WEEKLY SITUATION REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06706408
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 28
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: November 27, 2017
• Case Number: F-2017-00199
• Publication Date: March 2, 1977

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Weekly Situation Report
on
International Terrorism
DO WSRIT 77-009
2 March 1977
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WEEKLY SITUATION REPORT
CONTENTS
2 March 1977
Articles
Five Americans Currently Held by Kidnapers (Page 1)
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2 March 1977
ARTICLES
Five Americans Currently Held by Kidnapers
Recent kidnapings of U.S. citizens have increased the
number currently being held captive to a total of five.
Four of the victims are businessmen and one is a U.S. gov-
ernment employee. All of them were abducted in Latin
America; one is being held in Venezuela, three in Colombia,
and one in Guatemala.
The longest-held captive is Owens-Illinois executive
William F. Niehous, who was kidnaped from his Caracas home
one year ago on 27 February 1976 by a group calling itself
the Revolutionary Commandos. Following several months of
negotiations, Owens-Illinois met some of the kidnapers'
demands over the objections of the Venezuelan government.
However, the first real break in the case occurred on 21
July with the arrest of two men while they were attempting
to collect a partial ransom payment. Subsequent arrests
netted one of the suspected organizers of the kidnaping,
Jorge Rodriguez.� However, interrogation of Rodriguez was so
severe he died in prison without revealing any information
on Niehous' whereabouts. On 11 August, Mrs. Donna L.
Niehous offered a ransom of $467,000 for information leading
to her husband's release.. No response was received, and in
the face of mounting criticism over its handling of the
case, the Venezuelan government in October formed a task
force to locate Niehous. This effort has also met with a
lack of success. The last letter Mrs. Niehous received from
her husband was in early July and no further proof of
Niehous' safety has come to light since that time. Tenuous
reports of Niehous' death surfaced in the Venezuelan press
in January 1977, touching off extensive searches by Vene-
zuelan police, but no reliable evidence of Niehous' fate
has so far been discovered.
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