Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

490 • NETWORKSAnalysts distinguish between social netwar, which involves interestgroup activities in civil society, and criminal netwar and terroristnetwar, which represent new challenges to law enforcement andnational security. See also INFORMATION WARFARE; INTEL-LIGENCE; ORGANIZATION OF TERRORIST GROUPS.NETWORKS. See ORGANIZATION OF TERRORIST GROUPS.NEW AFRIKAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS (NAFF). The NAFF was aleftist black American group that aimed to undertake armed revolutionto create an independent black homeland within the United States. Thisgroup was an offshoot of the Republic of New Afrika, a black nationalistpolitical group that advocated that black Americans establish theirown independent black homeland in the southeastern United States.On 18 October 1984, nine NAFF members were arrested in NewYork City for conspiracy to rob an armored car and to assist in theprison escape of Kuwasi Balagoon (born Donald Weems), who wasconvicted for his participation in the 20 October 1981 Brinks armoredcar attack by the Revolutionary Armed Task Force (RATF), andalso Sekou Odinga, who had been convicted for his role in assistingthe robbers. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealedthat these NAFF members had stockpiled weapons and explosives tobe used in the breakout attempt. Evidence emerged that the NAFFhad broken itself up into independent cells to carry out robberies andterrorist actions while connecting itself to front organizations for support.All eight defendants were acquitted on charges of grand larcenyand conspiracy to mount the prison breakout. Six of the defendants,Coltrane Chimurenga, Roger Wareham, Robert Taylor, Yvette Kelley,Ruth Carter, and Clay Omowale, were convicted for possessing illegalweapons; Viola Plummer was convicted for providing false identificationto the police; and Jose Rios was acquitted of all charges.The NAFF activists were based in New York City and differedfrom the Republic of New Afrika activists in their commitment to aidin the creation of a socialist republic in what is now South Africa. TheRepublic of New Afrika sought, in addition to creating an independentblack homeland in North America, reparations from the U.S. governmentof $10,000 for each black American for past injustices. Anothersubgroup of the Republic of New Afrika was the New Afrikan People’sOrganization, which sought to create a socialist republic in thefuture independent homeland but which believed armed struggle was