Terrorist groups, particularly religious groups, place a high
premium on historical dates that are significant to their
religion or their community. Other types of historical dates are
also significant. In the case of the bombings of the World Trade
Center, for example, 11 September may have been especially
significant because the conspirators who carried out the 1998
African embassy bombings were to be sentenced the following day
for their crimes. During that period, the conspirators were in a
holding cell at a courthouse near the World Trade Center.
Significant historical dates that are likely to trigger al-Qaeda
attacks include: - 17 January - the commencement of Operation
Desert Storm - 19 March - Jerusalem Day proclaimed by Ayatollah
Khomeini to demand the “liberation” of Jerusalem - 30 March -
referred to by Israeli Arabs as “Land Day,” it annually features
protests against alleged expropriation of Arab property - 7 May
- Israeli Independence Day - 31 May - the annual pilgrimage in
Mecca begins - 5 June