, is rammed by a small boat loaded with explosives in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39. Osama bin Laden is thought responsible for the attack.

A plaza across the street from the U.S. embassy in Manila, Philippines, is bombed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; nine are injured.

An estimated $30 million per year is spent to sustain al Qaeda.

United Nations Security Council states that the Taliban is selling opium and heroin to finance terrorist training.

A disco in Tel Aviv, Israel, is bombed; 21 are killed and 120 injured, mostly teenagers. Hamas organization leader Ayman Halaweh is blamed for the attack.

The Taliban arrests 24 humanitarian aid workers in Kabul, Afghanistan, including several people who were attempting to propagate Christianity, an act punishable by long prison terms or execution.

A suicide bomber blows up a pizzeria in Jerusalem, Israel; 15 are killed, and 130 injured.

General Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance anti-Taliban opposition, is assassinated in a suicide bomb attack in Khvajeh Be Odin, Afghanistan. Al Qaeda is thought responsible.

A suicide bomb is detonated by an Israeli Arab working for Hamas in Nahariya, Israel; three are killed.

9/11: American Airlines flight 11, en route from Boston to Los Angeles, is hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center (north tower); United Airlines flight 175, fr