Combating Terrorism
Will proposed legislation be effective?
By Mary H. Cooper

Until two years ago, Americans were secure in the knowledge that, at least at home, they were safe from international terrorists. Then Islamic fundamentalists sent a shocking wake-up call - the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. In April, Americans were shaken again when a powerful blast destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City. But that attack - the worst case of domestic terrorism. . . .

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Should the rules limiting the FBI's use of wiretaps be loosened to thwart terrorist attacks?

Jamie S. Gorelick Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice.. From a statement made before The Senate Judiciary Committee, May 24, 1995.	Donald M. Haines Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union.. From a statement made before The Senate Judiciary Committee, May 24, 1995.

A Violent Start to 1995

A rash of serious terrorist attacks, both domestic and international, has occurred throughout the world this year. Here are some of the major incidents, including four that took place, coincidentally, on April 19:

March:

Tokyo, Japan: Twelve people die and thousands are injured in a poison gas attack in Tokyo's subway system on March 20. Members of the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) religious cult are charged.

April:

Gaza: Israeli settlements in Gaza are attacked April 9 in separate incidents by Hamas and Hizballah, fundamentalist Islamic groups opposed to the peace settlement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Oklahoma City: On April 19, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is bombed, apparently by domestic terrorists, killing 168 people.

Yokohama, Japan: Also on April 19, a second poison gas attack in Japan's subway system is thwarted.

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka: Also on April 19, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam blow up Sri Lankan gunboats in a suicide attack that kills 16, the latest in a 12-year struggle for Tamil independence.

Madrid, Spain: Basque separatists belonging to ETA (Basque Fatherland and Liberty) are blamed for injuring Spanish opposition leader Jose Maria Aznar in an April 19 car bombing.

May:

Lima, Peru: Police blame Sendero Luminoso (the Shining Path), a radical Maoist group, for a May 24 car bombing that kills four people.

June:

Malawi, Egypt: Ten people are killed on June 3 in two separate shootings, allegedly by members of the anti-government Islamic Group.

Cairo, Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak escapes unscathed after a June 26 assassination attempt. Vanguards of Conquest, the group implicated in the 1981 assassination of Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat, claims responsibility for the attack.