Page 342 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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322———Sánchez, Ilich Ramírez (Carlos the Jackal) (1949– )

After his expulsion from Lumumba, Carlos traveled his accomplice got off two shots, which missed,
to Lebanon and a PFLP training camp. He attended two before making their escape. Carlos returned with three
three-month training sessions during 1970 and 1971, Palestinian accomplices six days later; with the
becoming one of Habash’s most prized students. It was second attack, the terrorists managed to fire a single
Habash who in 1971 gave him the alias “Carlos,” under rocket before being confronted by security officers.
which he would become world famous. During the gun battle, while his companions retreated
into an airport bathroom and took hostages, Carlos
managed to slip away. (The hostages were released
TERRORIST ACTIONS
unharmed and the Palestinians were later flown to
In the fall of 1971, Carlos traveled to London to begin Baghdad.)
work for the PFLP. His friend Boudia was now in In June 1975, Lebanese security officials detained
charge of PFLP operatives in Europe. At first, Carlos Moukharbal, later turning him over to the Direction de
stuck to collecting intelligence, compiling a 500- la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), France’s intelli-
person hit list for PFLP. In June 1973, Israeli agents gence agency. Once captured, Moukharbal informed
killed Boudia, and Carlos was named PFLP co- on his comrades, agreeing to lead the police to the
commander in Europe, along with Muhammad home of one of Carlos’s many girlfriends. On the
Moukharbal. Carlos made his first foray into active night of June 27, Moukharbal and three DST officers
terrorism in December 1973 with the attempted arrived at the apartment during a party and attempted
assassination of Joseph Edward Seiff, a British Jewish to question Carlos. After arguing briefly with the
businessman. police officers, Carlos excused himself to use the
Carlos and Moukharbal next arranged the August bathroom. He returned with an automatic pistol, and
3, 1974, bombing of four news outlets deemed to be within seconds had killed Moukharbal and two of the
pro-Israeli. Car bombs were placed outside the DST officers.
company’s Paris headquarters, set to detonate at 2 A.M.;
one of the bombs, placed outside the Maison de Radio, OPEC ATTACK
failed to go off. No one was injured.
Acting on the advice of Wadi Haddad, during 1974 Eluding a massive dragnet, Carlos first returned to
and 1975 Carlos began working with other terrorist PFLP headquarters in Lebanon, and then went on to
groups. In September of 1974, Carlos consulted with East Germany, and later Hungary to plan his next
the Japanese Red Army (JRA) on its planned assault operation. It was to be his most audacious: an attack
on the French embassy in The Hague, Netherlands. on the annual Organization of Petroleum Exporting
The JRA succeeded in capturing the embassy, but Counties (OPEC) meeting in Vienna.
negotiations with the French government were stalled. The attack began at 11:30 A.M. on December 19,
To prod the French to again negotiate, Carlos is 1975. Carlos and his five accomplices entered the
believed to have slipped into a Paris café called the OPEC headquarters and methodically shot their way
Drugstore, situated in a crowded shopping area, and through security. Three people were killed in the initial
thrown a hand grenade from the second floor balcony assault and several wounded. When police arrived,
into the crowd below. Thirty-three people were injured Carlos had taken hostage the more than 80 meeting
and two were killed in the attack; soon afterward, the attendees, including the oil ministers of 11 countries.
French government acceded to the JRA’s demands. After 36 hours of negotiations, the Austrians agreed to
The grenade used in the attack was later discovered to all of Carlos’s demands, including flying the terrorists
have been stolen by the Baader-Meinhof Gang, a and their hostages to the country of their choice. In
group of West German terrorists, from a U.S. Army return, upon departure for the airport, Carlos was to
base in Germany. Carlos is also believed to have aided release 40 of the hostages, retaining the oil ministers
the Latin American terror coalition Junta de Coordina- and their entourages. The terrorists left Austria and flew
cion Revolutionaria with its assassination of the to Algiers, where the non-Arab ministers were released.
Uruguayan attaché to France in December 1974. What happened next is a matter of some debate.
In January 1975, Carlos made two attempts to Some sources suggest that Wadi Haddad’s original plan
launch rockets at El Al flights on the runway of had been to fly each of the ministers to his country’s
France’s Orly Airport. In the first attack, Carlos and capital, where he would be released for ransom, and