Puerto Rico Air National Guard - 1981 Terrorist Attack

1981 Terrorist Attack

On 12 January 1981, the Ejército Popular Boricua (Boricua Popular Army), a Puerto Rican terrorist organization, carried out multiple bombings at the Muniz Air National Guard Base. At the time, it was the largest attack on U.S. military forces since the Vietnam War. The attack was timed to coincide with the birthday of the Puerto Rican independence advocate Eugenio María de Hostos. The attack incurred approximately $45,000,000 damage to ten A-7D aircraft and a single F-104 by eleven terrorists of the Popular Army of Puerto Rico, also known as "The Macheteros." The unit was equipped with eighteen A-7D and one F-104 aircraft.

Eleven saboteurs, disguised in military uniforms, penetrated the security fence and infiltrated the A-7 parking ramp through a hole cut in the perimeter chain link fence. Investigators believe that some, if not all, arrived near the ramp in a boat surreptitiously guided along a nearby channel. The operation occurred during SP shift changeover. Security was provided by contracted, operations and maintenance funded guards. The perpetrators exited using the reverse of their entry method. Choosing to strike at shift change indicates the possibility of prior surveillance or insider information. The terrorists placed approximately 25 explosive devices on the aircraft.

The explosives consisted of satchels containing four sticks of Iremite with detonators and incendiary charges. They were time delayed using a simple but effective watch and battery combination.

The explosives were stolen from a Puerto Rican explosives factory, with the theft traced to this terrorist group. AFOSI called the explosives “sophisticated”. The entire operation took less than eight minutes and this group of semiskilled intruders was able to inflict severe damage to mission capability.

Press coverage was substantial at the time of the incident but died down quickly. This was the first peacetime incident in which USAF aircraft were destroyed by a terrorist act and the first time terrorists had attacked a USAF installation on US soil. It was greatest material loss from any single act of terrorism perpetrated against the USAF anywhere in the world. The National Guard Bureau (NGB) was aware of the shortfalls in security at Muniz and of the threat, yet corrective actions had not been implemented at the time. The bombings resulted in increases in base security. It was revealed that there were to be 22 personnel, up from 11, guarding the base, funded entirely by the federal government as well as electric devices added to the fence.

Destroyed aircraft were A-7D serial numbers 70-1050; 72-0189; 72-0219; 72-0221; 72-0222; 73-0994; 73-1005; 74-1748, and 74-1755