Case Study: The Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Facts The Origin of The Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was founded in 1922. After operating for more than 80 years it is arguably the longest-operating terrorist organization in Western Europe (START, 2011d). The origin of the IRA has it roots in a deep conflict over the influence and governance from Great Britain (BBC, 2011a). Great Britain has ruled over Ireland from the 17th century (Darby, 1995; Fitzduff & O’Hagan, 2009). However, after a violent gu
Case study: The assassination of Alexander Litvinenko
On November 23, 2006 former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital due to poisoning by the radioactive substance polonium-210. Earlier the same year the Federation Council in the Russian parliament approved a new law formally authorizing the Russian president to conduct extra-judicial killings abroad (Eke, 2006). Included in the group of people who can be targeted are not only terrorist and extremist, but also «those causing mass disturbance, committin
Case Study: Security at Heathrow International Airport
Facts Heathrow International Airport From a single grass runway in 1930, Heathrow has grown to become one of the world´s busiest international airports. The private airport of 150-acre was requisitioned together with other land in and around the ancient agricultural village of Heath Row by the government during World War II. During the war the Royal Air Force (RAF) built a base for long-range trop-carrying aircrafts here. However, when the war ended the RAF no longer needed t
Case Study: The November 2008 Attack On Mumbai
Introduction The attack on Mumbai in November 2008 is not the worst terrorist attack in India according to the number of casualties (Curtis, 2008). Nevertheless, it can be argued that the attack, which lasted for three days, is a major terrorist event for a number of reasons. The main reasons being the number of casualties, the duration of the attack, the massive media attention, and the fact that it involves the relationship between India and Pakistan; two nuclear powers al
Al Qaeda – An Assessment
Facts The Origin of al Qaeda Al Qaeda, which means «the base», was established by Osama bin Laden and Dr. Abdullah al-Azzam in 1988 (Haynes, 2005; Katzman, 2005; National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004; START, 2011). Osama bin Laden had participated in the fighting to remove Soviet Union from Afghanistan by supporting the mujahidin with finances, transportation and training. After the conflict he wanted to recruit these fighters to fight a new
