The United Kingdom is hardly alone in suffering the scourge of economic terrorism. Various terrorist organizations in continental Europe targeted high-profile financiers and institutions to achieve political goals, but had little long-term impact on the region’s economy.

France: The radical left-wing group Action Directe terrorized businesspeople and financiers during the 1980s. It exploded a bomb at the European headquarters of the World Bank in Paris in 1982 and assassinated the chairman of Renault, Georges Besse, in 1986.

Germany: The Red Army Faction, another left-wing group, kidnapped and killed Hans-Martin Schleyer, a wealthy businessman who served on the board of Daimler-Benz. The group also assassinated the chairman of one of the country’s biggest banks, Deutsche Bank chief Alfred Herrhausen, in 1989.

Italy: The Red Brigade, yet another leftist guerilla group, became infamous for kidnapping Italian businesspeople and holding them for ransom. Notoriously, they kidnapped and killed former Italian Prime
Minister Aldo Moro in 1978. They were also involved in assassinations and kneecappings of business figures.

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