TRC Terrorist Group Profile – Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)
This group was formed in the 1960s by the college-educated children of wealthy Iranian merchants. Their purpose in organizing was to counter what they perceived as excessive Western influence in the Shah`s regime and to bring the nation more in line with their philosophical blend of Marxism and Islam. At a point early in the 1970`s, the MEK concluded that violence was the only way to bring about change in Iran. Since then, the MEK has developed into the largest and most active armed Iranian dissident group. Its history is studded with anti-Western and anti-Iranian activity, continuing with recent attacks on the interests of the regime in Iran and abroad. During the 1970s the MEK staged terrorist attacks inside Iran to destabilize and embarrass the Shah`s regime; the group killed several U.S. military personnel and civilians working on defense projects in Tehran.