Profiles Index

Carlos the Jackal--Profile of Carlos the Jackal
The terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal offered the image of terrorist as a glamorous, ruthless criminal able to pull off amazing capers, then elude authorities.

Abu Nidal -- A Profile of Terrorist Leader Abu Nidal
The Palestinian terrorist leader Abu Nidal was known in the 1970s and 1980s as a prolific, if paranoid, terrorist. Learn more about Abu Nidal here.

Al Shabab (Somalia)
Al Shabab is a militant Islamist group in Somalia.

Al Qaeda -- Profile of Al Qaeda
A profile of Al Qaeda, from Al Qaeda's beginnings by Osama bin Laden

Hamas
Hamas, the Gaza based Palestinian movement, is both a political party and a terrorist group known for its history of suicide bombings.

Sicarii: First Century Terrorists
In the first century after the birth of Jesus Christ, Jewish Sicarii used terrorist tactics--from assassination to kidnapping--to bring Roman rule of Judea to an end.

Ulrike Meinhof (Red Army Faction aka Baader Meinhof Gang)
Ulrike Meinhof's dramatic transformation from a celebrated journalist who wrote about leftist causes to an urban guerrilla committed to violent revolution made her one of Europe's most notorious twentieth century figures. She was one of the founding members of the German Red Army Faction.

Red Army Faction (also, Baader-Meinhof Group, Germany)
The left wing terrorist Red Army Faction, often referred to by the names of two of its founders, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, committed terrorist acts in the name of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary ideals.

Lashkar-e Tayyiba -- Guide to Lashkar-e Tayyiba
Pakistan militants, Lashkar-e Tayyiba, have played a substantial role in fostering Pakistan India conflict over Kashmir. Lashkar-e Tayyiba came under increased scrutiny following attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, which some attributed to the group.

Ergenekon- Guide to Ergekon, Accused of Terrorism in Turkey
Turkey has accused Ergenekon, an alleged network of highly placed government, military and others, of terrorist activity and a plot to overthrow the government.

Weatherman (aka Weather Underground)
Weatherman were committed to the violent overthrow of the U.S. government in the 1970s.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK) - Profile of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group, was designated a terrorist group in 1871 by Congress. It continues to promote white supremacy through rallies and other expressions today.

FARC -- A Profile of the Colombia FARC guerrilla group
The Colombian FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces Group) is frequently described as the largest, oldest and best organized armed leftist group in South America. The United STates and Europe have classified it as a terrorist group.

Bill Ayers-- Profile of Bill Ayers, the Weatherman (aka Weather Underground)
Bill Ayers led the Weathermen, a 1970s student group, to violent action in the quest to achieve a classless society and protest the Vietnam war.

Pakistan Kashmir Groups -- Pakistan Kashmir Group Jaish-e-Mohammed
Pakistan Kashmir based groups include Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organization actively committed to waging a self-declared "jihad" to "liberate" Kashmir from perceived Indian occupation.

Islamic Jihad -- A profile of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Palestinian Islamic Jihad combines Palestinian nationalism, Islamist ideology, and a belief in armed confrontation with Israel.

IRA (Irish Republican Army)-Guide to the IRA (Irish Republican Army
The IRA (Irish Republican Army) was founded in 1969 and used assassination, bombings and other terrorist tactics to oppose British rule in Ireland. This profile details activities of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, its relationship to Sinn Féin, and its roots in Catholic Irish nationalism.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (Kuwait, Al Qaeda)
Khaled Sheikh Mohammed brought the idea to fly planes into buildings Al Qaeda head Usama bin Laden in the late 1990s. The idea evolved into the September 11, 2001 attacks. In June 2008, Mohammed went on trial for terrorism as an 'enemy combatant.'

Brian Keenan (Ireland, Provisonal IRA)
Brian Keenan was among the IRA's leaders. He was an influential strategists at the height of the IRA's bombing activity in the 1980s, but he also played an influential role in the IRA's transition from terrorism to politics in the 1990s.

Luis Posada Carriles (anti-Castro Cuban terrorism)
Luis Posada Carriles may be the only former CIA operative wanted for international terrorism. The man behind the bombing of Cubana Flight 455 in 1976 remains untried in American detention.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
The Kurdistan Worker's Party became a new actor in the war on terror in October 2006, as the United States, Turkey and Iraq vowed to put an end to the PKK's guerrilla activites in northern Iraq. Here, a profile of the Kurdish nationalist group.

Black Panthers
The Black Panthers, a militant black nationalist group of late 1960s remember, are often recalled as a terrorist group now.

Mas Selamat Kastari
Mas Selamat Kastari was already a well known figure as the alleged Singapore head of Jemaah Islamiyah, when he received worldwide attention for his escape from Singaporan prison in February 2002.

Profile: Osama bin Laden
This profile of Osama bin Laden traces his life from childhood and schooling to his association with the Afghan Mujahideen, to the declarations of jihad that have made Osama bin Laden the world's most notorious terrorist.

Up the IRS, Inc.
When Dean Harvey Hicks was denied a tax deduction on his 1981 income tax return, he turned to bombing IRS service centers near his hometown, Fresno, California, under the name Up the IRS, Inc.

1 | 2