U.S. KNEW OF SYRIA LINK TO '83 EMBASSY BLAST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00587R000100410022-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 23, 2011
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: August 3, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/23: CIA-RDP91-00587R000100410022-4
! MIAMI HERALD
3 August 1986
U.S. knew of SyLHillnk
to
8 y JIM McGEE
?ratd Staff writer
'83 embassy blast
Syrian-backed terrorists confessed to the 1983
bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
One of the terrorists died in a Beirut jail cell
several days after he gave CIA officers a tape-re-
corded confession that implicated Syria.
The other tour suspects, whose confessions
described in detail how the bombing was carried out,
were never prosecuted for the terrorist attack, which
killed 63 people.
U.S. officials have never publicly disclosed the
results of the embassy bombing investigation, which
led to the quiet firing of a CIA officer who beat the
suspects and tortured them with an electrical shock
device.
The key suspect who died of unknown causes
after the questioning had admitted that he was the
paymaster for the operation. He said he had arranged
safe passage for a Syrian intelligence officer who
supervised the wiring of a truck loaded with plastic
explosives that detonated the explosion.
"It's very interesting that he was the one who
died, because he knew the most," said Robert Dillon,
former U.S. ambassador in Lebanon. who survived
the blast. "It's like a John D.
MacDonald [novel)."
Another suspect was a low level
Palestinian employee at the em-
bassy. He said he was assigned to
stand near the embassy entrance
and signal that Dillon was in the
embassy so the attack could begin.
"He (the employee) survived
because he ran out the back door."
Dillon said.
A third suspect said he helped
unload the explosives and partici-
pated In the wiring of the truck
the night before the bombing. He
said a parking lot near his home
was used as a staging area.
The confessions were consistent
with other information obtained
by authorities, sources said. U.S.
officials were able to corroborate
the presence of the Syrian intelli-
gence officer and the movement of
the explosives through Syria.
The CIA declined to comment.
"The agency didn't have any-
thing to say during that time
rame and I can't comment now,"
ald CIA Spokeswoman Sharon
ester.
IA officer fired
Foster also declined to discuss
the Internal scandal that led to the
ring of CIA officer Keith D. Hall,
who was sent to Lebanon to emo y noticed the truck as it
investigate the bombing. Hall said approached. He thought it looked
his prior employment with the suspicious.
CIA barred him from commenting, b Reaching the front of the em-assy. "I've been fired for what I did behind the amm`b~orpsdcur Sev
over there," he said. "I'm not eral blocks away, others involved
about to get myself In more In the plot stood ready with a
trouble by violating my secrecy radio-controlled detonator.
agreement."
Sources familiar with the bomb. At 1:OS p.m. someone hit the
switch. Investigation say there was convincing evidence, in addition to through thA thundering building. tore
the confessions, that Syria orches- the uilba s. emWalls pl col-
trated the attack. provided techni- and lapsed. visitors Some embassy employees
cal expertise and assisted In the Others were were
crushed killed by y falling
movement of explosives from walls. we alns
Damascus Into Beirut. walls. In his office, Dillon was
in red. He was
The charge d'affaires at the shaken, to nthe .
Syrian Embassy in Washington. , but uninjured.
Bushra Kanafani. denied the alle- Ames. the visiting CIA analyst,
gations. and six other Intelligence agents
"We had nothing to do with the were killed. In all. 63 people died,
explosion." she said. "I consider Including 17 Americans.
the statements by those who were Relied on Lebanese
captured and interrogated were
not true. faked. taken under
torture. to serve political ends of From the beginning of the
the Lebanese interrogators at that on investig Lebanes nose. uth tiesials relied-
time." e authorities who is
Seusces familiar with the In'ves- played a marked reluctance to
tigation gave this account: pursue ahigher-
ccording ng ups in the cons tra-
The night before the attack. the cY;I don't d a think to there terrorists packed a truck with dre was a real
plastic explosives. Metal boxes ;investigation. said Dillon. who
the truck so it couldu arty de more of Nations relief agency is Vienna.
explosives. A small party was held "It was mainly cooperating with
for the driver of the truck who the kbanam?
was to the in the explosion. "My understanding is the police
A routine day concentrated on the mechanics (of
Y the bombing) rather than the
April 18. 1983. was a routine
day at the embassy. CIA employ.
ees working at the embassy had
gathered for a briefing with a
visiting VIP from headquarters.
senior analyst Robert Ames.
Shortly after lunch, Dillon
donned his Jogging clothes and got
ready for his daily workout. His
chauffeur and car were waiting
directly in front of the embassy.
Near the front entrance. the
Palestinian employee Involved In
the bombing signaled to a co-con-
spirator on the street. Several
blocks away. the bomb truck
began rolling toward the embassy.
It moved slowly down ' a side
street as it approached the embas-
sy. A security officer from another
...It's a dangerous business, ever:
for the police."
Initially, there was some reason.
ably sophisticated Investigation.
FBI agents examined physical
evidence and bomb debris. Navy
divers searched the bay behind the
embassy for other evidence.
In a massive roundup of sus.
pects, Lebanese police detained
four men who ultimately admitted STAT
their involvement.
"As a result of the interrogation
of these four people by Lebanese
authorities ... Investigators were
able to put together a great deal of
information about the tactical
ter
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carrying out of the attack as it
occurred." Dillon said.
Suspects tortured?
One of those arrested was the
Palestinian embassy employee. He
admitted giving the signal that
started the attack.
In addition to the beatings by
CIA officer Hall. the suspects were
almost certainly tortured by the
Lebanese. sources said.
"Interrogation in that part of the
world is a brutal business," Dillon
said.
The other suspects admitted
helping unload explosives at a
staging area approximately a mile
and a halt from the embassy. They
also described the party the night
before to honor the driver of the
suicide mission.
The questioning of these four
suspects and other evidence even-
tually led CIA agents to the fifth
conspirator, a wealthy and politi-
cally powerful member of the
Christian Phalange. a political
front.
He admitted recruiting the other
conspirators from various factions
and escorting a Syrian intelligence
officer through Christian Phalange
lines. He also admitted being
present during the wiring of the
truck and at the detonation the
next day.
Dillon said he was aware of this
fifth suspect but was never told
the substance of his confession. He
said the method of recruitment
was consistent with how terrorist
groups operate in Beirut.
"In a place like Lebanon. one
group might well recruit a man
from another group for a job like
this," Dillon said.
it was this fifth and most
important suspect who was later
found dead in his cell.
Just 'faded away'
There has never been a full
disclosure of the findings of the
U.S. investigation. although vari-
ous press accounts have alluded to
Syrian Involvement.
It just kind of faded away,"
said State Department spokesman
Michael Kraft.
A New York Times account in
April quoted unnamed Lebanese
police sources as saying a group of
Palestinians and Lebanese carried
out the embassy bombing with the
backing of Syria or a Palestinian
group.
In a recent speech, CIA Director
William Casey said Syria, along
with Libya and Iran, "hire and
support established terrorist orga-
nizations ... and make their
officials, their embassies. their
diplomatic pouches, their commu-.
nizations channels and their terra.
tortes as safe haven."
Despite the confessions, there
have been no prosecutions.
"I don't know what happened to
them subsequently," Dillon said.
adding that he would likely have
heard about any prosecutions.
"You need court evidence to be
able to point out the source who
can be held responsible for such an
act," said George Slam, a Lebanese
diplomatic spokesman. "I don't
n n
Beirut in front of the Sertte
Intelligence Committee."
know of any case that the security
authorities have been able to get
that evidence."
The fate of Hall
The CIA fired Hall because he
beat and tortured the key suspects,
sources said. Hall lived briefly in
Miami after his firing and asked
U.S. Rep. Dante Fascell to appeal
the dismissal.
In letters to President Reagan
and Secretary of State George
Shultz. Hall said he was fired for
"overly harsh acts against known
terrorists implicated in destroying
our Beirut Embassy."
He added: "The information i
obtained while in Beirut was later
Proved 'valid' by a subsequent
investigative team with Polygraph
capability."
Fascell forwarded Hall's letter
to CIA chief Casey and got a terse
reply defending the firing. An
inspector general's Investigation
found that "sufficient grounds
existed for discharging Mr. Hall,"
Casey wrote.
Subsequently. Hall applied for a
job as a Metro-Dade police officer.
His application said he was honor.
ably discharged from the Marines
with the rank of captain. holds a
m
a aster's degree in history sad wv
CIA uhiredOfficer
Hallfor in Six 980 as aTho
n
operations officer and gave him a
top-secret clearance.
Asked on the Metro-Dade appli.
cation If he had any enemies, Hall
wrote: "CIA - Slandering my
name for attempting to get con-
gressional action on their incom.
petence."
Hall was not offered a position
on the police force.
Did he torture the bombing
suspects?
"I was doing what I thought
was needed in the defense of my
country to combat terrorism," he
said. "I'll be more than happy to
explain everything that went o i
L
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