CIA MEN COVERTLY HELPED TO TRAIN LIBYAN TERRORISTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000606620023-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2010
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: August 27, 1981
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/08/24: CIA-RDP90-00552R000606620023-8
HONOLULU ADVERTISER
27 August 1981
WrA8HINGWO ** ~Spme ?CTAmployeesr p-
ti support "fat ;thr training,.of a.ibyarr~terror-
r tS former" Li:5 Green Berets fouyears ago`
hii>F"without the..kgowledge of the agenc a CIA
pkdsman.said yesterday' x1 "' ?'.~..':`~
Ai of; those-Involved`in .the operation is a for
tner. i;reen':Beret who now lives-on Oahu
6e CIAissued-a-.st tement that aaidthere was
-ntrofficial er A'uragement or,-involvement ?_ by
fh>ialelligencergency in the{ training, program
VTNL- statement was issuedinrresponse;to a New
q 4(Tirn tort' from Honolulu saying t men.
traFlaed'bXi4k4 Tiy_SpecialForces-went to:work
tjet~irig`.--they weerinfltratingthe'Libyangovern_
he Green Bei-et group was : said to have in-
nine former Army Special Forces soldierse
arid-Ma`ster Sgt Luke F, Thotnpsors.! oi,;_Kailua ;, .
merityi+ent to Libya the Ti es;reported
g`hbtnpson,:'who~iettred front th&rArmy1n,Au1
aystt29'f8;:cofifirriied to United Press International.
Yiidnolislu ihaf?h6-helped set. up a.training pro"
gram foi'Libyarrcommandos.beheving hi. waso
n
z CIA operationand that the- Army had author
led his. part incL: Cf. rs.aa rr~xi.r-`.
~~The CIA yestday denied official involvement
er ts statements read,by a spokesman 'said Stans-
held: Turner` director'.' of centrfil intelligeiicd in
ir97T directed a tt o ough in> estig?it ion- "where` tne.(~
oriation Yvasficst r..ecei~ed=indicating hatsfor.
Bier agenc),empio3 ee.Edwin Wilson; had.engaged
"Tber*ifiv ' tgatioii~establis~ri3.d ,thatistherexw is
o; officiaLencou ~agement,ofi vement',b-, he
it
aided support vrithgeit!agency;kIeli'>="and? ac
Vert was taken >*t}ietri t sat , '` F r
I0*as-iindeistaod that , iv 'ftgelft were
*~+~i,(}} r"'4t..+:7'~J,. r r Sr. yam;.
bred as a'ics
Wilson.'saict- ,hayee:beenrti gieaderrof ;they'
v
in tm-,Tripoli.
dperation an believedvI
> .ibya wa'sb n n ;i98Q' {'y~ ' eras grand'
$iry, oa~chai~ ? o Uegally f~xpoi iiig. explosive
t IMed,t"q "el $l4C i l
Thompson, iri`a
lulu, said he recruited a group of -former Green
Beret soldiers thinking the operation was part of',
a CIA:effdrt`,to infiltrate.the?government.of Libya
an leader'Dioammar Khadafy.
He- said his-commanding officer in, the'Green
Berets was aware of the mission-and granted him
a leave-'tn'undertake it c * 1:
Thompson said: Wilson organized and financedi
t}te'Libyan operation ;a , `' /r -t +
.Tjie;atfair started ait-!Kort BraggNBC" to July
,97L he said when he was called by a man who
identified-himself as Fat Loomis and asked
'>;horapsola wanted,to m
al~e, . bigimonejyohia:co
Tract, ~ , tix .s ` `: ' `= a~?-'?i ~.-~..~-5 f ~:
:.Thompson said'?_he---immediately- notified coup=
terinlElligenceofficials who told him; to continue
talking to Ioomis and to:report;back to: them. r' ;
When Loomis called back;: he :askedhThompson
to :pul 1togethec a:team of men with experien ce
eovermg; all o: the'- Green? Berets,' ''skills for an
unspecified mission. abroad. Thompson said:
Thompson said. he: and his men went to Libya
and~m~et whAbui Sanuii head of Libyan intelli
genre t .a.n F 4' uT7' ,r ct' ' .
hgmpsorr said' his men were told they `were to'
i-~,ie,Libyan commandos but hebeeame''suspi
eejotfs-oLthe operation and decided to:head,back
Ohre home-, he- reported -to counterintelligence,:{
offic'rs-who told; him. "this thing is being..investi
gated by the Justice Department He said ' he.l
waC advised "-to "spilf my guts out.p: to 'an_ FBL
Qntacte3 0 he Advertiser, yesterday _Thdm
omsai ev id not want. total 'further abouthis
)3res International is 'probabl . the? most. as cu-
'
r'atiajlf any so far
?pgration, he: was sent'. upon four years ago had
off~cral -government -approval ;despite':"the denials
7j;aorilpson said the story surfa
ced several
,
rlilnt~s;ago-when'he. was=;'coerced _ =into talking
t'ha' fits-anonymity would be ?preser.ed' andthat'
he r~uId have prior approval o.'ihe articte before
ws printed
ia.l esaid`the reporter read him the Stor} over the
phone and'the. article .used his name abot
tiiq``es,Thompsorsaid he"told the. reporter ,he'
cotlkitrf use the story., but. it was printed anyway r..
r'x?t-cost me a great'deal of money ao establish
iIi} s~ionymity, s~'hompson said:: This.guy-blew;
m 'high
heaven~s~ v;~`~`3t