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

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410093-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 93
• Publication Date: December 12, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410093-6
13T1CLL APPEARED THE WASHINGTON POST
ON PAGE
12 December 1981
UGSO.RorderAgents Sent
~TTQP
Suspected. Li*4an rnt-S,"wa
By Charles It Babcock
wbshtntton Poet Starr Wtttef
At least a week ago, U.S. immi-
gration and Customs agents 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 only," was
described in Thursday's San 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 Imp
migration and Naturalization Service
border-crossing station at San
Ysidro, Calif., Tuesday afternoon-
But sources said that the informa--
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
not been 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.
-; 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,
rticle,
the memo said that the other mem-
hers of Carlos' team included three
Syrians and three Libyans. A 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
terrorists is the most complete infor-
mation yet about the alleged plot.
But American officials acknowledge
that they are puzzled over how any
.ones could obtain the kind of detailed
reformation the ENS received ..from
the intelligence community.
Secretary of State 'Alexander M
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 infornia:
tion to the news media. about .the:
affair, including assertions-that;Car`4'
los heads one of the teams and &at.
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;
America 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 2010/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00552R000505410093-6