US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE1759

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001759 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TERREP 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/EUR, DS/ICI/CI, 
DS/IP/FPO,DS/DSS/OSAC 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, NL 
SUBJECT:  TELEPHONIC BOMB THREAT FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS IN 
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS ON 07/09/03 
 
1.   (SBU) SUMMARY. On July 9, 2003, at approximately 1539 
hours an embassy employee of the U.S. Embassy The Hague 
received a telephonic bomb threat from a male individual 
stating he was a member of the activist group called RA-RA 
and stated the American Express in Rotterdam was going to 
explode within 30 minutes. 
 
2.   (SBU) The conversation went as follows: 
 
    Caller: Stated something in Dutch 
    USG Employee: "I'm sorry sir, I don't speak Dutch." 
    Caller: "You don't speak Dutch?" 
    USG Employee: "No I'm sorry I don't." 
    Caller: "Yes, well I belong to an activist group called 
    RA-RA and there is going to be a, um, how do you call 
    it (slight pause) an explosion at the American Express 
    in Rotterdam within 30 minutes". The caller immediately 
    hung up. 
 
3.   (U) The Acting RSO notified The Hague and Rotterdam 
Police as well as the Security Chief at American Express in 
the Netherlands and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The 
American Express Rotterdam branch was immediately notified, 
evacuated their employees and telephoned the fire 
department, which arrived shortly afterwards. The fire 
department did not find any explosives. 
 
4.   (SBU) RA-RA, the Revolutionary Anti-Racism Alliance, is 
an ultra leftist group first organized to protest South 
African apartheid and racist sentiment in the Netherlands. 
This group was violently opposed to restrictions on granting 
refugee status. Although the organization has been inactive 
for approximately three years in the Netherlands, they have 
used arson and bombs in the past.  END SUMMARY 
 
BAILY