Attacks in Latin America were dominated by bombings of international oil pipelines-where 92 attacks occurred in Colombia. Seventy-one people were killed and 150 were injured following one attack on the Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline in Colombia. In addition, rural insurgents in both Colombia and Peru conducted numerous highway attacks: disrupting transportation and commerce, stealing vehicles and cargoes, and kidnapping or murdering passengers. Latin America also experienced the greatest number of aviation incidents with twenty. Most of the incidents involving aviation were attacks on narcotics eradication aircraft and hijackings of private civilian aircraft by narco-traffickers and guerrillas. These incidents have embarrassed their respective governments through their general failure to prevent such attacks.
Middle East―In the Middle East, transportation violence was directed primarily at highways, buses, rail, and pipelines. Terrorists in Algeria and Egypt have organized terrorist campaigns that target the economic infrastructure of those regimes. Tourists and tourist facilities, business concerns, transportation, and other "soft" targets on which these economies depend for foreign exchange have been attacked. In these instances, small arms and simple bombs have been used to great effect; such economic warfare does not require technical sophistication. Attacks against buses and bus stops in Israel by Palestinian and Islamic extremists continue, although they are fewer in number than in previous years. Regionally, the Middle East experienced the greatest number of casualties.
Asia―The leading source of transportation incidents in Asia was piracy against shipping. Maritime piracy has been endemic to the region for hundreds of years. The main piracy prone areas in Asia are Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. On May 31, 1998 the US flagged tanker ship Chesapeake City reported being boarded by pirates while at anchor in Telmuk Semangka, Indonesia In Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers have conducted maritime attacks against cargo ships believed to be resupplying government forces in the north of the country. There was a potentially serious aviation incident in Tokyo, Japan on February 2, 1998 when three explosive projectiles were fired at Narita International Airport from a remote home-made missile launcher. One airport worker was injured. The launcher was discovered in a hotel parking lot, and while police were attempting to dismantle it, the launcher fired the projectiles onto the airport apron area near cargo buildings. In addition on the third anniversary of the Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway, three beer cans filled with a white colored chlorine-like liquid were found in a public toilet in the sasumigaseki subway station. One person became ill. Asia also sustained a high percentage of aviation incidents.
Western Europe―In Western Europe buses led all sources of transportation violence, followed by highway and rail. On February 21, 1998 a bomb exploded on the railroad tracks outside Irun, Spain as a French high-speed train (TGV) causing some damage to the train as it was passing under a bridge. No injuries were reported, but rail service was disrupted for three hours. In Europe, violence against transportation generally tends to be political in nature, publicizing a given group's agenda. Rarely are there casualties. For example. many of the attacks on trains in Germany are conducted by anti-nuclear activists, protesting the transport of nuclear reactor fuel by rail.
