[1] The blast was powerful and caused debris and damage to the base including to 30 vehicles, trees and windows.

[2] The attack was orchestrated by the Red Army Faction (RAF) and the French Action Directe groups.

It was the worst attack on an American installation in Germany since Ramstein Air Base was bombed in 1981, also by the RAF.

[3] In preparation for the attack, RAF members lured and killed American soldier Edward Pimental in Wiesbaden.

[4] One of the fatal victims of the attack was 19-year-old Airman Frank H. Scarton from Woodhaven, Michigan, who was on temporary duty in West Germany and normally serving at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina.