THE KADDAFI HIT SQUAD AT LARGE?

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84B00049R000200260015-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 4, 2007
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: December 7, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/06/04: CIA-RDP84B(
CIA OPERATIONS CENTER
NEWS SERVICE
DISTRIBUTION II
Item from NEWSWEEK, dated 14 December 81, page 36.
The Kaddafi Hit
Security was tightened at the top eche-
lons of government recently, upon word
that an assassination squad dispatched by
Libyan strui.ginan Mu .mmar Kaddafi
had entered the United States, with
instructions to kill President Reagan. By
last week the story-denied by the Lib-
yans---had touched off a nation ide man-
hunt, and had led keegan to consider a
cutback in his public appearances.
"iegovernment'. information has come
principally from an informant-a former
Lebar. se terrorist, '4FWSW EEK learned,
whc d_-ected in .Vestern Europe three
weeks ago, claiming to have helped train
assassination teams. He told U.S. officials
that e w7s present at a tin,, sting in Libya six
or ~i - peeks ago at which Kaddafi issued
[Squad At Large?
the order to kill Reagan-or failing that,
other high officials, including Vice Pres-
ident Bush, Secretary of State Haig and
U.S. employees at the United Nations.
Members of Reagan's family, as well as his
top aides, may also be potential targets.
The defector, unknown to American of
ficial3 before he telephoned a U.S. diplo-
matic mission seeking asylum and money,
was subjected to lie-detector tests. He
passed. He is now in CIA custody in the
Uritetl Stat?s Some oinci is still doubt het
story, but they are taking no chances. As
Reagan put it, "Even scir.etimes when se-
curity gets what they chink is a crank call,
they can't take thaticr grante ."
The worry was that Kaddafi could strike
anywhere. It was learned, for instance., that
15- ILLEGIB
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bate. 7 Dec 81
tem No.
intelligence agents now bei_ie e that the
gunman who attacked U.S. Embassy of i-
eial Christian Chapinan in Paris last rionth
was a member of a three-man Libyan hit
team that entered France from Cyprus on
false passports. The latest evidence of Lib-
yan plotting has prompted the State De-
partment to issue an . iert to 4ip+omatic
personnel around the world. Meanwhile,
the White House began to debate how to
respond if tiiie Libyans attacked Reagan.
N:.wswEn,- , learned that two basic options
were on the table: a naval blockade that
would cut off L;by a's oil exports and food
imports; and an air strike a.gainet one or
more of Kaddafi's terror st t; airing camps.
Given such possibii ~iLas, a high U.S. official
will probably issue m last-ditch public warn-
ing this week to American c:omprni in
Libya that the safety of I heir 2,000 employ-
cescan no longer be gua_ anteed.