Page 326 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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306———Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree (1931–1990)

just that, making its most infamous attack. At a tourist Rajneesh, an Indian philosophy professor turned
site near the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, gunmen dis- spiritual guru, left his commune in Poona, India, in
guised as police officers opened fire into a crowd. Fifty- 1981 and traveled to the United States. He established
eight foreign tourists and four Egyptians were killed. a commune on a 64,000-acre ranch in the high desert
When group members called to take responsibility for of Wasco County, Oregon. In a short time, the com-
the attack, they said that they had only intended to take mune, called Rajneeshpuram, developed into a small
hostages in an attempt to secure Rahman’s release. city, complete with sewer and water systems, a paved
Witnesses, however, saw no attempt to take hostages. airstrip, a 44-acre reservoir, a shopping mall, and its
After the attack, Rahman was put in solitary con- own “peace” force that carried assault weapons and
finement and his lawyer Lynne Stewart was made to patrolled the commune 24 hours a day.
agree not to share his views with the media. She vio- As the commune’s population swelled to more than
lated that agreement in May 2000, telling Reuters that 4,000, one hundred times that of the local community
Rahman no longer thought that the Gama’a should of Antelope, tensions mounted. Some of Rajneesh’s
follow a cease-fire. followers moved into Antelope and took over the city
Allegedly, there are several links between Rahman council, changing the city’s name to Rajneesh.
and the Saudi Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Two Antelope’s population had dropped to 17 when the
of Rahman’s sons were said to be close to bin Laden, commune began to unravel.
moving with him to Sudan in 1993 and fighting with The major disputes between Rajneeshpuram and
Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. According to Associated the surrounding communities were over Oregon’s land
Press reports, Rahman’s son Mohammed was killed use laws, which prohibited building a city on land that
during the December 2001 U.S. bombings of the Tora was zoned for agriculture. In 1984, Rajneesh’s follow-
Bora caves, while his son Ahmed was captured a ers pushed for a special election, ostensibly to change
month earlier by anti-Taliban forces and may face a the zoning laws; what they planned was to take control
military tribunal. of Wasco County’s affairs. Rajneesh’s followers
In April 2002, the FBI arrested Stewart, Rahman’s imported thousands of homeless to vote, in hopes of
lawyer, and charged her with helping the cleric pass winning the election. Rajneesh’s chief aide, Ma Anand
on messages to his followers. Her trial is due to begin Sheela, masterminded a plan that would have guaran-
in late 2003. teed their success.
In September 1984, followers of Rajneesh sprin-
See also GAMA’AAL-ISLAMIYYA; MEIR KAHANE; EL SAYYID
NOSAIR; WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING (1993) kled the bacteria salmonella typhimurium on salad
bars in 10 restaurants in Wasco County. Within two
Further Reading weeks, 751 residents became violently ill, suffering
from acute stomach pains, fever, chills, headaches,
El-Dakhakhny, Mohamed. “Egypt Terrorists Want Leader bloody stools, and vomiting. Investigators quickly
Back.” Chicago Sun-Times, November 19, 1997, 3. linked the symptoms to salmonella poisoning and
Jabbur, Nabil. The Rumbling Volcano: Islamic Funda- traced the poisoning to local salad bars.
mentalism in Egypt. Pasadena, CA: Mandate, 1993.
McCoy, Kevin. “Trade Center Bombing Trial; Cast a Giant Initially, food handlers were thought to have cont-
Shadow; Sheik Looms Large Over Trial.” Newsday, aminated the food. Suspicions that members of
September 12, 1993. Rajneeshpuram had poisoned residents to skew the
Usborne, David. “New York’s Terrorist Sheikh Jailed for voting were raised, but quickly dismissed as the elec-
Life.” The Independent (London), January 18, 1996, 11. tions were not until November, and debilitation from
salmonella poisoning would not last that long.
Investigators did not consider that the attack was just
RAJNEESH, BHAGWAN SHREE a practice run; reportedly, Sheela had ultimately
(1931–1990) planned to contaminate the county’s water supply.
Oregon State Health Department’s chief epidemi-
ologist, along with the FBI and the Centers for
In 1984, disciples of the Indian guru Bhagwan Disease Control, took a full year to determine that the
Shree Rajneesh used salmonella bacteria to poison salad bar had been deliberately contaminated with the
750 people in rural Oregon. salmonella bacteria. When investigators finally raided