KNUCKLE-DRAGGERS AT WORK FOR LIBYA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP04-00312R001001840005-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 11, 2008
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 22, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/09/11: CIA-RDP04-00312R001001840005-5
is
THE WASHINGTON POST
?
roff8/?d4y.Orli&a,..1 ? E9
"Knuckle-Draggers' Work at for Lihya
It is possible the Central Intelligence, quiries that threatened to hit too close ? A retired veteran of the Army 9'
Agency knew about. perhaps even con- to home. cial Forces received a telephone gff'er
doped, the activities of U.S. merce- "We were getting onto very hot of $50, a Year to put together a five-
naries who ran a school for terrorists in stuff," one investigator said. it was man team "with expertise in intP14-
an abandoned palace in Libya. my clear impression that we had got- genre operations, weapons and demoli-
The Americans were trained in un- of
ten too close to some very secret CIA hone The otter came from someone he
,dercover work, including the finer shenanigans." Here are some of the apparently believed was a clandestine
oints of assassinatb
th
CIA
d
p
y
an
e
auspicious leads from the files: U.S. official remllillg him to action.
U.S. Special Forces. They continued to
draw their contacts in the U.S. - ? Two men, who "had been involved Obediently, recruited four Special
in
telligence community while they in the development and design of Spe- Forces men who, by prearrangempt,
e
rigged booby. traps and taught pare- cial Forces-type devices," were re- turned over their birth certificates Mid
military tactics for Libya's reckless, cruited to work for Qadaffi. According passports to an unidentified woman at
radical ruler Muammar Qaddafi. to the files, "They were highly skilled the Arlington Quality Inn. Two hours
He has turned Tripoli into the ter- technic Tana from China Lake, Calif." biter, she returned with Libyan visas.
rorist capital of the world, a place This is the site in the Mojave Desert of Once in Libya, .they discovered (.butt
seething with desperadoes and revolu- a supersecret Navy center where lethal their secret mission was to train Qad.
tionaries of every imaginable cause, devices are perfected. Both men were dab's security forces. The leader JTe-
color and costume. They come to "working on classified CIA concealed turned to the United States and in-
Libya for refuge, motley and weapons. Weapon$ systems when they were formed the FBI. Not long afterward,
The two headmasters of the terrorist hired to impart their expertise to the he received an anonymous threat to
school, Frank Terpil and Edwin Wil- Libyans. After their stint in Libya, in. "forget everything he knew about -the
son-both former CIA agents, both credibly, they returned to work at operation in Libya or else ...."
wanted in the United States on gun- China Lake, though the CIA knew of ? Another team was recruited by a
running charges--are familiar figures the association-with Qaddafi. captain who, according to the files, was
in Tripoli. Wilson is reported to be ? Terpil and Wilson made a startling m charge of the hazardous devices
hiding out there in a hotel room down proposition to three CIA contract division, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville,
the hail from the notorious terrorist agents in September 1976. They were Ala."
and assassin Carlos the Jackal. asked to kill a Libyan "traitor" whom Many CIA operatives merely have
There is evidence in top-secret Jus- Qadaffi wanted eliminated and to an "understanding" with the agency,
tice Department files that the CIA train the dictator's own assassins. but no formal connection to avoid pox-
may have been aware of the merce- When Terpil and Wilson cited 'their sible embarrassment. Other former
varies' undercover work for Qadetaf`i. CIA credentials, the three men flew to specialists in the dark arts, known in
The tiles, reviewed by my associate London and Geneva to discuss the intelligence circles as "knuckle-d r1+rr.
Dale Van Atta, disclose that several deal. They declined a $10000!)-per- gers.," have been turned loose since tI
leads indicated CIA connivance but year offer after learning that they CIA was reformed and may be ltlkinx
could not be followed up. The agency would be working for Qaddafi and for new employment. In the intelli.
cooperated with the investigators on wouldn't have the "protection" of the gence game, it's an easy transfiirma-
some questions, but stonewalled in. CIA. tion from spook to mercenary.
ACROSS
27 Island near
44 Speech im-
12 NestlMg
I All, once
California
perfaotlon
hawk
5 Town now
31 Redacts
46 "After the
16 Sheerer and
Padua
32 Remedies
fan, -
Talmadge
9 Court
33 Army rank:
small ...
18 Make heavy
procedure
abbr.
46 Cal city
20 A Truman
13 City in
34 Reoord
62 Anaheim
23 Moses'
Hawaii
35 "-the
attraction
brother
14 Spacecraft
windy
54 Performs
24 Allots
15 Unpleasant
plains..."
55 Mild oaths
25 City on
16 Humorist's
36 Alone
56 Notion
the Seyhen
family
37 Wind dlr.
M Nice
26 Age
17 Site of
36 "If I make
57 Like a day
27 Rare thing
Mt. Whitney
my - hew"
In June
25 "Call.
19 Sports
39 Actor
56 High nest
fornia
arena
Fernando
69 GuN
,
Item - "
21 Defensive
40 Site of
60 Aroma
29 Pitcher
coverings
Balboa Part
Ryon
22 Blackbird
42 Napkins,
DOWN
30 Thrown
23 "Look -"
for example
1 Scorch
for -
24 Certain
43 Lane of
2 Where Vene.
32 Sp-n-
Catholic
song
tians bask
35 Weakly
3 Brem
36 Ch nnel_
TODAY'S CROSSWORD
DAVID A. SCULLY
1 1 1
is 1
1 s
72
l1'1 1 ^"I._[1 L -W
Approved For Release 2008/09/11: CIA-RDP04-00312R001001840005-5
 Approved For Release 2008/09/11 : CIA-RDP04-00312R001001840005-5
^JASHINGTON POST
21 October 1980
JACK ANDERSON ,?_,:
i~aiisTrained .
American , cloak-and-dagger ' opera- United States firms of sophisticated ? Witnesses quoted 'a? Lubysii 1teu..
tives, skilled in the dark arts, have. timing devices, radio control .devices-'% tenant as explaining' that the devices
trained- and equipped terrorist squads and sensitive s urveillanc a and commu- "were-to be used to eliminate certain,
for Muammar Qaddafi, the dictator of nications equipment- to unauthorized people" because- Qaddafi ' "would feel-
Libya ism and promoter of world terror-; ; re- ... more comfortable if they were not,.
..,
Donne of - Dals'Van around. _ :. - _? .- .
victims have reportedly viewed the daeeiflad Justica^Depart? ?Irr~July, ~977,.'the 'Americans- do-~
been hunted down. and executed, . mont Mae, which, $ad.like `a ,James livered some lethal: "flash
probably with' the cold '. efficiency. Bond yarn. Hers are just a :few star- tech* ~ at..
cases, transistor radios. hand--
American know-how hr' brought to . fling excerpts from he filex ,. M. held cakvlatora-and. refrigerators" -=,
the murder profession..: One: death. ? Terpil` agreed' to tray t J)yan "' .ail traneforiaed into bombs -- to a:
squad was discovered is the. United agents in?`"e. onage. sabotage. and Libyan.coloneliuTobruk.Thefiles re-
States and 'expelled before- it could: general psychollloogical warfare" as well 'late that "One of the Li
byan military
complete itsgrisly mission. . .. a, "the design, manufacture, _ imple- - officers picked up-one. of the devices,.
According. to: secret Justice Depart- mentation.anddstonation of explosive ' As a result,.the device?abng with the.
ment flee, the 'American experts have devices." The. undercover' training was ? rest: of the explosives on ? the truck
taught. Qaddafi's. killers how, to con- disguised i*a mine-clearing operation detonated and killed three Libyan aol-:
struct sophisticated boobytraps.. that , ; ? Terpil dosed' the deal in ' London diem" ' Three-,- American ` instructor.
an turn such: innocent objects, as a with Qeddafi's brother::
book, telephonic.. or. ? toothpaste tube' ? Beginning in mid-1976; the furtive- Veterans of the. U.S. speciall forces
into murder weepora. Terpil, an sx-CIA agent, t'ecruited a 'taught the Libyans'"Amencan tactics
The American ringleader, Frank team o&-American clandesins opera- and techniques," i
Terpil, even :offered to smuggle into fives, paramilitary' SPICillists; es- methods nclu g classified
Libya a U.S; Redeye missile a about- sional killers and explosives experts States. One the United Onne e of thehe .ped h Amer-
-
der-launched,, heat-weeking. weapon trained by CIA and U.S. speciaf'forces. trans Complained= that some of his stu.
?that an bring down an airliner..- ,. , . By August 1976; the Americans were dents "were barbarians in that they
Qacldafi, a crucible-of anger without eeconced grandly in the former winter were stealing paintings and using silver.;
focus, supports terrorist groups around - palace of former Libyan King Idris tableware as darts."
the world from' Ireland to Malaysia.. , a luxurious hideaway that they as- ? One informant, -slipped into the
Declares one federal investigator's re- - signed the curious code name palace basement arsenal and invento- a
Port "Libya publicly admits that: it!r "Swans." Tied' an enormous-.ache of sophisti-
gives training, weaponry. and funding e A palace room was turned into a cated gadgets from various American
to- terrorist organizations throughout. - workshop filled with diabolical devices. companies. "The invoices contained in I
the world, specifically admitting sup- The Libyan intelligence chief liked to the boxes listed -thousands of timers
port of the Palestine Liberation Or. take trusted friends on tours of the se- a price of millions of dollars," the re?
Red. Br;gadr at
gani cation:: - Irish, . Republican : Army, cret ions, and . show-, off the deadly port stated. Terpil sold the mRed - wares and' his.Amersan mercenaries.' for grossly inflated ri . ~~and Japanese.p cea; one order of 1
The visitors were most impreeeed?with 108000 timers, purchased for 34.50 to
The report,adds; "Also, revealed' in the book that detonated.when it was $6. per unit; was sold to the Libyans for
the investigation was: the supply by' - opened. up to, yyy ya-
w1?.~-i ..emu to M ??J ~i . ? i
Approved For Release 2008/09/11: CIA-RDP04-00312R001001840005-5