US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE1777

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001777 
 
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 07/11/03 
 
 
1.(SBU) SUMMARY. On July 11, 2003, at approximately 1300 
hours an embassy telephone operator at 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 that maybe we will blow up the 
American Express in Rotterdam, today or tomorrow. 
 
2.(SBU) The conversation went as follows: 
 
    Caller: Stated asked if the operator spoke Dutch, when 
    he replied in the affirmative the caller said quote 
    don't take this personally, this is agency (group) Ra- 
    RA (at this point the operator began recording)- I am 
    against discrimination and economic warfare, you must 
    take this seriously - we thought about bombing the 
    American Express in Rotterdam today or tomorrow, 
    unquote. The caller immediately hung up. 
 
3.(SBU) The RSO notified The Hague Police who in turn 
notified the Rotterdam Police. Rotterdam Police were to 
notify American Express. Unlike the 07/09 call which 
announced a detonation in 30 minutes and due to the 
indefinite nature of the threat, quote we thought about 
bombing unquote, and the very similar hoax call of 07/09 we 
did not directly notify the Security Chief at American 
Express in the Netherlands. The Hague Intel Unit responded 
and obtained a copy of the embassy's recording. The Hague 
Police promised to advise of developments in their 
investigation. 
 
4. (SBU) Our Sr. FSNI described the caller as a native Dutch 
speaker who is well spoken and well educated, without an 
identifiable regional accent. Our FSNI opined that there was 
a high crank quotient to this call and doubts the callers 
alleged connection to RA-RA. Our former long time telephone 
operator, now in HR, thought the caller was one of our 
regular crank/disgruntled callers after reviewing the 
recording. 
 
5.(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