As world governments fret over terrorists' seizing nuclear material and Middle-Eastern factions threaten the fragile peace between Israel and the Arabs, there is a small terrorist group in the Basque region of Spain that may well rank as the world's worst terrorists.

The Basque Armed Revolutionary Worker's Organization (Iraultza) was formed in 1982 and has a strength of fewer than twenty members. They are dedicated to establishing a Marxist Basque nation, ending foreign investment in Spain, and ending U.S. involvement in Latin America. Because of the small size of their group, and the fact that they conduct operations in the remote mountainous Basque area of Spain, they have managed to elude the scrutiny of Western intelligence agents. Little is known of their leadership, headquarters, sponsors, or sources of funding.

Iraultza made its appearance on the world scene in May 1982 when they bombed a bank in Bilbao, Spain. The bomb was a small primitive affair placed outside bank offices in the dead of night. A caller notified the police of the bomb, but it detonated before they arrived, damaging the building, but without loss of life. Then, in February 1983, they decided to attack the Xerox office in Bilbao. They then returned to bomb the same Xerox office in Bilbao in May and November 1983, and in January 1986.

In addition to the Bilbao Xerox office, they also attacked the San Sebastian Coca Cola bottling plant, the IBM offices in Vitoria, the 3M offices in Bilbao, the Ford dealership in Bilbao, the Hertz and Avis offices in San Sebastian, and the construction site of the new waste treatment plant in Bilbao.

Only one person, a construction worker who stayed late, was killed by the bombs used during twenty-four separate attacks. However, property damage has been great. Unfortunately, much of the damage has been done to major employers in the area. In an environment that is not particularly wealthy, taking out the only folks that pay a decent wage is not the most brilliant social or tactical move for a group that requires popular support.

The group launched its last attack in March 1988 against the Ford dealer's showroom in Vitoria, Spain. There were no injuries, and the group dropped out of sight after the attack. Perhaps irate Ford Mustang owners decided to rid themselves of the inept group of terrorists.