Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

In 2012, CIRA released a statement claiming it had new leadership, after previous leadership was
ousted over allegations that it was acting to the detriment of the organization.
Activities: CIRA has been active in Belfast and the border areas of Northern Ireland, where it
has carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, extortion, and robberies. On
occasion, it provided advance warning to police of its attacks. Targets have included the British
military, Northern Ireland security forces, and Loyalist paramilitary groups. CIRA did not join
the Provisional IRA in the September 2005 decommissioning and remained capable of effective,
if sporadic, terrorist attacks. On April 21, 2011, authorities defused an explosive device planted
by CIRA near a statue of the Duke of Wellington in Trim, Meath, Ireland.
In December 2012, a plot by CIRA to murder an Irish national serving in the British army was
foiled by Irish police.
Strength: Membership is small, with possibly fewer than 50. Police counterterrorism operations
have reduced the group’s strength.
Location/Area of Operation: Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
Funding and External Aid: CIRA supported its activities through criminal activities, including
smuggling.
GAMA’A AL-ISLAMIYYA
aka al-Gama’at; Egyptian al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya; GI; Islamic Gama’at; IG; Islamic Group
Description: Gama’a al-Islamiyya (IG) was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on
October 8, 1997. Once Egypt’s largest militant group, IG was active in the late 1970s, but is now
a loosely organized network. It formed the Building and Development political party that
competed in the 2011 parliamentary elections, winning 13 seats. Egypt-based members of IG
released from prison prior to the revolution have renounced terrorism, though some members
located overseas have worked with or joined al-Qa’ida (AQ). Hundreds of members who may
not have renounced violence were released from prison in 2011. The external wing, composed of
mainly exiled members in several countries, maintained that its primary goal was to replace the
Egyptian government with an Islamic state. IG’s “spiritual” leader, the “blind Sheikh,” Umar
Abd al-Rahman, is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison for his involvement in the 1993 World
Trade Center bombing. Supporters of al-Rahman have called for reprisal attacks in the event of
his death in prison.
Activities: In the 1990s, IG conducted armed attacks against Egyptian security, other
government officials, and Coptic Christians. IG claimed responsibility for the June 1995
assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The
group also launched attacks on tourists in Egypt, most notably the 1997 Luxor attack. In 1999,
part of the group publicly renounced violence.
Strength: At its peak, IG likely commanded several thousand core members and a similar
number of supporters. Security crackdowns following the 1997 attack in Luxor and the 1999
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