Federal Research Division

The purpose of this study is to focus attention on the types of individuals and groups that are prone to terrorism (see Glossary) in an effort to help improve U.S. counter terrorist methods and policies.The emergence of amorphous and largely unknown terrorist individuals and groups operating independently (freelancers) and the new recruitment patterns of some groups, such as recruiting suicide commandos, female and child terrorists, and scientists capable of developing weapons of mass destruction, provide a measure of urgency to increasing our understanding of the psychological and sociological dynamics of terrorist groups and individuals. The approach used in this study is twofold. First, the study examines the relevant literature and assesses the current knowledge of the subject. Second, the study seeks to develop psychological and sociological profiles of foreign terrorist individuals and selected groups to use as case studies in assessing trends, motivations, likely behavior, and actions that might deter such behavior, as well as reveal vulnerabilities that would aid in combating terrorist groups and individuals.Because this survey is concerned not only with assessing the extensive literature on socio-psychological aspects of terrorism but also providing case studies of about a dozen terrorist groups, it is limited by time constraints and data availability in the amount of attention that it can give to the individual groups, let alone individual leaders or other members. Thus, analysis of the groups and leaders will necessarily be incomplete. A longer study, for example, would allow for the collection and study of the literature produced by each group in the form of autobiographies of former members, group communiqu s and manifestos, news media interviews, and other resources. Much information about the terrorist mindset (see Glossary) and decision-making process can be gleaned from such sources. Moreover, there is a language barrier to an examination of the untranslated literature of most of the groups included as case studies herein.Terrorism databases that profile groups and leaders quickly become outdated, and this report is no exception to that rule. In order to remain current, a terrorism database ideally should be updated periodically. New groups or terrorist leaders may suddenly emerge, and if an established group perpetrates a major terrorist incident, new information on the group is likely to be reported in news media. Even if a group appears to be quiescent, new information may become available about the group from scholarly publications.There are many variations in the transliteration for both Arabic and Persian. The academic versions tend to be more complex than the popular forms used in the news media and by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). Thus, the latter usages are used in this study. For example, although Ussamah bin Ladin is the proper transliteration, the more commonly used Osama bin Laden is used in this study.

Capital: Caracas. Major Cities: Caracas, 1.8 million inhabitants; Zulia, 2.9 million; and Carabolo, 1.9 million (2003). Independence: July 5, 1811, from Spain. Public Holidays: Ano Nuevo (New Year's Day), January 1; Carnaval (Carnival), the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, movable dates in early February to early March; Dia de San Jose (St. Joseph's Day), March 19; Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Holy Friday), movable holidays in March or April; Signing of Independence, April 19; Primero de Mayo (Labor Day), May 1; Ascension, May 20;* Corpus Christi, June 10;* Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart), June 18;* Battle of Carabobo, June 24; San Pedro y San Pablo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul), June 29;...

Capital: Hanoi. Major Cities: With 5.6 million people, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the most populous city. Hanoi has a population of 3 million. Other major cities are Danang, Haiphong, and Can Tho. Independence: Vietnam declared independence from Japan and France on September 2, 1945. However, Vietnam remained under French control until the communist Viet Minh defeated French forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Public Holidays: Official holidays are New Year's (January 1), Tet or Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February), Liberation Day to commemorate the fall of Saigon (April 30), Labor Day (May 1), and Independence Day to commemorate Japan's withdrawal following its defeat in World War II (September 2).

Capital: The capital of central administration of Taiwan is Taipei (T'ai-pei- -literally, Taiwan North), located in T'ai-pei County in the north. Since 1967, Taipei has been administratively separate from Taiwan Province. Major Cities: The largest city is Taipei, with 2.6 million inhabitants in 2004. Other large cities are Kao-hsiung, with 1.5 million, and T'ai-chung, with 1 million. Fifteen other cities have populations ranging from 216,000 to 749,000 inhabitants.

Capital: Damascus (population estimated at 5 million in 2004). Other Major Cities: Aleppo (4.5 million), Homs (1.8 million), Hamah (1.6 million), Al Hasakah (1.3 million), Idlib (1.2 million), and Latakia (1 million). Independence: Syrians celebrate their independence on April 17, known as Evacuation Day, in commemoration of the departure of French forces in 1946. Public Holidays: Public holidays observed in Syria include New Year's Day (January 1); Revolution Day (March 8); Evacuation Day (April 17); Egypt's Revolution Day (July 23); Union of Syria, Egypt, and Libya (September 1); Martyrs' Day, to commemorate the public hanging of 21 dissidents in 1916 (May 6); the beginning of the 1973 October War (October 6); National Day (November 16); and Christmas Day (December 25). Religious feasts with movable dates include Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice; Muharram, the Islamic New Year; Greek Orthodox Easter; Mouloud/Yum an Nabi, celebration of the birth of Muhammad;...

Capital: Seoul. Major Cities: The largest cities are Seoul (11 million), Pusan (3.9 million), Taegu (2.5 million), Inch'4n (2.4 million), Kwangju (1.4 million), and Taej4n (1.3 million). Independence: August 15, 1945, from Japanese occupation; Republic of Korea founded August 15, 1948. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February), Independence Movement Day (March 1), Arbor Day (April 5), Children's Day (May 5), Birth of Buddha (movable date in April or May), Memorial Day (June 6), Constitution Day (July 17), Independence Day (August 15), Ch'us4k (an autumnal harvest festival and day of thanksgiving, movable date in September or October), National Foundation Day (October 3), and Christmas Day (December 25).

Capital: Singapore. Major Cities: Singapore is a city-state. The city of Singapore is located on the south-central coast of the island of Singapore, but urbanization has taken over most of the territory of the island. Date of Independence: August 31, 1963, from Britain; August 9, 1965, from the Federation of Malaysia. National Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Lunar New Year (movable date in January or February); Hari Raya Haji (Feast of the Sacrifice, movable date in February); Good Friday (movable date in March or April); Labour Day (May 1); Vesak Day (June 2); National Day or Independence Day (August 9); Deepavali (movable date in November); Hari Raya Puasa (end of Ramadan, movable date according to the Islamic lunar calendar); and Christmas (December 25).

Capital: Bucharest (Bucuresti). Major Cities: As of 2003, Bucharest is the largest city in Romania, with 1.93 million inhabitants. Other major cities, in order of population, are Iasi (313,444), Constan a (309,965), Timisoara (308,019), Craiova (300,843), Galati (300,211), Cluj-Napoca (294,906), Brasov (286,371), and Ploesti (236,724). Independence: July 13, 1878, from the Ottoman Empire; kingdom proclaimed March 26, 1881; Romanian People's Republic proclaimed April 13, 1948. Public Holidays: Romania observes the following public holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), Orthodox Easter (a variable date in April or early May), Labor Day (May 1), Unification Day (December 1), and National Day and Christmas (December 25).

Capital: Manila. Major Cities: Located on Luzon Island, Metropolitan Manila, including the adjacent Quezon City and surrounding suburbs, is the largest city in the Philippines, with about 12 million people, or nearly 14 percent of the total population. Other large cities include Cebu City on Cebu Island and Davao City on Mindanao Island. Independence: The Philippines attained independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and from the United States on July 4, 1946. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Holy Thursday (also called Maundy Thursday, movable date in March or April), Good Friday (movable date in March or April), Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor, commonly called Bataan Day outside of the Philippines, April 9), Labor Day (May 1), Independence Day (June 12), National Heroes Day (last Sunday of August), Bonifacio Day (celebration of the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, November 30), Eid al Fitr (the last day of Ramadan, movable date),..

Capital: Asuncion. Major Cities: Asuncion (508,000 inhabitants), Ciudad del Este (261,000), San Lorenzo (228,000), Luque (210,000), Capiata (199,000), Lambare (126,000), and Fernando de la Mora (120,000) rank as Paraguay's most populous cities the country's only cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Independence: Paraguay led the South American charge for independence, securing its freedom from Spain on May 17, 1811, after several days of fighting. Independence day is observed on May 15. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Day of Heroes (March 1); Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (variable dates in March or April); Labor Day (May 1); Independence Day (May 15); Chaco's Peace (June 12); Founding of Asuncion (August 15); Battle of Boqueron (September 29); Virgin of Caacupe (December 8); and Christmas Day (December 25).

Capital: Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico), located in the Federal District (Distrito Federal) with a population estimated at 8.8 million in 2008. Major Cities: The Greater Mexico City metropolitan area encompasses Mexico City and several adjacent suburbs, including the populous cities of Ecatepec de Morelos (1.8 million residents in 2005) and Netzahualcoyotl (1.2 million). The total population of the Greater Mexico City metropolitan area is estimated at about 16 million. Other major cities include Guadalajara (1.6 million), Puebla (1.3 million), Ciudad Juarez (1.2 million), Tijuana (1.1 million), and Monterrey (1.1 million). Independence: September 16, 1810 (from Spain). Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Constitution Day (February 5); Birthday of Benito Juarez (March 21); International Labor Day (May 1); Independence Day (September 16); Discovery of America (October 12); Anniversary of the Revolution (November 20); Christmas (December 25); and New Year's Eve (December 31).

Capital: Abu Dhabi City. Major Cities: Al Ayn, capital of the Eastern Region, and Madinat Zayid, capital of the Western Region, are located in Abu Dhabi Emirate, the largest and most populous emirate. Dubai City is located in Dubai Emirate, the second largest emirate. Sharjah City and Khawr Fakkan are the major cities of the third largest emirate-Sharjah. Independence: The United Kingdom announced in 1968 and reaffirmed in 1971 that it would end its treaty relationships with the seven Trucial Coast states, which had been under British protection since 1892. Following the termination of all existing treaties with Britain, on December 2, 1971, six of the seven sheikhdoms formed the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The seventh sheikhdom, Ras al Khaymah, joined the UAE in 1972.

Capital: Ankara. Other Major Cities: Istanbul, zmir (Smyrna), Bursa, Adana, Gaziantep, and Konya (in order of size). Independence: Turkey celebrates October 29, 1923, the date on which the Republic of Turkey was declared after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, as its date of independence. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), National Sovereignty and Children's Day (April 23), Commemoration of Ataturk and Youth and Sports Day (May 19), Victory Day (August 30), the End of Ramadan (September 30-October 2, 2008; variable date determined by the Islamic calendar), Republic Day (October 29), and the Feast of the Sacrifice (December 8-11, 2008; variable date determined by the Islamic calendar).

Capital: Bangkok (in Thai, Krung Thep, -City of Angels). Major Cities: The largest metropolitan area is the capital, Bangkok, with an estimated 9.6 million inhabitants in 2002. According to the 2000 Thai census, 6.3 million people were living in the metropolitan area (combining Bangkok and Thon Buri). Other major cities, based on 2000 census data, include Samut Prakan (378,000), Nanthaburi (291,000), Udon Thani (220,000), and Nakhon Ratchasima (204,000). Fifteen other cities had populations of more than 100,000 in 2000. Independence: The traditional founding date is 1238. Unlike other nations in Southeast Asia, Thailand was never colonized.

Capital: Riyadh (estimated population 3.6 million). Major Cities: Population estimates for 2006 show continued growth for Saudi Arabia's major urban areas: Jiddah (2.9 million), Mecca (1.6 million), Ad Dammam/Khobar/Dhahran (1.6 million), and Medina (854,500). Mecca and Medina have religious significance that far outweighs their respective populations. Independence: Following Ottoman dominance, Egypt controlled Arabia from 1818 to 1824. For the remainder of the nineteenth century, Egypt, Britain, and the Ottomans vied for control of the region. On September 23, 1932, Abd al Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman Al Saud established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Unification brought together competing tribes into a modern state, covering an area approximating present boundaries.

Capital: Moscow (Moskva). Major Cities (in order of population): St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Omsk, Samara, Kazan', Chelyabinsk, Rostov-na-Donu, Ufa, Volgograd, and Perm. Independence: Russia officially marks its independence on June 12, 1991, the date of the Russian Republic's declaration of sovereignty from the Soviet Union. Public Holidays: Official holidays are New Year's (January 1-2), Orthodox Christmas (January 7), Women's Day (March 8), Orthodox Easter Monday (variable date in April or early May), May Day (May 1-2), Victory Day (May 9), Russia Day (Independence Day, June 12), National Unity Day (November 4), and Constitution Day (December 12).

Capital: Islamabad (Islamabad Capital Territory). Major Cities: Pakistan has seven cities with a population of 1 million or more: Karachi (9,339,023), Lahore (5,143,495), Faisalabad (2,008,861), Rawalpindi (1,409,768), Multan (1,197,384), Hyderabad (1,166,894), and Gujranwala (1,132,509). Independence: Proclaimed August 14, 1947, from Britain. Public Holidays: Eid-ul-Azha (Feast of the Sacrifice of Abraham, movable date); Muharram (Islamic New Year, movable date); Kashmir Day (February 5); Ashura (movable date); Pakistan Day (signing of first constitution and proclamation of the republic, March 23); Labour Day (May 1); Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, movable date); Independence Day (August 14); Ramadan commencement (movable date); Iqbal Day (Birthday of Muhammad Iqbal, November 9); Eid-ul-Fitr (end of Ramadan, movable date); Birthday of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Christmas (December 25).

Major Cities: The largest city is P'y4ngyang, with a reported 3.3 million inhabitants in 2005. According to the 1993 census, others, based on population size, are Namp'o, Hamhssng, Ch'4ngjin, Kaes4ng, Sinssiju, and W4nsan (all with populations of more than 300,000). Independence: August 15, 1945, from Japan; Democratic People's Republic of Korea founded September 9, 1948. National Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Kim Jong Il's Birthday (February 16- 17), International Women's Day (March 8), Day of the Sun (Kim Il Sung's Birthday, April 15- 16), Army Day (April 25), International Workers' Day (May 1), Fatherland Liberation War Victory Day (July 27), National Liberation Day (August 15), Democratic People's Republic of Korea Founding Day (September 9), Korean Workers' Party Founding Day (October 10), and Constitution Day (December 27). Also celebrated are Lunar New Year's

Capital: Abuja has been the capital of Nigeria since December 12, 1991. Previously, the capital was Lagos. Major Cities: According to preliminary results of the 2006 census and subsequent estimates, the most populous cities in Nigeria are Lagos (about 8 million), Kano (3.8 million), Ibadan (2.6 million), Kaduna (1.7 million), Port Harcourt (1.3 million), and Benin City (1.1 million). Independence: Nigeria achieved independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960. Public Holidays: A national holiday commemorating independence is celebrated on October 1. Other holidays are New Year's (January 1), Eid al Kabir (Feast of the Sacrifice-movable date based on the Islamic calendar), Eid al Maulud (Birth of the Prophet-movable date based on the Islamic calendar), Easter (movable date in March or April), Workers' Day (May 1), Eid al Fitr (End of Ramadan-movable date based on the Islamic calendar), Christmas (December 25), and Boxing Day (December 26).

Capital: Rabat. Major Cities: Morocco's most populous cities, in order of their population as of 2002, are Casablanca (3,454,000), Sale (849,000), Rabat (668,000), Marrakech (653,000), Fes (643,000), Kenitra (581,000), and Tangier (509,000). Independence: Morocco achieved independence from France on March 2, 1956. Public Holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Independence Manifesto (January 11), Labor Day (May 1), Throne Day (July 30), Allegiance of Wadi-Eddahab (August 14), Anniversary of the King's and People's Revolution (August 20), Young People's Day (August 21), Anniversary of the Green March (November 6), Independence Day (November 18), and Muslim holidays, the dates of which vary from year to year according to the Islamic calendar.