US embassy cable - 85ATHENS12991

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 12991 
 
DEPT FOR INR/GI/T 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL: OADR 
TAGS:  P'ER, GR 
SUBJECT:  TERRORIST UPDATE 
 
REF:  STATE 200090 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PROVIDED IN 
RESPONSE TO REFTEL: 
 
-   A.  ON AUGUST 5, 1973, TWO TERRORISTS 
SUBSEQUENTLY IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TO AHMAD ABD 
AL GHAFFUR'S GROUP OF FATAH DISSIDENTS ATTACKED 
HE CROWDED TRANSIT LOUNGE OF THE ATHENS 
INTERNA'IONAL AIRPORT WITH GRENADES AND GUNFIRE, 
ILLING FIVE PERSONS AND INJURING 55 OTHERS.  THEY 
WERE CAPTURED, TRIED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH BY A 
GREEK COURT IN JANUARY 1974.  THEIR SENTENCES WERE 
COMMUTED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN APRIL 1974, AND 
GREECE EXPELLED THEM TO LIBYA IN MAY 1974.  THE 
'WO GUNMEN WERE APPARENTLY FREED BY LIBYA, SINCE 
ONE OF THEM WAS WITH ABD AL GHAFFUR WHEN HE WAS 
KILLED IN BEIRUT ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1974. 
 
-   B.  ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1974, A TWA JET BOUND FROM 
TEL AVIV FOR NEW YORK WITH 88 PERSONS ABOARD 
CRASHED IN THE IONIAN SEA OFF GREECE.  THERE WERE 
NO SURVIVORS.  THE ORGANIZATION OF ARAB 
NATIONALIST YOUTH FOR 'HE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE 
SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED A STATEMENT IN BEIRUT SAYING 
THA' A MEMBER OF THEIR ORGANIZATION WHO WAS ON THE 
FLIGHT EXPLODED A CHARGE HE WAS CARRYING AROUND 
HIS WAIST, CAUSING HIS OWN DEATH AND THE 
DESTRUCTION OF THE PLANE.  ON JANUARY 11, 1975, 
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD 
INVES'IGATORS EXAMINED A RELATIVELY SMALL 
QUANTITY OF DEBRIS RECOVERED AFTER THE PLANE SANK 
IN 10,800 FEET OF WATER, SAID LABORATORY TESTS 
SHOWED CONCLUSIVELY THAT A HIGH-EXPLOSIVE BOMB IN 
A REAR CARGO COMPARTMENT CAUSED THE CRASH.  WE ARE 
AWARE OF NO EVIDENCE LINKING THE CRASH TO GREECE 
OTHER THAN 'HE FACT THAT IT OCCURED IN THE IONIAN 
SEA. 
 
-   C.  ON DECEMBER 23, 1975, RICHARD S. WELCH WAS 
ASSASSINATED BY GUNMEN OUTSIDE HIS RESIDENCE IN 
THE SUBURB OF PSYCHIKO NORTH OF ATHENS.  A GROUP 
CALLING ITSELF "17 NOVEMBER" SUBSEQUENTLY CLAIMED 
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ASSASSINATION.  SINCE THEN, 
"17 NOVEMBER" HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
ASSASSINATION OF FOUR GREEK POLICE OFFICIALS, A 
CONSERVATIVE NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER AND, ON 
NOVEMBER 15, 1983, THE ASSASSINATION OF USN 
CAPTAIN GEORGE TSANTES.  "17 NOVEMBER" ALSO 
CLAIMED RESPONSIBILI'Y FOR THE A''FMPTED 
ASSASSINATION OF JUSMAGG COURIER M/SGT JUDD ON 
APRIL 3, 1984.  THE GOG INVESTIGATION OF 
"17 NOVEMBER" CONTINUES.  NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN 
MADE.  WE HAVE NO NEW INFORMATION TO ADD TO THE 
SUBS'ANTIAL REPORTING WE HAVE PROVIDED THE 
DEPAR'MENT ON "17 NOVEMBER." 
 
3.  IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE, THE FOLLOWING 
ANTI-AMERICAN TERRORIST ACTS HAVE OCCURRED IN 
GREECE: 
 
-   A.  A GROUP CALLING ITSELF THE "REVOLUTIONARY 
PEOPLE'S S'RUGGLE" (ELA) HAS CLAIMED 
RESPONSIBILI'Y FOR SOME 250 BOMBINGS SINCE IT 
FIRS' APPEARED IN 1974.  ITS TARGETS HAVE INCLUDED 
MULTINA'IONAL FIRMS, POLICE STATIONS AND THE CARS 
OF FOREIGN, INCLUDING AMERICAN, DIPLOMATS.  ELA 
ALSO RECLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR TWO BOMBS AT THE 
AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IN 1982.  ON MAY 15, 1985, 
CHRIS'OS 'SOUTSOUVIS, A TERRORIST SUBSEQUENTLY 
FOUND TO HAVE BEEN CONNECTED WITH THE 
ASSASSINATION OF GREEK PUBLIC PROSECUTOR GEORGIOS 
THEOFANOPOULOS ON APRIL 1, 1985, WAS KILLED IN A 
SHOOT-OUT WITH POLICE.  INVESTIGATORS ESTABLISHED 
THAU'SOUVIS BELONGED TO ELA FROM 1976 TO 1980. 
THE POG INVESTIGATION OF ELA CONTINUES.  NO 
ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE THUS FAR. 
 
-   B.  ON FEBRUARY 2, 1985, A BOMB EXPLODED AT A 
BAR IN GLYFADA FREQUENTED BY U.S. MILITARY 
PERSONNEL, INJURING 55 U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL AND 
DEPENDENTS.  NO GROUP CREDITABLY CLAIMED 
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BOMBING.  THE GOG HAS FILED 
CHARGES AGAINST UNKNOWN PERSONS, A COMMON PRACTICE 
IN GREECE WHEN A SUSPECT'S IDENTITY REMAINS 
UNDETERMINED. 
 
-   C.  ON JUNE 14, 1985, TWA FLIGHT 847 FROM 
ATHENS TO NEW YORK CARRYING  153 PASSENGERS AND 
CREW WAS HIJACKED SHORTLY AFTER ITS TAKE-OFF FROM 
ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY SAMIR SOLWAN AND 
GOLAB AL-HOBBI, TWO SHI'ITE LEBANESE TERRORISTS 
BELIEVED TO BELONG TO HEZBOLLAH.  A THIRD 
ACCOMPLICE, ALI A'WA, WHO WAS UNABLE TO BOARD THE 
FLIGHT IN ATHENS, WAS CAPTURED BY GREEK 
AUTHORITIES AND SUBSEQUENTLY EXCHANGED FOR A 
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS WHILE THE PLANE WAS IN 
ALGIERS.  ON JUNE 15, USN DIVER ROBERT STETHEM WAS 
BRU'ALLY MURDERED BY THE HIJACKERS AND HIS BODY 
DUMPED ON 'HE TARMAC AT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL 
AIRPORT.  THE REMAINING PASSENGERS WERE 
SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED  GREEK AUTHORITIES ARE 
CONTINUING THEIR INVESTIGATION AS TO HOW THE 
HANDGUN AND HAND GRENADES USED BY THE TERRORISTS 
WERE SMUGGLED ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT. 
 
-   D.  ON JULY 1, 1985, A CAR BOMB EXPLODED IN 
THE PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE APOLLON 
PALACE HOTEL, THE U.S. AIR FORCE CLUB IN KAVOURI, 
A SEASIDE SUBURB OF ATHENS.  FORTUNATELY, NO ONE 
WAS INJURED.  TWO TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS -- ELA 
"ANTI-IMPERIALIST ANTI-AMERICAN STRUGGLE GROUP" 
-- CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BOMBING. 
THE GOG INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, WITH NO ARRESTS 
THUS FAR. 
 
4.  WE ARE AWARE OF NO EVIDENCE OF MATERIAL 
SUPPORT PROVIDED TO LOCAL TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS 
BY THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES OR NON-INDIGENOUS 
TERRORIST GROUPS. 
 
 
STEARNS