Five decades of terrorism in France ----------------------------------------- FRENCH DISSIDENTS 1962, OAS: Former army officers opposed to Algeria’s independence –Organisation Armée Secrète – attempt to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle in Paris 1976-2014, FLNC: Separatist Corsican National Liberation Front stages some 10,000 violent attacks over 40-year period. FLNC declares ceasefire in 2014 ------------------------------------------ PALESTINIANS 1975, Carlos the Jackal: Member of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – Ilich Ramirez Sanchez – makes two failed attempts to launch rocket-propelled grenades at Israeli airliners at Paris Orly Airport. Also kills two French secret agents. Masterminds Paris car bombing in 1982. In 1997 Ramírez Sánchez (below) is sentenced to life imprisonment 1978, PFLP: Palestinian militants open fire on El Al passengers in departure lounge of Orly Airport. Eight people killed including three assailants ----------------------------------------- URBAN - GUERRILLAS 1977-87, Action Directe: French- based anti-NATO group linked to West German Red Army Faction – former Baader- Meinhof Gang – mounts deadly, high-profile attacks in France, West Germany and Belgium ------------------------------------------ ANTI-SEMITISM 1980-82: Bomb attack at Paris synagogue kills four people and injures 20. Gun and grenade attack at Chez Jo Goldenberg restaurant in Jewish quarter of Paris kills six, injures 22 2009: Arsonists fire-bomb synagogues in Paris, Toulouse and Strasbourg ------------------------------------------- STATE TERRORISM 1985-86, Hezbollah: Pro-Iranian Fouad Ali Saheh group carries out 15 attacks in Paris, killing 13 people and injuring over 300 more. France accuses Iran’s political and religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini of having personally directed bombing campaign – 34 members of Hezbollah arrested in 1987 -------------------------------------------- ISLAMIST MILITANTS 1994, GIA: French commandos successfully storm Air France Airbus A-300 held by members of Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) at Marseilles airport, releasing 169 hostages and killing four hijackers. Alleged plan was to blow up aircraft over Paris 1995-96: GIA carries out multiple attacks on rail system, killing eight people and injuring 170 2005: Six Al Qaeda militants convicted of conspiring to bomb U.S. Embassy in Paris. Attack was to coincide with 2001 attacks on U.S. World Trade Centre and Pentagon 2010: Five French nationals arrested, suspected of conspiring to launch terror attacks in France Nov 2011: Firebomb attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after it publishes image of Prophet Mohammad on its cover Mar 2012: Al Qaeda-inspired gunman kills seven people in three separate shootings in Toulouse Dec 22, 2014: Motorist shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) drives his vehicle into crowd in city of Dijon Jan 7, 2015: Gunmen storm Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, killing at least 12 people ------------------------------------------ BASQUES 1990-2010, ETA: Fast - track transfers of Basque separatist detainees from France to Spanish tribunals leads to low level insurgency on French territory ------------------------------------------ Sources: Associated Press reports, CNN, worldstatesmen.org, aljazeera.com Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images words 500