Incident Summary:
5/23/1977-6/11/1977: A group of 4-6 South Moluccan gunmen seized control of an elementary school in the town of Bovensmilde in North Holland, Netherlands. 105 children and five teachers were taken hostage. The attack was coordinated with a simultaneous attack on a train (GTD case 197705230004). The South Moluccans demanded the release of 21 of their compatriots from Dutch jails. On May 26th, four of the children were released because they were sick. The next day the rest of the children were released because many of them appeared to be suffering from an illness similar to meningitis. On June 11, government forces simultaneously stormed the school and the train. No deaths were reported from the school.
Overview
GTD ID:
197705230005
When:
1977-05-23
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Western Europe
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Drenthe
City:
Bovensmilde
Location Details:
No additional location information is given
What
Attack Information
| Type of Attack () |
Armed Assault |
| Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
| Target Type: Educational Institution |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
Elementary School |
| Specific Description |
School |
| Nationality of Target |
Netherlands |
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
Civilians |
| Specific Description |
105 children and 5 teachers |
| Nationality of Target |
Netherlands |
Additional Information
| Hostages |
Yes |
| Number of Hostages |
110 |
| US Hostages |
0 |
| Days of Kidnapping |
20 |
| Outcome |
Combination |
| Ransom |
Yes |
| Total Ransom Amount Demanded |
0.00 |
| Ransom Amount Demanded from US Sources |
Unknown |
| Total Ransom Amount Paid |
Unknown |
| Total Ransom Amount Paid by US Sources |
Unknown |
| Ransom Notes |
The gunmen demanded the release of 21 South Moluccans jailed in the Netherlands on terrorism charges. They also demanded a plane to transport themselves and the jailed individuals to an unspecified location. |
| Property Damage |
No |
How
Weapon Information
| Type |
Sub-type |
| Firearms |
Unknown Gun Type |
| Weapon Details |
|---|
| No additional information available. |
Additional Information
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
| Additional Information |
Linked to case 197705230004. Number of gunmen involved ranges from 4-6. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
| Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
| South Moluccans |
Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Personal claim) |
Perpetrator Statistics
| Number of Perpetrators |
4 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Casualty Information
| Total Number of Casualties |
0 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities |
0 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
| Total Number of Injured |
0 |
| Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
| "Moluccans free ill child; terrorists refuse supplied," Associated Press, May 26, 1977. |
| "Terrorists free another hostage," Associated Press, June 9, 1977. |
| "Chronology of Seiges in Holland," Associated Press, June 12, 1977. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties
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