FBI SCOFFS AT QADDAFI SUICIDE TEAMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320076-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 76
• Publication Date: January 22, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320076-2
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGEJ
WASHINGTON TIMES
22 January 1986
STAT
FBI scoffs at Qaddafi suicide teams
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. terrorism experts believe
threats by Libyan leader Col. Muam-
mar Qaddafi to send masses of sui-
cide terrorists into the streets of
America are implausible, according
to a senior FBI official.
"I think it's a complete fabrica-
tion," Oliver B. Revell, FBI executive
assistant director, said in an inter-
view. "The operations they have had
here weren't planned as suicide op-
erations at all ? they made
elaborate plans for escape."
Col. Qaddafi told reporters in
Libya shortly after terrorist attacks
in Rome and Vienna Dec. 27 that, if
provoked, he would send 10,000 sui-
cide commandos in a wave of terror-
ist attacks on U.S. targets.
The Libyan leader said his terror-
ists would "follow Americans in
their own streets" if the United
States and Israel used force to re-
spond to what U.S. officials charge
was Libyan backing for the terrorist
attacks in Rome and Vienna that left
19 dead, including five Americans.
The threat was repeated Monday
in 'Dip?li by Libyan military com-
mander Maj. Saeed All Awedat who
told reporters "yes, all Libyans are
training for suicide operations [and]
we are ready to launch such mis-
sions against the United States and
Israel."
While Mr. Revell said U.S. experts
considered and dismissed Col. Qad-
dafi's threat of a wave of attacks, the
FBI has been on alert against indi-
vidual Libyan-inspired terrorist acts
by Libyan emigres or students in the
United States.
"This does not mean that [Col.
Qaddafi] can't activate a certain ap-
paratus and send people to carry out
terrorist acts, or activate people in
place to carry out terrorist acts:'
said Mr. Revell, who is the senior FBI
official in charge of counterter-
rorism programs.
"Obviously that is a potential," he
said, "but a wave of 10,000 suicide
bombers is not one of the things we
are concerned about."
Asked if fanatical Shi'ite Moslem
fundamentalists would be able to
carry out Col. Qaddafi's plans, Mr.
Revell replied that a person capable
of undertaking a suicide bombing
probably would be young and highly
indoctrinated. Such people would be
easy to detect entering the United
States, he said.
"When asked to do something by
Syria or Iran or perhaps even by
Qaddafi ? that's `do-able'in Leba-
non:' Mr. Revell said, "but there
haven't been any indications that-
they can transfer that very far."
Highly trained terrorist groups,
like the Abu Nidal group credited
with the Rome and Vienna attacks,
pose a much greater threat since
they "are much more sophisticated,
much more experienced at carrying
out planned terrorist attacks:' he
said.
"And even there, those were not
suicide missions ? they had escape
plans," Mr. Revell said. "Obviously
there's a high risk involved, but they
didn't go in with the intention of
blowing themselves up. They in-
tended to hijack El Al [Israel Air-
lines] aircraft and do other things."
Regarding other potential terror-
ist threats, Mr. Revell said federal
agents maintain close watch on Cu-
ban officials stationed in the United
States since Cuba has been linked to
domestic terrorism and could pro-
vide an infrastructure for future ter-
rorist activities.
He said federal authorities last
summer uncovered direct Cuban in-
volvement in a Puerto Rican terror-
ist group known as the Macheteros,
or machete-wielders. As a result
authorities have been on guard
against potential Cuban-backed ter-
rorism.
The Macheteros have committed
nine terrorist attacks since 1978, in-
cluding a Jan. 25, 1985, rocket attack
against a federal building in Puerto
Rico with weapons later traced to
Vietnam and Cuba.
"The Castro government is con-
tinuing to support insurgencies and
terrorist activities throughout the
Western hemisphere:' Mr. Revell
said. "We certainly would have to be
naive not to be concerned about the
potential for Cuban-instigated ac-
tivities in the United States."
Currently, 56 Cuban diplomats,
plus an unknown number of staff,
operate out of Cuba's United Nations
mission in New York andits inter-
ests section in Washington. Half of
the diplomats are suspected
operatives of the Cuban DGI intel-
ligence service, according to U.S. of-,
ficials.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/04: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302320076-2