ASSASSINATION OF PLO REP SAID HAMMAMI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 1, 2012
• Sequence Number: 86
• Publication Date: January 6, 1978
• Content Type: CABLE

- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
Declassified in Paart
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CORRECTED COPY
PAGE 001
TOR: 0616')OZ JAN 78
80'7
(v C u 19 3-
P R 0618152 JAW 78
C Spc~ Oi9 3 uq/0
Fh", AMEf`HASSY LONDON
CA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE G'~ASHUC PRIORITY 1790
INFO RUOF,r~G/AMEMHASSY AMMAN 1773
RUGMbE/A'!ErbASSY BEIRUT 2589
RUEHEG/ANENbASSY CAIRO 1634
RU(Jtv,D /Ah+iw,BASSY UkkASCUS OS10
RUWNIAD/4(EfrBASSY TEL AVIV 2378 ^. ,n
R' HCR/USINI BAGHDAD 01 t4
B.
pP. O SED BY EU
r I B I it ' SECT ION 01 OF 0? LONDON 00?7?
E.O. 11t)52: XGUS-1 AND 2
TAUS: PINS, PLO, UK
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION OF PLO REP SAID HAMMAMI
1. PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY COMMANDER NEVILLE OF THE
SCOTLAND YARD ANTI-TERRORIST SQUAD YESTERDAY GAVE
NO INDICATION THAT HF HAS A SUSPECT IN THE CAST OF
THE MURDER OF PLO LONDON REPRFSENTATIVF SAID HAMMAMI.
SCOTLAND YARD CONTINUES TO DESCRIBE KILLER AS "OF
MIDDLE EASTERN APPEARANCE."
MOST SPECIFIC ALLEGATION OF A SUSPECT IS STORY
..IN JANUARY 6 GUARDIAN BY ITS PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS EXPERT
DAVID HIkS7 IN BEIRUT. HE REPORTS THAT THERF IS
LITTLE DOUBT THAT THE CHIEF SUSPECT IN THE EYES OF
ARAFAT AND THE MAIN-STREAi4 GUERRILLA LEADERSHIP OF
THE PLO IS "THE IRAQI-BASED kENFGADE ABU NIDAL.
WHO ALONG v:ITH...HADDAO IS THE OUTSTANDING PRACTITTUNER
OF PURE, UNBRIDLED TFRRURISi1 IN THE RESISTANCE
MOVEMENT." rIRST CONTINUES THAT NUT LONG AFTER
NEvV'S OF THE MURDER, FLU MONITORS IN BEIRUT PICKED
UP AN IT EM ON VOICE (:F PALESTINE BROADCASTING FROM
BAGHDAD ANNOUNNC1NG fiAMM,Ai IS +)EATH. HIRST STATES, "THIS
PARTICULAR VOICE OF PALESTINE IS REALLY THE VOICE
OF AKU NIDAL."
3. HIRST f%,(lES AHU NIDAL ALLEGEDLY ATTEMPTED TO KILL
PLO ~?MUUERATE KHAL.IU AL-HASSAN: AND IN 1976 TOLD
HIRST THAT "INTER-ARAM TEKkOkISM+i, HOVvEVFR REORETTABLE.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
CONFIDENTIAL
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vvAS THE PRICE ThA1 HAI.; TO HE PAIL) FOR PtlFCIPTTATING
THE ALL-EI`,t3RAACTiNG ARAN REVOLUIIUN THAT ALONE COULD
LEAD TO THE LIhERATION GF PALESTINE." HIRST CONTINUES
THAT AbU NIGAL RUNS A TRAIN1NG CAMP THkEF HOURS
OUTSIDE OF bAGHUAD Atyi) COULD NOT UPFRATF v:ITHGUT
THE ASSISTANCE OF THE IRAQI HAATHIST REGIME. HIRST
NUOIES PLO OFFICIALS AS SAYING AHU NIDAL HAS A MUCH
STRONGER FULLGuv1NG Ai-IJING PALES1INIAN STUDENTS Irv
BRITAIN THAI, 11u A'vY OTHER EUkCjPFAiv COUNTRY.
A. SIURY COIN:TINvuES TL bE A VAIN FRONT PAGE ITEM IN
T WUAL11Y hkITISH PRESS. LATTER REPORTS THAT
FUJR "SENIOR OFFICIALS" OF THE PLO ARRIVED IN LONDON
NIGHT OF JANUARY 5 Iiv CLwr,EC 11UN 4~VITH THE KILLING,
IINCLU1111i'1G REiifii A'vAD, FORMER PLU kFP IN CAIRO;
NIZAk Ai-~+!AR, AND NHb1L RArviLAvvl, wHO REPORTEDLY I+vAS
bElrvG GROOMED TO REPLACE r1AcAMAMJT WHEN PLO PLANNED
TO TRY TO SEND THE LATTER TO vvASHING10iv. PRESS
REPORTS THE FOUR ERE mET AT HEATHPOvu AIRPORT RY
ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR bi AHIjAI, AS ~vELL AS POLICE
"SPECIAL BRANCH" Y,HO QUESTIUr'ED THEM ON PURPOSE OF
THEIR VISIT. PRESS QUOTES COMMANDFR NEvTLLE AS
STATING POLICE Ir:UULD NOT viELCOME A PLO INVESTIGATION, AND
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENT IAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
05/27/
ACTION: HONE INFO: FILE. RF, ODPS-S, (21w)
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78 0193807 PAGE 00WC 0193807
TOR: 0 1850Z JAW 78
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F R 0618 1 SZ JAN 78
FM AMEMbASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE xASHDC PRIORITY 1791
INFU RU(Yh:KG/AmEwBLSSY AMMAN 1774
RUOMSE/AMEh,BASSY &EIRuT 2590
RUEMEG/AHEh,HASSY CAIRO 1635
Rl-1Ih;Dh./AHEi';hASSY UA ASCUS 0511
kU(yMAr)/Air bbASSY TEL AVIV 2379
-HCR/USINT bAGHDAL 0125
C 0 N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 0? LONDON 00272
THAT "KE ARE VERY KILLING TO SPEAK TO ANYBODY
WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US. BUT THE ONLY PEOPLE
MAKING THE INVESTIGATION ARE THE POLICE."
5. FCO PRESS SPOKESMAN STATED THAT HMG IS "VERY
SADDENED" BY DEATH AND THAT EVFRYTHING POSSIBLE 1S
BEING DUNE TO APPREHEND 1HOSE RESPONSIBLE. ECU
DESK OFFICER ON JANUARY 6 HAD NO FURTHER INFORMATION
FOR US OTHER THAN VHAT HAD APPEARED IN PRESS,
BUT DID EXPRESS PARTICULAR INTEREST IN ABU NIDAL
ST"RY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT BRITISH SECURITY AUTHOR-
I'; nS ARE INCREASINGLY CONVINCED THAT KILLING WAS
ACT OF PALESTINIAN REJECTIONIST ORGANIZATIONS,
SPECIFIC SPONSORSHIP UNKNOWN, BUT MOST LIKELY THE
ABU NIDAL GROUP OR THE PFLP.
6. COMMENT: ALTHOUGH THIS FACTOR DOES NOT APPEAR
TO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT OUT BY THE PRESS, HAMMAMI iAS
A PROMINENT PARTICIPANT IN THE PALESTINIAN SEMINAR
IN LONDON LAST (}CTGHER 1 (77 LONDON 16432). THIS
AS BILLED AS THE FIRST PUBLIC MEETING BFTNEEN PLO
MODERATES SUCH AS HAMMAKI AND SAR IANI AND PROMINENT
ISRAELI DOVES. HAM4AMI'S CLEAR IDENTIFICATION AS A
RELATIVE h'L1DERATE COULD SUPPORT THE THEORY 1HAT THE
KILLING VAS ORDERED BY THE REJECTIONISTS. FOLLOKING
ON THE ASSASSINA1ION IN LONDON OF YEMENI STATESMAN
HAJRI by A PALESTINIAN LAST YEAR, AND THE AS YF1
UNEXPLAINED BOMB EXPLOSION hHICH KILLED TO MFMHERS
OF WE SYRIAN Ff'BASSY HERE IN THEIR CAR IN CENTRAL
LONDON LAST SATURDAY DECEABER 11, LONDON MAY RF
EXPERIENCING AN OUTBREAK OF PULITTCALLY-INSPIRED
CONFIUENTTAL FRP:
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1
78 0193807 PAGE 0 NC U19';8U7
TOP: Ua185cZ JAN 78
VIOLENCE 11,, T1;+ vEkY LARGE AKAh POPULATION OF THE CITY.
END OF MESSAGE CU14FIDEiNTTAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/18: CIA-RDP05-01219R000300440086-1