Terror Groups Active in Europe

Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is believed to operate in approximately 50 countries around the world, with an estimated 18,000 militant members led by Osama Bin Laden, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Because Al-Qaeda operates as individual cells, authorities have found it extremely difficult to locate and apprehend the group’s members. The group has been blamed for the 9/11 attacks, the Madrid bombings in March 2004 and attacks in Saudi Arabia.

ETA
ETA was formed in northern Spain in 1959. Its original aim was to protect the Basque way of life from Franco’s dictatorship, but when democracy returned to Spain in the late 1970s, ETA continued to fight, demanding independence for the Basque region. ETA has carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks over the past 35 years, killing around 800 people. It originally attacked political and military targets, using car bombs and snipers, but is now also attempting to destroy the tourism industry, which is vital to the Spanish economy. Last year ETA bombed the holiday resorts of Benidorm and Torrevieja.

Real IRA
When the Northern Ireland peace process began in 1997, the Provisional IRA took part in talks and agreed to a ceasefire. The Real IRA is a splinter group that was formed by militants from the IRA who objected to its involvement in the peace process. Its main aims are to disrupt peace talks and ultimately force Britain to withdraw from Northern Ireland. The Real IRA was responsible for the Omagh bombing in 1998, which killed 29 people and has also been linked to explosions in mainland Britain.

November 17
November 17 is a Greek terrorist organisation, which takes its name from the date when the ruling military junta crushed a student revolt in 1973. It is an extremely secretive group, with very little known about its members, except that they are ultra-nationalist and want Greece to cut all links with the US, Turkey and NATO. November 17’s targets have included foreign officials, Greek industrialists and EU facilities. In December 2003, 15 of its members were imprisoned for terrorist activities.