Abu Sayyaf
Its name meaning “bearer of the sword” in Arabic, this militant organization is based in the southern Philippines and seeks a separate Islamic state for the country's Muslim minority. According to the White House, Abu Sayyaf is an international terrorist organization with ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. The group's first major attack came in 1991. In 2000, Abu Sayyaf captured an American Muslim demanded that the U.S. release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, who were jailed for their involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.