Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

SANDINISTAS • 613The Ortegas’ insurrectional strategy, involving the use of spectacularacts of armed propaganda to spur broad-based urban insurrection,was to succeed in 1977–1979 in overthrowing Somoza. On 10 January1978 unknown gunmen shot and killed Pedro Joaquín Chamorro,editor of La Prensa and longtime Somoza critic. This sparked massivedemonstrations against Somoza, who was believed to be responsiblefor Chamorro’s killing. In this atmosphere the FSLN insurrectionistswere able to win support from Nicaraguan liberals, social democrats,and small-business owners. On 22 August 1978 Edén Pastora Gómezled 24 other FSLN commandos in storming the Nicaraguan Chamberof Deputies and seizing 1,500 hostages, who were released in exchangefor safe passage to Panama, the release of 59 prisoners, includingTomás Borge, $500,000 ransom, and the broadcast of a call to insurrectionin the name of the FSLN. In the abortive insurrection thatfollowed during September 1978, fewer than 1,500 FSLN guerrillasfought 14,000 National Guard soldiers; about 5,000 people were killedand 16,000 injured, most of whom were civilians.As Fidel Castro required vanguard unification as a condition forCuban aid, on 7 March 1979 the three FSLN factions were unitedunder a Combined National Directorate (DNC) composed of ninemembers, three from each faction. Apart from Cuban support, theFSLN received arms and political support from Venezuela, Panama,and Costa Rica, which not only allowed the FSLN sanctuary andstaging areas in its territory but also helped to create Radio Sandino,through which the FSLN coordinated the broad-based popular uprising.A combination of rioting in the cities, labor and business strikes,and FSLN attacks on an increasingly demoralized National Guard ledto Somoza’s resignation and flight from the country on 17 July 1979and the takeover of Managua by the FSLN on 19 July 1979.During the 1960s and early 1970s, members of the FSLN collaboratedwith guerrilla and terrorist groups outside Nicaragua,particularly the Rebel Armed Forces of the Guatemalan NationalRevolutionary Union, with whom FSLN cadres joined forces infighting government forces in Guatemala from July to October1966. In September 1970, two FSLN members took part in separatehijackings led by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine(PFLP), one of which led to the capture of Leila Khaled when thehijackers were foiled, while the other succeeded in taking a BritishOverseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) plane to Dawson’s Field in