The Khristos Kasimis Revolutionary Group for International Solidarity is no longer active.

Knights of the Tempest is an armed splinter group formed from the Palestinian ruling party, al-Fatah.  The group emerged in October 2005 when they claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and shooting of two Palestinian men in the Gaza Strip.  The victims, who both survived, were accused of collaborating with Israel. <P><br /><br />In their claim of responsibility, the Knights said they had acted because Palestinian security forces had previously ignored their calls to move against collaborators.  The group also said the men had made a full confession, and that a Muslim cleric was consulted in order to mete out a proper punishment.  The two captives were apparently shot in the legs, had their identity cards seized by the group, and were placed under house arrest.   <P><br /><br />From their public statements, it appears that the Knights of the Tempest are a more radical and religiously motivated splinter group from the generally secular al-Fatah movement.  <P><br /><br />This particular outfit seems particularly concerned with Palestinian collaborators, a common cause of anger amongst Palestinian militants.  In the past, vigilante groups such as the Knights have captured and lynched dozens of alleged Palestinian collaborators, always without a trial.  These collaborators are most often accused of providing information on militant leaders and planned terrorist attacks to Israeli security and intelligence forces. <P><br />

The Knights of the Tempest have only claimed responsibility for one vigilante attack.  However, after Israeli disengagement in August 2005, violence and unrest has wracked the Gaza Strip.  As long as anarchy persists in this territory, it is likely that groups like the Knights and others will continue to take the law in to their own hands.

A group calling itself "Knights of the Torched Bank" claimed responsibility for a May 2003 arson attack on an Alpha bank branch in Perissos, Greece.  According to media reports, the group lit four gas canisters on fire in front of the bank, but damage was minimal as the fire went out by itself.  In a claim of responsibility, the group stated that the attack was "in honor of social revolutionary Khristos Tsoutsouvis."  Tsoutsouvis was a famous Greek terrorist who was an original member of the Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA), a Greek terrorist organization responsible for hundreds of attacks in the 1970s and 1980s.  Tsoutsouvis was killed by police in 1985.  <P><br /><br />Arson attacks such as this incident are common in Greece.  In nearly all these cases, the attacks were perpetrated by loosely affiliated disgruntled individuals, rather than highly organized terrorist organizations.  Oftentimes these groups espouse vague left-wing or anarchist philosophies, but rarely elucidate their specific philosophy or motive. There is no reason to believe that Knights of the Torched Bank is an exception to this rule, and it is unlikely that the group will carry out any more attacks.<br />