Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

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HIZBALLAH aka the Party of God; Islamic Jihad; Islamic Jihad Organization; Revolutionary Justice Organization; Organization of the Oppressed on Earth; Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine; Organization of Right Against Wrong; Ansar Allah; Followers of the Prophet Muhammed Description: Hizballah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997. Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Lebanese-based radical Shia group takes its ideological inspiration from the Iranian revolution and the teachings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. The group generally follows the religious guidance of Khomeini’s successor, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hizballah is closely allied with Iran and the two often work together on shared initiatives, though Hizballah also acts independently. Hizballah shares a close relationship with Syria, and like Iran, the group is providing assistance to Syrian regime forces in the Syrian conflict. Hizballah has strong influence in Lebanon, especially with the Shia community. Hizballah plays an active role in Lebanese politics, and the group holds 13 seats in the 128-member Lebanese Parliament and two seats in the 30-member Council of Ministers. Hizballah’s political strength grew in the wake of the 2006 war with Israel and the group’s 2008 takeover of West Beirut, though its reputation and popularity have been significantly undermined by the group’s active support for the Asad regime. Hizballah provides support to several Palestinian terrorist organizations, as well as a number of local Christian and Muslim militias in Lebanon. Besides overt political support, support includes the covert provision of weapons, explosives, training, funding, and guidance. Activities: Hizballah’s terrorist attacks have included the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983; the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in 1984; and the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, during which a U.S. Navy diver was murdered. Elements of the group were responsible for the kidnapping, detention, and murder of Americans and other Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s. Hizballah was implicated, along with Iran, in the 1992 attacks on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and on the 1994 bombing of the Argentine- Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. In 2000, Hizballah operatives captured three Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms area and, separately, kidnapped an Israeli non-combatant in Dubai. Though the non-combatant survived, on November 1, 2001, Israeli Army Rabbi Israel Weiss pronounced the soldiers dead. The surviving non-combatant and the bodies of the IDF soldiers were returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange with Hizballah in 2004. Hizballah and a Palestinian group affiliated with al-Qa’ida blamed each other for a May 2011 roadside bomb attack that wounded six Italian soldiers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Two other attacks against UNIFIL peacekeepers – an attack in late July that wounded six French citizens and a second attack days later that injured three other French soldiers – were believed to have been carried out by Hizballah. Also in 2011, four Hizballah members were indicted by the U.N.-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), an international tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The four Hizballah members indicted by the STL were Mustafa Badreddine Salim Ayyash, Assad Sabra, and Hassan Anise. Identified as the primary suspect in Hariri’s assassination, Badreddine is believed to have 260
eplaced his cousin, Imad Mugniyeh, as Hizballah’s top military commander after Mugniyeh’s 2008 death. Hizballah denounced the trial and vowed to retaliate, saying the four indicted Hizballah members would not be handed over. On January 12, Thai police detained a Hizballah operative on immigration charges as he was attempting to depart Thailand from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. He led police to nearly 10,000 pounds of urea-based fertilizer and 10 gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate in a commercial building about 20 miles south of Bangkok. It was unclear if the materials were intended to be used to carry out terrorist attacks in Thailand – possibly against Israeli tourists – or if they were to be transported to another country. The Hizballah operative was awaiting trial at year’s end. In 2012, Hizballah stepped up the pace of its terrorist plotting, and was implicated in several terrorist plots around the world. In Cyprus, a suspected Lebanese Hizballah operative was detained by the Cypriot authorities on July 7 for allegedly helping plan an attack against Israeli tourists in Cyprus. The trial began in September 2012, and on March 21, 2013, a Cyprus court found a Hizballah operative guilty of charges stemming from his surveillance activities of Israeli tourist targets. In Bulgaria, on July 18, a terrorist attack was carried out on a passenger bus carrying 42 Israeli tourists at the Sarafovo Airport near the Bulgarian city of Burgas. The explosion killed five Israelis and injured 32, and also killed the Bulgarian bus driver. On February 5, 2013, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tsvetan Tsevtanov, publically linked Hizballah to the Burgas bombing, citing the involvement of two Hizballah operatives in the plot. Strength: Several thousand supporters and members. Location/Area of Operation: Hizballah is based in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon. However, as evidenced by Hizballah’s activities during the course of 2012, the group is capable of operating around the globe. Funding and External Aid: Iran continues to provide Hizballah with training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political, diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid; Syria furnished training, weapons, diplomatic, and political support. Hizballah also receives funding from private donations and profits from legal and illegal businesses. Hizballah receives financial support from Lebanese Shia communities in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Asia. As illustrated by the Lebanese Canadian bank case, Hizballah supporters are often engaged in a range of criminal activities that benefit the group financially. These have included smuggling contraband goods, passport falsification, trafficking in narcotics, money laundering, and credit card, immigration, and bank fraud. INDIAN MUJAHEDEEN aka Indian Mujahidin; Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen (ISF-IM) Description: The Indian Mujahedeen (IM) was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 19, 2011. An India-based terrorist group with significant links to Pakistani-based terrorist organizations, IM has been responsible for dozens of bomb attacks throughout India 261
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Country Re
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Chapter 5. Terrorist Safe Havens (U
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Chapter 1. Strategic Assessment The
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While terrorism from non-state acto
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training courses in Algeria and Mor
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Countering Radicalization and Viole
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Legislation, Law Enforcement, and B
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emained an active security threat t
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youth in positive activities. In ad
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Countering Terrorist Finance: Kenya
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(CEMOC), based in Tamanrasset, Alge
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On September 24, Arab Maghreb Union
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widespread destruction of property
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While Nigeria regularly froze the a
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DRC to encourage the FDLR and other
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On April 4, a bombing of the nation
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etween some South Africa government
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Emrah Erdogan, in Dar es Salaam sug
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(DRC); and one defunct Ugandan rebe
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enforcement officers attended U.S.-
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February, the Supreme Court rejecte
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1980s. Despite two rounds of DPRK-J
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cooperated closely with the interna
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curfews and limits on their travel
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Republic Act No. 10167, which amend
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and was awaiting extradition to Tha
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countries signed or ratified agreem
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the confiscation of assault rifles,
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On June 25, six members of the so-c
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possession of weapons. They were se
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agreements; and lacked the legal an
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Prevention constitutes a key elemen
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powers to security services for the
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attempted murder of a U.S. consul i
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2012 Terrorist Incidents: The year
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of South America against Money Laun
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DHS/ICE provided training to Hellen
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On January 24, an individual was se
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On March 27, Venice prosecutors ord
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In December, the Supreme Court of K
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United States admissible, which was
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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FB
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For further information on money la
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According to the Prosecutor's Offic
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Additional information on arrests o
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Swedish citizen Paul Mardirossian,
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On May 25, a policeman was killed a
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Regional and International Cooperat
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separate addresses in Luton under t
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nascent security institutions, allo
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On March 3, a vehicle-borne IED was
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effects of fanaticism, and ways to
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equired actions. There are no speci
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cooperation between investigators,
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On November 21, a bomb exploded in
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states with counterterrorism effort
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The PASF detained terrorists in the
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The State Security Court (SSC) is J
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Countering Terrorist Finance: Kuwai
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On October 3, an explosion at a Hiz
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Overview: In 2012, Libya was marked
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intensify cooperation with their ne
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In December, authorities dismantled
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territorial waters. In addition, th
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Saudi security forces in Jizan prov
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Overview: Tunisian security forces
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the presidential amnesty granted af
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Tunisia. Tunisian authorities inten
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In March, ICE and CBP provided BCS
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comprehensive and does not include
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There were a number of arrests of t
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AFGHANISTAN Overview: Though the pr
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established by President Karzai in
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In December, the Indian government
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government infrastructure or armed
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KYRGYZSTAN Overview: 2012 was a yea
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Countering Terrorist Finance: Maldi
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Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), which cont
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Pakistan did not conclude the trial
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organizational remnants have contin
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Annual Report to Congress on Intern
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that address terrorism, including t
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took place in Switzerland. Argentin
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Overview: Canada is an indispensabl
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Canada has a rigorous detection and
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On April 27, in a complex attack in
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expert to Peru to provide instructi
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Executive Decree 448 of December 28
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Department. Estimates of membership
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Peruvian population in border areas
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ut instead choose to rejoin SL upon
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Chapter 3. State Sponsors of Terror
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of millions of dollars in support o
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In June 2010, four Sudanese men sen
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Chapter 4. The Global Challenge of
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provided equipment and training to
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Chapter 5 Terrorist Safe Havens (Up
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Iraq. In 2012, the Government of Ir
Page 209 and 210: Yemen’s political instability mak
Page 211 and 212: existing designations. The Departme
Page 213 and 214: MULTILATERAL EFFORTS TO COUNTER TER
Page 215 and 216: information on remaining listings h
Page 217 and 218: system against money laundering and
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Page 221 and 222: in Africa, the Middle East, and Sou
Page 223 and 224: SUPPORT TO PAKISTAN The United Stat
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Page 227 and 228: participate in future elections (ex
Page 229 and 230: Radio Sawa also broadcast on medium
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Page 233 and 234: pages with RFA news content. RFA al
Page 235 and 236: Religion Magazine programs have bee
Page 237 and 238: and training model to improve stude
Page 239 and 240: Morocco. USAID’s Improving Traini
Page 241 and 242: tool to more than 433 teachers thro
Page 243 and 244: programs. As an integral part of im
Page 245 and 246: Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami/Banglades
Page 247 and 248: Funding and External Aid: The ANO
Page 249 and 250: Kurdistan. On May 4, 2010, Abu Abdu
Page 251 and 252: Activities: In March 1995, AUM memb
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Page 255 and 256: cease-fire, along with post-Septemb
Page 257 and 258: Embassy and ISAF headquarters in Ka
Page 259: HARAKAT UL-MUJAHIDEEN aka HUM; Hara
Page 263 and 264: Activities: The IJU primarily opera
Page 265 and 266: Funding and External Aid: To avoid
Page 267 and 268: JUNDALLAH aka People’s Resistance
Page 269 and 270: Strength: Membership is estimated a
Page 271 and 272: In 2011, LeT was responsible for mu
Page 273 and 274: Funding and External Aid: The LTTE
Page 275 and 276: Location/Area of Operation: Mostly
Page 277 and 278: espectively, which caused no injuri
Page 279 and 280: Al-Zawahiri claimed responsibility
Page 281 and 282: Funding and External Aid: AQAP’s
Page 283 and 284: Activities: Since 2007, when AQIM b
Page 285 and 286: Over the years, the FARC has perpet
Page 287 and 288: a small arms attack on a Turkish po
Page 289 and 290: There were frequent reports of al-S
Page 291 and 292: Throughout 2011, TTP carried out at
Page 293 and 294: (B) the extent to which the governm
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Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

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