Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

STATE SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM • 641terrorism since the 29 November 1987 bombing of Korean Air Flight858, the country continued to be listed due to its involvement in theabduction of Japanese nationals and its harboring of four JapaneseRed Army terrorists. Its delisting in 2008 was justified by the U.S.Department of State due to steps taken by North Korea to end itsnuclear arms program. Although Sudan desisted from allowing theEgyptian Islamic Group, the Munazzamat al Jihad, and al Qa’edatraining facilities and sanctuary in the 1990s, its continued support ofthe Lord’s Resistance Army active in Uganda and its allowing the recruitmentof fighters for the Iraqi insurgency have caused it to remainon the list of state sponsors. In 2005 the U.S. State Department foundthat Iran remained the leading state sponsor of terrorism due to itssupport of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad ofPalestine, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have beendirectly involved with such groups as well as the planning and supportof terrorist attacks. Syria remained on the list due to its being an activefacilitator of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, Islamic Jihad of Palestine,the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the PopularFront for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Cubahas remained on the list due to its granting of sanctuary to membersof Basque Fatherland and Liberty and the Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia, as well as U.S. fugitives from justice includingformer Black Panthers and members of the Black Liberation Army.See also STATE SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM.STATE SPONSORSHIP OF TERRORISM. State sponsorship ofterrorism is defined as the support by a nation-state governmentof terrorist agents, including nonnation als, whether in dividualsor groups. Such support is counted as state sponsorship when itreceives either the explicit sanction or the tacit approval of the ultimatelegal and political authorities of the sponsoring regime who,in either case, have sufficient knowledge and approval of the typesof activities by its agents and who maintain effective control overthese agents. The operational definition of state sponsorship of terrorismdeveloped by the RAND Corporation is as follows: “Statesponsorship of terrorism is the active involvement by foreign governmentsin the training, arming, and providing other logistical andintelligence assistance, as well as sanctuary, to terrorists for thepurpose of carrying out violent acts on behalf of that government