Incident Summary:
09/28/1974: In Newark, New Jersey, United States, a homemade bomb exploded in the alley next to the police headquarters, and a second bomb was discovered by police headquarters, behind a row of hedges next to Newark City Hall, but was dismantled before it exploded. The Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN) took credit for the incident in which, two windows of the second floor computer room of the headquarters were shattered. No casualties resulted from the explosion.
Overview
GTD ID:
197409280001
When:
1974-09-28
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
New Jersey
City:
Newark
Location Details:
Alley next to city police headquarters and by police headquarters, behind a row of headges next to Newark City Hall
What
Attack Information
| Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
| Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
| Target Type: Government (General) |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
City Hall |
| Specific Description |
Newark City Hall |
| Nationality of Target |
United States |
| Target Type: Police |
|---|
| Name of Entity |
New Jersey Police |
| Specific Description |
Newark Police Headquarters |
| 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 |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
| Type |
Sub-type |
| Explosives |
Time Fuse |
| Weapon Details |
|---|
| explosives made from a 14-ounce canisters of propane wired to both a battery and a wristwatch timing device |
Additional Information
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
| Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
| Additional Information |
The bomb detonated around 1:30 AM. In a communiqué released on October 26, 1974, the Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN) claimed credit for the incident. (See: ) Also, about an hour and a half after the explosion, a caller who claimed to be a member of the "Armed Revolutionary Front of Puerto Rico," phoned the Associated Press and took responsibility for the two bombs, only one of which exploded. The caller noted that his group placed two bombs in the shrubbery by police headquarters and city hall. It is unknown if these two groups are the same. |
Who
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
| "A Bomb Damages Jersey Police Hq.," New York Times, September 29, 1974. |
| "New Jersey Briefs: Puerto Rican Group Not Known," New York Times, October 1, 1974. |
| "Toward People's War for Independence and Socialism in Puerto Rico: In Defense of Armed Struggle," Documents and Communiques from the Revolutionary Public Independence Movement and the Armed Clandestine Movement, January 1987. |
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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