U.S. BORDER AGENTS SENT DATA ON SUSPECTED LIBYAN 'HIT SQUADS'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000100940005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 12, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000100940005-4
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE
THE WASHINGTON POST
12 December 1981
to- rd er Age
*. pecte al Li
By Charles It Babcock
W&shtnr.on Fast Stan Wrfret
At least a week ago,: U.S. immi-
gration and Customs ageats received
identities-of 12 alleged, terrorists, who
make up the suspected Libyan "hit
squads" that have caused such a
furor in Washington recently. -
Immigration and Naturalization
Service headquarters in- Washington
sent a seven-page memo-to its 'major:
border-crossing and airport offices
last Sunday containing the. names,
ages, aliases and sketches of five
members of one team believed led
by an international terrorist known
as Carlos. It said "targets of this
team are the president and other
high government officials."
The memo, which was "labeled
"sensitive, for official use onfy," was
described in Thursday's Sair Diego.
Union. Syndicated columnist Jack
Anderson released the sketches the
same day.
There was some confusion about
the sensitivity of -the : information
because it was found posted on the
lunchroom bulletin board at the lm-
migration and Naturalization Service
border-crossing station at San
Ysidro, Calif., Tuesday afternoon.:
But sources said that the informs=
tion was sent to the field because it
was, and is, the best information the-
intelligence community has about
the identity of members of. the 'al-
leged assassination squads.
One source ' cautioned, however,
that-the identities and -sketches are
based mostly on the recollection of a
key informer whose-credibility has
notbeen determined. The Union
article quoted the INS memo as say-
ing that information "from a reliable
source indicates that a ..". hit team
headed ... by Carlos may- attempt
illegal entry into the United States
via- Mexico during early December,
1981."
Carlos, 32, whose full name is Car-
los Ilich Ramirez Sanchez; was re-
ported to be traveling under an as-
sumed name, "is skilled at changing
appearance and identity' and should
be considered "extremely danger-
ous," the memo said. - . .
;r-The-:'Venezuelan-born Carlos is
believed to have planned the 1972
Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli
athletes and coaches, the 1975 kid-
naping of Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries oil' ministers in
.Vienna and a 1976 hijacking of a
French jetliner to Uganda. that
ended-with the Israeli commando
raid at Entebbe.
According to the Union article,
the memo said that the other mem-
bers-of Carlos'. team included three
Syrians and-three Libyans.&second
team was' said to include two Iran
ians,a Palestinian, a- Lebanese and
an East German.
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi
has denied reports. that he ordered:
an assassination team into the Unit-
ed States to go- after President Rea-
gan and other top U.S. officials. But
American' intelligence officials have -
said they have, been forced to take
the- information seriously .
Thursday's disclosures on: 'the
names and sketches of the susPected
mation yet about 'the alleged plot.
But American officials acknowledge
that they are puzzled over how any
.one could obtain the kind of detailed
.;formation the INS received from
the intelligence community.. -
Secretary of State'Alexander bL
Haig Jr. said yesterday that the as-
sassination-team intelligence. came
from ' a "host of sophisticated intel-
ligence-collection- capabilities." Oth-
ers have said- much. of it 'came from
the one informer.
The Los Angeles Times reported
today that Israeli intelligence was:
the major source of some of the most
dramatic published' reports - about'
the suspected. plot'The paper said,
Israel's intent in passing on informa
tion to the news media-:-about the;
affair, including assertions: that,Caz,'
los heads one of the teams and that.-
the suspected terrorists were in Mex-<
ico or Canada, was not immediately,
clear. -
But ,it quoted - sources as saying
.
that Israel may be trying, to build:
American public support for a strike
against Qaddafi.
An Israeli Embassy spokesman:
had no comment on the report-of,,
Israeli involvement; the Times said..
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552ROO0100940005-4