Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

NOVEMBER 17 • 495NEW WORLD OF ISLAM. This was a black American Muslimgroup, a splinter group hostile to the Nation of Islam group of ElijahMuhammad, which intended to create a black nationalist separatehomeland in the southeastern United States. The group was foundedon 26 February 1960 by Muhammad Ali Hassan (aka Albert Dickens)and his followers, who had been members of the Nation of IslamTemple No. 25 on South Orange Avenue in Newark. The group wasdisowned by the Nation of Islam and shortly thereafter began a roundof robberies and murders. The group was credited with six assassinations,including that of Minister James (McGregor) Shabazz, head ofthe Nation of Islam Temple No. 25 that had expelled them earlier.Ali Hassan was captured following a bank robbery in December 1965but continued to direct his followers from prison. After his release in1978, members of his group were involved in bank robberies in thenortheastern states, 21 occurring in the New York and New Jerseymetropolitan area alone. On 6 November 1981, some 17 membersof the group were convicted on federal racketeering charges underthe Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) of1970 in relation to their bank robberies. In May 1985, the group issueda threat that its members would “execute” any police officer itencountered; however, the group is not known to have engaged inany activities since that time and is probably defunct.NOVEMBER 17. The Revolutionary Organization of 17 November(Epanastatiki Organosi 17 Noemvri) was a nonstate Greek anarchisticleftist group that engaged in terrorism to force Greece out of the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), force the U.S. military presenceout of Greece, and oppose imperialism and capitalism. It had noknown state sponsorship but worked in close concert with the May 1and the Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA) groups, all of whichoperated within the Athens area. It appears likely that both May 1 andNovember 17 evolved from the same core membership of the ELA,which originally was formed with the revolutionary objective of overthrowingthe Greek military junta. In the postjunta period, November17, and these similar groups, appeared more anarchistic in nature, nolonger having one governing objective but attaching themselves torevolutionary raisons d’être as they happened to appear.While both the ELA and the May 1 have bombed U.S. targets, theNovember 17 differed from them in having assassinated, or attempted