Incident Summary:
4/29/1971: In a series of two incidents that might have been part of a multiple attack, suspected members of the Chicano Liberation Front bombed a Bank of America branch in Los Angeles, California, United States. There were no casualties but the building sustained $1,600 in damages.
Overview
GTD ID:
197104290003
When:
1971-04-29
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
California
City:
Los Angeles
Location Details:
East Los Angeles
What
Attack Information
| Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
| Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
| Target Type: Business |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
Bank of America |
| Specific Description |
Bank of America, Montebello branch in Los Angeles |
| Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
| Hostages |
No |
| Ransom |
No |
| Property Damage |
Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage |
Minor (likely < $1 million) |
| Value of Property Damage |
$1,600.00 |
How
Weapon Information
| Type |
Sub-type |
| Explosives |
Projectile (rockets, mortars, RPGs, etc.) |
| Weapon Details |
|---|
| Black powder device tossed from a car at the building |
Additional Information
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
| Additional Information |
This might be part of a multiple attack with the bombing of Safeway in Los Angeles less than an hour earlier (197104290002). Both incidents took place in the East Los Angeles area and used similar types of bombs. The bomb was thrown from a car located in an alley behind the building. The Chicano Liberation Front claimed credit for the incident in a tape recording sent to the Los Angeles Free Press. The CLF stated that they were "fed up with our people being treated like dogs." However, authorities could not confirm if the CLF actually committed the attack. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
| Group Name |
Claimed Responsibility |
| Chicano Liberation Front (suspected) |
Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Other) |
Perpetrator Statistics
| Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
| 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
| "Bank, Store Bombed, Trucks Burned in L. A.," Washington Post, May 1, 1971. |
| Robert Watich, "Three-Way Probe Seeks Possible Link in L.A. Bombings," Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1971. |
| Paul Houston and Franz Rodriguez, "Chicano Militants Reportedly Claim 28 Bombings in L.A.," Los Angeles Times, August 14, 1971. |
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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