Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

162 • ENTEBBE HIJACKING1996 created the Diplock courts allowing trial without jury ofterrorist suspects. Under the original act, suspects could be heldand interrogated for a maximum of three days, but the subsequentPrevention of Terrorism Acts allow detention and interrogationof suspects up to seven days where a stronger probable cause existsthat the suspect is involved in terrorism. Prior to the 1998 GoodFriday Agreement, Northern Ireland security forces conductedmore than 100,000 searches under the EPA, yielding more than10,000 illegal firearms and almost 100 tons of explosives. Somecritics believe that these extensive searches have alienated more ofthe Catholic population in Northern Ireland and increased recruitsto the IRA.The 1998 revision of the EPA on 8 April 1998 extended the actfor another two years and required either audiotaping or videotapingof police interrogation of suspected terrorists, to allay allegations ofpolice brutality and other violations of the rights of suspects, and alsorepealed those sections that previously allowed executive internmentof suspects without charges.In 2000 the British parliament passed the Terrorism Act repealingthe EPA and previous Prevention of Terrorism Acts that had beenlimited in their application to Northern Ireland. The new law containsa much more specific definition of terrorism, and the scope of thenew law covers the entire United Kingdom rather than just NorthernIreland. It contains a list of Proscribed Groups, including not justNorthern Irish Republican and Ulster Loyalist groups, but also otherethnonationalist and Islamic fundamentalist groups, and is similarin content to the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign TerroristOrganizations. The new act originally allowed for detention withoutcharges of suspects for 48 hours but in 2006 was amended to allowdetention up to 28 days. Section 44 allows the Home Secretary toallow warrantless searches of people or vehicles in designated areas,while Section 58 makes the collection of information in order tofacilitate or plan a terrorist attack an offense punishable by up to 10years’ imprisonment. As of 11 August 2006, some 1,047 people hadbeen arrested under the act; 158 of these were then prosecuted underthe act, while another 174 were prosecuted for nonterrorist offenses.ENTEBBE HIJACKING. On 27 June 1976, Air France Flight139 from Tel Aviv to Paris, carrying 246 passengers and 12 crew