top5/21/2013
Terrorist Organization Profile: |
|
| n/a | |
| n/a | |
| Lebanon | |
| July 18, 1994 | |
| Unknown number of members | |
| Religious | |
| Unknown | |
| Ansar Allah's first claimed attack came in July, 1994, with the bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Aid Association (AMIA), which resulted in nearly a hundred dead civilians. Ansar Allah had never been heard of before this attack, but it is widely suspected that the group was linked to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite organization backed by Iran, that has been responsible for acts of terrorism since the 1980's. Officials from the US State Department believe that Ansar Allah is a "clandestine subgroup" of Hezbollah, after it issued communiqués relating to its attacks in Argentina and Panama. No known claims of responsibility for these attacks have been issued by representatives of Hezbollah as a whole, which has established activities in the tri-border region of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The high proportion of Jewish passengers on the Panamanian plane also raised suspicions that the group is related to, or possibly an alias for, Hezbollah. | |
| Ansar Allah remained unheard from for almost 9 years after these initial attacks until its bombing of the Lebanese TV station Future TV, regarded as loyal to Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. This attack may provide further evidence of the relationship between Ansar Allah and Hezbollah. Ansar Allah is reportedly now under the command of Sobhi Tufaili, the former secretary general of Hezbollah who was expelled from the organization in 1998. Sobhi, who was also targeted by the Hariri regime, led his followers against Hezbollah and armed conflicts have occurred between the two groups. The split between Tufaili and current Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has its roots in the conflict between Hezbollah's two patrons, Iran and Syria. Syria has backed Sobhi as a means of complying with US pressure to restrain Hezbollah's influence, which they believe Tufaili's challenge to Nasrallah can accomplish. Iran remains faithful to Nasrallah and resists US pressure to reign in the group. | |
Key Leaders
- n/a
Related Groups
- Hezbollah -- Founding Group (Suspected)
U.S. Government Designations
| No | |
| No | |
|
Learn more about these U.S. Department of State classifications: Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL) |
|
Other Governments' Designations
| No | |
| No | |
| No | |
| No | |
| No |
4/3/2013
3/27/2013
3/25/2013
3/25/2013
Education’s impact on attitudes about terrorism: Former START TRA takes on new policy-relevant study
1/31/2013
1/29/2013
1/29/2013
1/29/2013
11/21/2012
10/16/2012
9/13/2012
8/27/2012
7/17/2012
5/16/2012
3/28/2012
START investigator and former TRA recipient publish book on the mobilization of right-wing extremism
3/21/2012
2/15/2012
10/7/2011
9/30/2011
8/20/2011
9/15/2010
