Terrorism's mounting toll against humanity

During the 20th century, terrorism has come into its own as a political weapon. These are some of the attacks that captured world attention.

Jerusalem: July, 1946. The Zionist group Irgun bombs the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 91 people.

Algeria: August, 1955. Algerian separatists slaughter 123 people. Government retaliates by killing more than 1000 guerrillas.

Munich: September, 1972. Arab group Black September murder Israeli athletes at the Olympic village.

Entebbe: June, 1976. Palestinian extremists hijack an Air France plane and take it to Entebbe, Uganda. Israeli commandos free the passengers a week later, killing the kidnappers.

Ireland: August, 1979. Lord Louis Mountbatten, British war hero and uncle of Prince Philip, is killed when his boat is blown up off the Irish coast by the IRA.

Barcelona: June, 1987. Basque separatist group ETA stages its bloodiest attack, killing 21 shoppers in a supermarket.

Lockerbie: December, 1988. A Pan Am flight explodes over Scotland, killing 270 people.

Tokyo: March, 1995. The Aum Shinrikyo cult releases sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, killing 12.

Oklahoma City: April, 1995. Timothy McVeigh bombs the federal buildings in Oklahoma, killing 168 people.

Luxor: November, 1997. Militant extremists murder 58 tourists in Egypt.

Omagh: August, 1998. Irish paramilitary group the Real IRA kill 29 people with a bomb in the Northern Ireland town.

Dar es Salaam, Nairobi: August, 1998. More than 200 people are killed in bomb blasts at two American embassies. Attacks linked to Osama bin Laden.

Sri Lanka: June, 2000. A Tamil Tiger suicide bomb kills 22 people in Colombo.

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The fatal flights

Emergency telephone numbers:

United Airlines: 0168 1800 932 8555

American Airlines: 0168 1800 245 0999

NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 0800 872 111

US Embassy in Wellington (recorded info): 04 472 2068

Victims and survivors

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