Hijacking of private aircraft and attacks against narcotics eradication aircraft by drug traffickers in Latin America continues to be a serious problem.
Bus. Buses and bus terminals continued to be a prominent transportation target for criminals and terrorists in 1998, accounting for 19 percent of the total number of incidents. There were 191 violent incidents against buses, an increase of fifteen percent from a year ago. Nine of these incidents were international terrorist attacks. The most frequent methods of attacks were bombings and armed attacks. Bus passengers suffered the highest number of casualties of any transportation mode, with 674 killed and 1,029 wounded. Western Europe, Asia and the Middle East experienced the greatest number of incidents, recording 50, 49, and 48 respectively. Burning or bombing buses was prevalent in Spain, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and, Colombia
Rail. There were 108 violent acts against rail, a decrease of 12 percent from 1997. Four of the incidents were international terrorist attacks. Eleven rail incidents occurred in the United States, and included bombings, attempted bombings, threats, and sabotage. Overall, nearly eighty percent of the incidents against rail were bombings. Attackers often planted explosive devices on trains or along the tracks, remotely detonating the explosives. Rail attacks ranked third in total casualties among the transportation modes, reporting 161 killed and 607 wounded. This was an increase from 1997. Europe experienced the greatest number of attacks against rail. The anti-nuclear movement in Germany for several years has been conducting a campaign of sabotage against trains known or suspected to be transporting nuclear material for reprocessing. While only one death has been reported as result of these activities, the sabotage of tracks, power lines, and locomotives have caused lengthy delays and disruptions of service. Thousands of law enforcement personnel become involved during the rail-transport of nuclear waste, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent "anti-nuclear" sabotage. In India and Pakistan bombings of trains and depots occur frequently, killing scores of people and constantly disrupting service.
Subways. There were eleven violent incidents against subways in 1998, a decrease of 50 percent from a year earlier. Nine of the eleven incidents were bombings while the remaining two were acts of sabotage. Six people were injured in these attacks, but no deaths were reported. Regionally, most of the attacks occurred in the Americas where a series of improvised bombs were placed in the Caracas, Venezuela subway system by an indigenous leftist group. One incident involved the placement of foul-smelling chemicals (not further identified) in beer cans in a restroom of the Tokyo subway system on the anniversary of Aum Shinrikyo's sarin gas attacks.
Maritime Terrorism. There were thirty-two maritime terrorist attacks against ships, ports, and other maritime-related targets in 1998, and increase of seven from 1997. These incidents occurred primarily in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka and Nigeria, with others taking place in Philippine territorial waters and the Mediterranean Sea littoral. In Sri Lanka, the Sea Tigers, the maritime component of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), conducted six notable maritime attacks in 1998. The LTTE was designated a terrorist group by the US State Department in 1997, and has conducted a wide range of maritime operations including small boat attacks, naval mining combat swimmer attacks, and vessel hijackings.
