LIBYA UNDER QADHAFI: A PATTERN OF AGGRESSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00874R000200120016-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2011
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: January 1, 1986
• Content Type: REPORT

J. I
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Special
Report
No. 138
Character of Libyan Policy
Mu'ammar Qadhafi seized power in a
military coup in 1969. Since then, he has
forcibly sought to remake Libyan soci-
ety according to his own revolutionary
precepts. Qadhafi's ambitions are not
confined within Libya's borders, how-
ever. He fancies himself a leader and
agent of historic forces that will reorder
Third World politics to his taste. His
vision provides both a motive and a
rationale for providing military and
financial aid to radical regimes and for
undermining moderate governments by
creating or supporting subversive
groups and abetting terrorists. Qadhafi's
aggressive policies increasingly have
focused on undermining U.S. and other
Western interests in the Third World,
as he sees these as the main barrier to
his radical and expansionist goals.
Qadhafi's use of political, economic, and
military resources in support of anti-
Western activities worldwide may be
surpassed only by the Soviet Union, its
East European allies, and possibly
North Korea or Cuba. He is particularly
hostile to Israel and the United States.
His tactics include a mixture of threats
and material support for terrorism,
offers of cooperation, economic incen-
tives and intimidation, and outright
military aggression.
Libyan Involvement in Terrorism
Qadhafi has used terrorism as one of the
primary instruments of his foreign
policy and supports radical groups that
use terrorist tactics. Tripoli operates
numerous training sites for foreign dissi-
dent groups that provide instruction in
Libya Under Qadhafi:
A Pattern of Aggression
January 1986
United States Department of State
Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, D.C.
the use of explosive devices, hijacking,
assassination, and various commando
and guerrilla techniques. It also pro-
vides terrorist training outside Libya
and abuses diplomatic privilege by stor-
ing arms and explosives at its diplomatic
establishments, as demonstrated by the
shootout at its embassy in London in
April 1984.
The main targets of direct Libyan
terrorist activities have been expatriate
Libyan dissidents and leading officials of
moderate Arab and African govern-
ments. In almost all cases, the assassins
kill their victims with handguns, often
provided by the Libyan diplomatic
establishment in their country. Qadhafi
generally uses Libyans for anti-exile
operations; for other types of attacks
he tends to employ surrogates or mer-
cenaries.
The Libyan Government in 1980
began a concerted effort to assassinate
anti-Qadhafi exiles. By the time the first
phase ended in 1981, 11 Libyan dissi-
dents living abroad had been murdered.
Libya in 1985 sponsored five attacks
against exiled Libyan dissidents. Tar-
gets of these attacks lived in Greece,
West Germany, Cyprus, Italy, and
Austria.
Qadhafi has at least twice tried to
murder Libyan exiles in Egypt only to
have his agents intercepted by Egyptian
security. In November 1984, Egypt
fooled Qadhafi into believing that his
hired agents had assassinated former
Libyan Prime Minister Bakoush. After
the Libyan press acknowledged Tripoli's
responsibility for the murder, Egypt
revealed the sting: the four Libyan
agents were in custody, and the pictures
of the alleged victim were fake. In
November 1985, another four-man
Libyan team was arrested during an
attempted attack against a gathering of
exiles near Cairo. After the arrests,
Egypt released audio and video tapes
incriminating Libya.
Libya also has plotted anti-exile
attacks in the United States. A Libyan
exile in Colorado was shot and wounded
by a Libyan-hired assassin in 1981. In
May 1984, the FBI arrested two
Libyans near Philadelphia for attempt-
ing to buy silenced handguns-the usual
Libyan assassination weapon. A year
later, in May 1985, a Libyan diplomat at
the United Nations was declared per-
sona non grata and a ring of nonofficial
Libyans was broken up in connection
with a plot to kill Libyan dissidents in
four states.
Qadhafi also targets moderate Arab
governments for their refusal to con-
tinue the military struggle against
Israel and for their links to the West.
There is evidence of Libyan-backed
assassination plots against President
Mubarak of Egypt. For example, those
arrested after last November's at-
tempted attack on Libyan exiles in
Egypt stated that Qadhafi's target list
included Mubarak. Former Sudanese
President Nimeiri has also been tar-
geted by Libya. We believe that Qadhafi
has added Jordan's King Hussein and
Iraq's Saddam Husayn to his hit list
because of restored ties to Cairo and
Washington, respectively.
Qadhafi also has been implicated in
plots to assassinate other moderate
heads of state. In September 1984, the
Chadian Government uncovered a
Libyan-sponsored plot in which a brief-
case bomb was to explode during a
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Cabinet meeting chaired by Chadian
President Habre. More recently, Zairian
officials thwarted a Libyan-sponsored
plot against President Mobutu in
September 1985.
Libyan Links to Middle East Radicals
Longstanding Libyan support for radical
Palestinian groups is growing. Qadhafi
has provided safehaven, money, and
arms to these groups-including the
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine-General Command, the Fatah
dissidents, and the notorious Abu Nidal
group. Training for Palestinians and
other radicals frequently takes place at
several locations in Libya. These anti-
Arafat Palestinians are widely engaged
in terrorist activities and focus their
terrorist activity on Israel and the
occupied territories.
More recently, however, Libya's
support has broadened to include logis-
tic support for terrorist operations. For
example, Libya provided passports to
the Abu Nidal members responsible for
the attack on the El Al counter in
Vienna. The Abu Nidal group is par-
ticularly appealing to Qadhafi because of
its track record of successful terrorist
operations. Abu Nidal's targeting of
moderate Palestinians and moderate
Arab leaders is consistent with Libya's
antipathy toward participants in the
peace process. According to Libyan
press reports, Abu Nidal met with
Qadhafi in Libya at least twice in 1985.
Abu Nidal also gave an interview in
Tripoli to a German publication last year
and met with Qadhafi's chief lieutenant,
Abd al-Salam Jallud. In addition, Libya
has provided sanctuary, training assist-
ance, and financial support to the Abu
Nidal organization, and there are reli-
able press and other reports that its
headquarters has been moved to Libya.
The evidence points to Libya's having
been involved in the bloody hijacking of
Egyptair 648 (see p. 4).
Libya is trying to improve ties to
other regional terrorist groups. Qadhafi
would also like closer links to Tehran's
terrorist effort. He announced a "stra-
tegic alliance" with Iran last summer,
which he hopes to use as a foundation
for joint operational planning for terror-
ist attacks against various regional foes.
He also supports Egyptian and Tunisian
dissidents.
Libya also provided refuge for the
notorious international terrorist Carlos,
who has headed a network of terrorists
for hire. His group was responsible for
numerous vicious attacks including the
hostage-taking of OPEC [Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries] oil
ministers in Vienna in 1975.
Libyan Terrorism Against
the United States
During the past 18 months, Qadhafi has
made several public references to
expanding his terrorism campaign to
cover U.S. targets. In a June 1984
speech, for example, he told his Libyan
audience that "we are capable of export-
ing terrorism to the heart of America."
During a speech last September observ-
ing the 16th anniversary of his takeover,
Qadhafi remarked that "we have the
right to fight America, and we have the
right to export terrorism to them...."
Qadhafi recently threatened in a press
conference on January 2 to "pursue U.S.
citizens in their country and streets" if
the United States takes action in re-
sponse to Libya's alleged involvement in
the Rome and Vienna terrorist attacks.
There have been several instances
over the years of Libyan-sponsored
attacks against U.S. interests. These
examples include the sacking of our
Embassy in Tripoli in 1979 and the
discovery by Sudanese authorities of a
Libyan plot to blow up the American
Embassy Club in Khartoum by planting
explosives in stereo speakers. U.S. per-
sonnel also have been on Qadhafi's tar-
get list, as indicated by the plan in 1977
to assassinate our ambassador in Cairo.
Radicalism in the Arab World
Qadhafi's foremost ambition is to
dominate and unite the Arab world. He
frequently compares himself to Garibaldi
or Bismarck and has justified his use of
violence and terrorism against moderate
Arab regimes as necessary to achieve
Arab unity.
Egypt, because of its peace treaty
with Israel, is a special target. Libyan
agents have been active in Egypt since
the 1970s, and Qadhafi has offered
support to various opponents of the
Egyptian Government. In October 1981,
immediately after President Sadat was
assassinated, Qadhafi called on Egyp-
tians to overthrow their government;
within a week, at Cairo International
Airport two bombs exploded that had
been concealed in luggage unloaded
from a flight originating in Tripoli.
More recently, Qadhafi has sought to
embarrass the government of President
Mubarak and undermine the Egyptian
economy. In July 1984, a Libyan ship
commanded by a senior Libyan naval
commando laid mines in the Red Sea
and Gulf of Suez that damaged 18 mer-
chant ships. In May 1985, the Egyptians
thwarted a plot by radical Palestinians
backed by Libya to destroy the U.S.
Embassy in Cairo with a truck bomb.
Last summer Qadhafi expelled over
10,000 Egyptian workers in Libya-
confiscating their savings and most of
their belongings-in what was, in part,
an effort to place a greater burden on
the strained Egyptian economy. Also
during 1985, Cairo captured several
teams of Libyan-supported Egyptian
dissidents who reported that their plan
was to destabilize the Mubarak govern-
ment through sabotage and inciting civil
unrest.
Sudan also is a priority target.
Qadhafi has long offered training and
support to Sudanese dissidents and
sponsored acts of sabotage against the
government of former President
Nimeiri. He was a major source of arms
and money for southern Sudanese rebels
who began a guerrilla war against the
central government 2 years ago. In
February 1983, the Sudanese, with
Egyptian assistance, thwarted a Libyan-
sponsored coup attempt, and in March
1984, a Libyan TU-22 bombed Omdur-
man, Sudan, in a failed attempt to
destroy a radio station there that broad-
cast condemnations of Qadhafi's policies
by Libyan oppositionists.
Since Nimeiri's fall from power,
Qadhafi has exploited the resumption of
diplomatic ties to Sudan to build a net-
work for subversion inimical to Sudan's
efforts to establish a parliamentary
democracy. A number of known Libyan
terrorists have been assigned to the
Libyan People's Bureau (Embassy) and
the Libyan airline office in Khartoum.
Qadhafi also has provided arms,, funding,
training, and probably direction to the
Sudanese Revolutionary Committees, a
small group in Sudan dedicated to
establishing a government on the
Libyan model in Sudan. In May, a
planeload of these dissidents arrived in
Khartoum armed with assault rifles.
Qadhafi also is working to expand
his influence in the countries of the
Arab Maghreb. Qadhafi refuses to nego-
tiate with Algeria to determine the cor-
rect location of the Libyan-Algerian
border. Perhaps angered over President
Bendjedid's moderation, Qadhafi report-
edly provides money to Algerian dissi-
dents such as Ahmed Ben Bella.
In Tunisia, Qadhafi has long sought
to bring down the pro-Western govern-
ment of Habib Bourguiba. In 1980,
Libyan-supported guerrillas attacked the
southern Tunisian mining town of Gafsa;
when France offered its support to
Tunis, Libyan mobs burned both the
French and Tunisian Embassies while
security forces stood idly by. Following
bread riots in Tunisia in January 1984,
saboteurs originating in Libya dyna-
mited a pipeline near the Libyan-
Tunisian border. In an effort to exacer-
bate social tensions this past year,
Qadhafi expelled over 30,000 Tunisian
workers and confiscated their property.
In September, when Tunisian news-
papers attacked Qadhafi for the expul-
sions, a Libyan diplomat attempted to
mail letter bombs to the critical jour-
nalists. Several exploded, wounding two
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postal workers and causing Tunis to
sever diplomatic relations.
Libya is staunchly opposed to the
Middle East peace process, and Qadhafi
is doing all he can to subvert it. In
Lebanon, Libyan arms and money have
flowed to different militias and Pales-
tinian groups actively opposed to the
government of President Gemayel.
Qadhafi has been especially eager to
undermine the influence of PLO [Pales-
tine Liberation Organization] Chairman
Yasir Arafat because Qadhafi perceives
him as too willing to consider a nego-
tiated settlement with Israel. As a
result, Qadhafi has thrown his support
to radical Palestinian groups-including
the Fatah Revolutionary Council led by
Abu Nidal-that advocate continued war
against Israel. Since 1981 Qadhafi has
shipped these groups items as prosaic as
uniforms and as powerful as tanks and
BM-21 multiple rocket launchers. In
1984, Libyan troops participated in the
Syrian-backed assault on Arafat's forces
in northern Lebanon.
The Persian Gulf also is an arena for
Libyan meddling. Qadhafi has allied
himself with Iran in its war against Iraq
and has provided Tehran with T-55
tanks, antitank and antiaircraft artillery,
ammunition, and even Scud rockets. In
addition, Libya provides arms and
money to Kurdish separatists in north-
ern Iraq and to the antigovernment
group, the "Union of Iraqi Democrats."
In 1984 and 1985, Libyan agents at-
tempted to disrupt the Islamic pilgrim-
age ceremonies in Saudi Arabia; in 1984
entire planeloads of Libyan "pilgrims"
were discovered to be carrying arms.
Libya continues to enjoy good relations
with and has provided support to the
National Democratic Front that oper-
ates out of Marxist South Yemen
against the government of President
Salih in North' Yemen. Although Libya
restored diplomatic relations with
Somalia last May, Qadhafi has not
severed his relationship with Somali
opposition groups he has long
supported.
Involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa
Tripoli views black Africa as a principal
arena for forging a group of anti-West-
ern radical states that will. strengthen
Libyan influence in international forums
and confer upon Qadhafi status as a
world leader. Qadhafi's aggressiveness
has been strengthened by the propen-
sity of the international community to
ignore. his often blatant disregard for
the sovereignty of small African nations.
Chad, of course, is the most egre-
gious example. In 1973 Qadhafi forcibly
annexed the northern portion of Chad
known as the Aozou Strip. Throughout
the 1970s, Libya supported various
tribal and guerrilla groups in Chad in a
bid to install a pliable regime in past year, Libya has provided training,
N'Djamena. Having failed to achieve guidance, and funds to a key far-left
this indirectly, in October 1980 the terrorist group to enable it to expand
Libyan army entered Chad and at- armed action against the Government of
tempted to impose a union between the Chile.
two countries. The Libyan occupation Libyan agents have been increas-
force withdrew in November 1981, but ingly active among the Caribbean
returned in 1983 when the pro-Libyan islands, especially since the summer of
Chadian leader Goukouni Oueddei was 1984. The loss of its People's Bureau in
ousted by current President Hissein Grenada following the collapse of the
Habre. Only intervention by French. Bishop government in 1983 forced
armed forces confined the Libyan occu- Tripoli to attempt to establish its
pation to the northern 40% of Chad. centers for subversion in other diplo-
French forces were withdrawn in the matic posts in the region. Qadhafi also
fall of 1984, but Qadhafi reneged on an , has used religion as a cover for intelli-
agreement reached with President Mit- gence activities in the area, sponsoring
terrand and continues to occupy north- Islamic conferences in which the Libyan
ern Chad with an army of several participants often are intelligence offi-
thousand. cers or operatives of the Libyan Revolu-
The drought-battered countries of tionary Committees. Leftist leaders
the Sahel offer Qadhafi many oppor- from the Dominican Republic, Dominica,
tunities for meddling. Qadhafi continues Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St.
to provide arms and training to the Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia,
nomadic Tuareg tribesmen in an effort the French Departments, and elsewhere
to undermine the Governments of Mali
and Niger.
Qadhafi also is determined to topple
President Mobutu of Zaire. Qadhafi is
motivated by hostility to Kinshasa's
close ties to the West, its recognition of
Israel, and its support for Chadian Pres-
ident Habre. Qadhafi also is aware of
Zaire's role as a leading producer of
cobalt and other strategic minerals.
"seminars" and paramilitary training.
Particularly worrisome is Libyan urging
of leftist politicians to undertake violent
action rather than pursue legal means to
replace moderate governments in the
region.
Tripoli provides training in sabotage and As elsewhere, Libyan diplomatic mis-
small arms to several different guerrilla
groups including the National Front for
the Liberation of the Congo and the
Congolese National Movement. Libyan
diplomatic facilities in countries border-
ing Zaire are centers of support for
these groups.
Meddling in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Qadhafi's determination to strike at
U.S. interests and to spread his philos-
ophy of revolution has led to a more
aggressive Libyan posture in Latin
America. Although many governments
and groups in this region are wary of
Qadhafi, some are willing to accept his
financial and military support.
Tripoli views Nicaragua as its base
in Central America and accordingly
seeks to strengthen the Sandinista
dictatorship in Managua. In addition to
several hundred million dollars in eco-
nomic assistance, Qadhafi's support to
the Sandinistas has included antiaircraft
guns, SAM-7 surface-to-air missiles and
launchers, and small arms. At least
several dozen Libyan military personnel
are in Nicaragua. Libyan support has
enhanced the Sandinistas' ability to
subvert neighboring states. In addition,
Libya has provided some arms and
money to insurgents in Guatemala and
El Salvador, as well as the M-19 ter-
rorist group in Colombia. During the
sions in this region provide the infra-
structure for Libyan subversion, dis-
bursing funds, and arranging for the
training of leftists and other dissidents.
In South Asia, Libyan activities are
focused on the Islamic states. No doubt
reflecting his dependence on Russian
arms, Qadhafi is one of the few Muslim
leaders who does not criticize the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan. Although Libya
maintains relations with Pakistan,
it has also been involved with the
"al-Zulfiqar" terrorist group. Qadhafi, in
addition, has provided training and
money to opponents of President
Ershad of Bangladesh.
In Southeast Asia, Qadhafi concen-
trates on Muslim minorities. For some
time, he has provided paramilitary train-
ing to the small Muslim insurgency in
southern Thailand. In the Philippines,
Libya continues to send assistance to
the Muslim Moro separatists on Min-
danao, despite a 1976 agreement with
Manila to cease such aid. New Cale-
donia, a French possession in the South
Pacific, has no appreciable Muslim popu-
lation, but Libya has, nevertheless, pro-
vided military training and some fund-
ing to the Kanak Socialist National
Liberation Front, the group responsible
for most of the proindependence vio-
lence on the island. Libyan intelligence
operatives are known to be active on
other islands in Oceania.
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The Erosion of International Norms
Qadhafi's subversion is not confined to
those countries that are the direct
object of his ambitions. The inter-
national community as a whole suffers
from Qadhafi's disrespect for inter-
national norms of behavior and accepted
practice. Qadhafi has abused diplomatic
privilege for terrorist purposes, reneged
on international agreements, and bla-
tantly used terrorist violence against
political opponents. In addition,
Qadhafi's support of terrorism, regard-
less of his direct operational involve-
ment in a given terrorist act, helps
legitimize terrorism as an acceptable
political activity.
The Abu Nidal group is among the most
dangerous of the Middle Eastern ter-
rorist organizations. It is probably the
best organized and most effective of the
radical Palestinian terrorist groups,
carefully planning its operations and
keeping its information tightly
compartmented.
The group has repeatedly demon-
strated its ability to operate in any
country it chooses. It has staged attacks
in over 20 countries on three continents
and operates throughout the Middle
East.
Abu Nidal has conducted over 60
terrorist attacks during the last 8
years-at least 30 of them since the be-
ginning of 1984. Two-thirds of the
group's nearly 20 attacks this year have
taken place in Western Europe, as inno-
cent bystanders increasingly have be-
come casualties of the group's assaults.
? The simultaneous attacks on air-
line offices in Rome and Vienna on
December 27, which have the hallmarks
of Abu Nidal, left more than a dozen
dead, including five Americans. Three of
the passports used in the Vienna attacks
were traced to Libya; two were seized
from Tunisians as they were expelled
from Libya last summer, and the third
was lost in Libya by a Tunisian worker
there in 1977.
? The Egyptair hijacking in late
November ultimately cost the lives of 59
passengers.
? The group bombed the British Air
office in Rome in September, injuring 15
persons, many of them passers-by.
? Abu Nidal members threw
grenades at Rome's Cafe de Paris in
September, injuring 38 tourists-among
them Americans, Germans, Britons,
Italians, Argentines, and Brazilians.
? The group bombed two hotels in
Athens-one in September that injured
19, mostly British tourists, and one in
August that injured 13 Britons.
? In Spain, Abu Nidal attacks in
July at the British Air office and the
nearby Alia ticket office killed one and
wounded 24 customers and employees.
? Also in July, the group was prob-
ably responsible for the bombing of two
restaurants in Kuwait, killing eight and
injuring almost 90.
? In April, an Abu Nidal terrorist
fired a rocket at a Jordanian airliner as
it was taking off from Athens airport.
The rocket hit the plane but did not ex-
plode. Hundreds of casualties might
have resulted had the operation been
successful.
The official name of the Abu Nidal
organization is "Fatah-the Revolu-
tionary Council," which it usually em-
ploys when attacking Israeli targets.
But it has employed a number of cover
names for its operations. Originally, the
group operated under the name Black
June; more recently, the group has used
the name Arab Revolutionary Brigades
when it staged attacks against Persian
Gulf targets. It also acts as Black
September when it attacks Jordanian
and Palestinian targets and employs the
name Revolutionary Organization of
Socialist Moslems (ROSM) as its sig-
nature for attacks against British
targets. It added Egyptian nomen-
clatures when it hijacked the Egyptair
plane in November.
Background
The group, which is headed by Sabri al-
Banna (who uses the nom de guerre
Abu Nidal), grew out of elements that
broke away a decade ago from PLO
Chairman Arafat's Fatah organization.
The group is committed to the use of
violence to destroy diplomatic efforts de-
signed to reconcile Israel and the Arab
states, especially those mounted earlier
this year by King Hussein and Arafat's
PLO. The Abu Nidal group also calls for
the destruction of ruling "reactionary"
regimes such as Jordan, Egypt, and the
Persian Gulf states and is critical of
what it sees as Arafat's and the PLO's
moderation and lack of revolutionary
base and zeal. Consequently, the group
contends that both inter-Arab and intra-
Palestinian terrorism are needed to
force the all-embracing Arab revolution
which, in turn, would lead to the libera-
tion of Palestine.
The group was formed in 1974 after
Arafat instituted a ban on PLO involve-
ment with international terrorism out-
side Israel and the occupied territories.
Abu Nidal's radical views found favor at
the time with the Iraqi regime, which
helped him to create the organization
that Abu Nidal called Fatah-the Revolu-
tionary Council to promote his claim
that his organization, rather than the
one led by Arafat, was the legitimate
Fatah. He has similarly duplicated other
Fatah organizational titles to suggest a
parallel structure with the original.
Beginning in the early 1980s,
Baghdad suppressed activities of the
Abu Nidal group out of Iraq. Elements
of the group then moved to Damascus.
Since early 1984, Libya began to pro-
vide increased support to the group, and
Abu Nidal himself and many of the
group's operations may have moved
there within the last 12 months.
The group probably has several hun-
dred members, although an accurate
count is difficult. We believe the group
has a number of cells throughout West-
ern Europe and the Middle East and
makes use of the large number of Pales-
tinian students studying abroad, some-
times involving them in operations after
only perfunctory training. These new
recruits, for example, were involved in
the five grenade attacks staged by the
group in 1985.
Current Operations and Trends
Based on the style of Abu Nidal attacks,
it is evident that the group is willing to
cause indiscriminate casualties. Apart
from assassinations of particular in-
dividuals, Abu Nidal operations through
November 1985 resulted in nearly 70
deaths and 201 wounded among innocent
bystanders-and the number could have
been much higher if the Jordanian air-
liner attack in Athens had been suc-
cessful. In the previous year, 111 died in
the crash of a Gulf Air jet on which an
Abu Nidal bomb may have exploded.
The Abu Nidal group has concen-
trated on attacking Jordanian interests
since 1984. These attacks were provoked
by the Jordanian agreement to host the
PNC [Palestine National Council] meet-
ing in November 1984 and King Hus-
sein's February accord with Arafat to
restart the stalled Middle East peace
process. Abu Nidal operatives are
thought to have assassinated former
West Bank mayor and Palestinian mod-
erate Fahd Qawasmeh in December
1984 shortly after his election to the
PLO Executive Council. The anti-
Jordanian/PLO campaign has not
abated. As long as Jordanian and PLO
efforts toward Middle East peace nego-
tiations continue, attacks against both
Jordanian and Palestinian targets prob-
ably will also continue.
Aside from the attack on Alia offices
in Madrid in July and the attempt to
down a Jordanian airliner over Athens
in April, other incidents involving Jor-
danian targets in 1985 have included:
? The November 24 assassination of
a Palestinian in Amman;
? The murder of a Jordanian pub-
lisher in Athens in September;
? A plot to assassinate the Jor-
danian Ambassador to Greece in
August;
4
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 ? The murder of a Jordanian
diplomat in Ankara on July 24; and
? A rocket attack on the Jordanian
Embassy in Rome in April.
The group has also targeted British
interests. ROSM claimed responsibility
for the kidnaping in March 1985 of a
British journalist in Lebanon and the
assassination of British diplomats in
India and Greece in 1984. The purpose
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of the attacks probably is to force the
United Kingdom to release group mem-
bers imprisoned for the attempted
assassination of the Israeli Ambassador
in London in June 1982.
Even before the recent attacks on
the Vienna and Rome airports, Abu
Nidal had begun to concentrate his field
of operations in Western Europe. Al-
though his targets have been his usual
enemies-for example, British, Israeli,
moderate Arab-he has become very in-
December Italy/Austria Passports used by Abu Nidal
terrorists in attack on El Al
counter provided by Libya.
November Malta Hijacking of Egyptair airliner
by Abu Nidal supporters may
have involved Libyan support.
Egypt Four-man team of Libyan
agents arrested shortly before
attempting to attack gathering
of Libyan exiles. Former
Libyan Prime Minister
Bakoush was the main target.
October Greece Libyan merchant wounded in
Athens by two gunmen; the
victim had left Libya 5 years
earlier.
September Tunisia Libyan diplomat smuggles
about 100 letter bombs ad-
dressed to journalists into
Tunisia. Several explode, injur-
ing two postal workers and
causing Tunisia to sever dip-
lomatic relations.
May United States A Libyan diplomat at the
United Nations was declared
persona non grata, and 16 non-
official Libyans were sub-
poenaed to appear before a
U.S. grand jury in connection
with a plot to kill dissidents in
several different states.
discriminate about injuring bystanders.
The relatively relaxed controls in West
European countries have been conducive
to his operations there. The pattern of
concentrating his efforts in Europe has
coincided with the strengthening of his
links to Libya. The likelihood of Libyan
financing, safehaven, and logistic
assistance should be very helpful to his
future international terrorist operations.
Moroccan citizen resident in
the F.R.G. since 1960 killed by
a Libyan, who was arrested at
the scene.
Anti-Qadhafi Libyan student
killed in Bonn by Libyan gun-
man who was arrested. The as-
sassin also wounded two Ger-
man passers-by, one seriously.
The victim had been a target of
the Libyan regime for at least
2 years.
Libyan businessman assas-
sinated in downtown Nicosia by
an unidentified gunman. The
victim was the director of an
offshore holding company and
was believed to be an opponent
of the Libyan regime.
Libyan jeweler murdered in his
shop in Rome. A silencer-
equipped pistol was left at the
scene by the assassin.
Former Libyan Ambassador to
Austria severely wounded by
two shots fired from a car out-
side his home in Vienna. The
victim had supported Qadhafi's
seizure of power in 1969, but
he quit his post in disgust at
the regime in 1980.
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1984
November Egypt President Mubarak announces
that four assassins sent to
Egypt by Libya to kill former
Libyan Prime Minister
Bakoush had been arrested and
forced to send fake pictures to
the Libyan Embassy in Malta
showing Bakoush apparently
dead. Official Libyan press
sources then claimed Bakoush
had been executed by suicide
squads sent abroad "to liq-
uidate enemies of the revolu-
tion."
June
(cont.)
A Libyan-born citizen known to
distribute anti-Qadhafi liter-
ature at his store shot by a
Libyan employee of Libyan
Arab Airlines.
September Italy A Libyan exile was found
gagged and strangled in a hotel
in Rome. The victim had been
the subject of Libyan requests
for deportation to Libya.
Chad Chadians discover plot to assas-
sinate President Habre with an
attache case bomb. Evidence of
the plot, including photographs
of the bomb, was provided to
the United Nations the follow-
ing February when Chad
lodged a complaint against
Libya.
August United Kingdom One of six Libyans awaiting
trial for bomb attacks in Lon-
don in March 1983 found shot
to death in a London apart-
ment. The victim may have
been silenced by the Libyan
Government.
Belgium A bomb wrecks a car parked in
front of the Zairian Embassy in
Brussels.
July Belgium A bomb exploded in the
Brussels office of Air Zaire.
Red Sea Libya mined the Red Sea,
damaging 18 merchant ships of
varying nationalities.
Greece Two Libyan students found
murdered in their apartment in
a crime reminiscent of Libyan
killings of anti-Qadhafi students
in 1980 and 1981. The two were
beaten, strangled, and gagged
before being shot twice in the
back.
June Greece Anti-Qadhafi Libyan editor of
an Arab newspaper in Athens
killed by two men on a
motorbike.
Libya Jana, the official Libyan news
agency, announces "the Libyan
masses have decided to form
suicide commandos to chase
traitors and stray dogs
wherever they are and liq-
uidate them physically."
April United Kingdom A bomb hidden in an unclaimed
suitcase probably unloaded
from a Libyan airliner explodes
at London's Heathrow Airport,
injuring 25.
Libya A number of British subjects in
Libya arrested on trumped-up
charges as hostages in order to
pressure British Government
during siege of Libyan People's
Bureau in London.
United Kingdom British policewoman killed and
11 anti-Qadhafi demonstrators
wounded by gunfire from Lon-
don Libyan People's Bureau.
After a siege, British author-
ities found weapons and spent
shell casings in the vacated
embassy.
March United Kingdom Four bombs explode in London
and Manchester near homes of
Libyan exiles or at businesses
frequented by them. Over 25
people injured. Three other
bombs defused. Nine Libyan
suspects arrested.
Sudan One Libyan TU-22 bomber
drops bombs on Omdurman,
Sudan, site of a radio trans-
mitter used by anti-Qadhafi
oppositionists.
February Libya Following annual Libyan Gen-
eral People's Congress, the
Libyan Revolutionary Commit-
tees announce that all Libyan
exiles must return to Libya or
face "the death penalty."
Libyan authorities take no ac-
tion while a mob burned the
Jordanian Embassy in Tripoli.
Congo Chadian dissidents ready to
negotiate with Government of
Chad threatened in Brazzaville,
Congo.
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August Burkina
July Chad
Libya gave material support to
coup in Burkina.
Libya invaded Chad for the
second time. Occupation con-
tinues into 1985.
November Sudan Several bombs explode near
government installations in
Khartoum.
October Sudan Planned assassination of visit-
ing Chadian official, Hissein
Habre, failed when those sent
to conduct the operation
surrendered.
Egypt Two bombs explode in luggage
being unloaded from a plane
coming from Libya via Malta.
June West Germany Eight Libyan students in West
Germany, all members of an
anti-Qadhafi group, complain
Libyan agents are harassing
and threatening them.
February Libya Libyan General People's Con-
gress warns all Libyans in exile
to return home or face the
"anger of the Libyan people."
August Libya Two Libyan SU-22s that fired
at U.S. Navy F-14s over Gulf
of Sidra shot down.
United States Anti-Qadhafi Libyan student
killed in Ogden, Utah.
Sudan Bomb explodes in front of
Chadian Embassy in Khartoum.
February Italy Libyan gunmen open fire on
passengers arriving at Rome's
airport on a flight from Algiers.
Prominent anti-Qadhafi exile
was the target.
November
United Kingdom
Anti-Qadhafi Libyan student
brutally murdered in London.
Two children of an anti-Qadhafi
Italy
Libyan poisoned by eating
peanuts containing thalium.
West Germany
October
Chad
Libyan forces occupied Chad.
Qadhafi attempted to force a
Italy
Libyan-Chadian union.
The Gambia
Libyan subversion in The Gam-
April
United Kingdom
bia caused break in relations.
Senegalese troops intervene
under a mutual defense treaty.
Italy
June
Italy
Anti-Qadhafi exile wounded in
Rome.
Libyan exile killed in Milan
United Kingdom
within hours after expiration of
a deadline set by Qadhafi for
all Libyan exiles to return
February
Libya
home.
May
Italy
Libyan exile shot at in Rome.
The arrested Libyan gunman
says he was sent by Libya "to
kill an enemy of the people."
Libyan businessman found
strangled to death in Rome.
Libyan exile gunned down in
Bonn.
Libyan exile killed in Rome by
two gunshots to the head.
Libyan lawyer shot and killed
in London.
Well-known Libyan
businessman killed. The ar-
rested assassin said the victim
was an enemy of Col. Qadhafi.
Two gunmen kill an anti-
Qadhafi Libyan journalist.
Tunisian and French Embassies
in Tripoli sacked and burned by
a mob while Libyan authorities
took no action.
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 An estimated 2,000 Libyans set
fire to the U.S. Embassy in
Tripoli. The Libyan authorities
did not respond to requests by
the Embassy for protection.
Bureau of Public Affairs
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
If address is incorrect
please indicate change.
Do not cover or destroy
this address label Mail
change of address to:
PA/OAP, Rm. 5815A
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November West Germany Two Libyans arrested with
three suspected Palestinians for
an unspecified terrorist
operation.
Postage and Fees Paid
Department of State
STA-501
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