REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE: NEW GENERATION OF DOMESTIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001491 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/PD, EUR/SE, DS/ISI/PII, DS/OP/EUR, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/P/A FBI FOR CTC/ITOS/TGU, OIO/IOU-II AND WFO/NS-12 CIA FOR CTC, EUR/AEG, EUR/LGL, EUR/AEGRTB JUSTICE FOR HERRUP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2016 TAGS: PTER PGOV GR SUBJECT: REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE: NEW GENERATION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISTS? REF: A. ATHENS 1389 ¶B. ATHENS 404 AND PREVIOUS ¶C. ATHENS 104 Classified By: CDA TOM COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On June 8, the weekly satirical "To Pontiki" published a lengthy proclamation by the Revolutionary Struggle (RS) organization claiming responsibility for a May 30 bomb blast aimed at Culture Minister (and former Public Order Minister) George Voulgarakis (ref A). The proclamation, occupying 11 single-spaced pages in the original, announces that RS targeted Voulgarakis in an "attempted execution" because of his role in upgrading regime security during the Athens Olympics, the abduction and interrogation of Pakistani immigrants (ref C),and the mobile phone wiretapping scandal (ref B). RS, which shares some operational similarities with the former November 17 terrorist organization, is to be taken seriously. It has explosives, a twisted political ideology based on the "evils of globalization," a willingness to target political figures, and may represent a new generation of domestic terrorists. (Note: Full translation of proclamation at www.opensource.gov End Note.) RS Behind Voulgarakis Attack, Spouts Twisted Ideology -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The proclamation details how RS surveilled Voulgarakis and his security escort and planned the bomb attack; rejects media headlines calling the blast a "blind attack;" includes a strong indictment of state-sponsored "terrorism of mass surveillance;" slams Greece's involvement in the war on terror; and delivers a lengthy diatribe against the "supranational state," the theory of the clash of civilizations, and the U.S.-Greek strategic partnership. The proclamation concludes with a rambling call to turn the war on terror into a "social revolution." ¶3. (SBU) Written in careful vernacular, the author appears to have a decent, if twisted grasp of current affairs and local political commentary. The tone is revolutionary, with frequent direct or indirect references to the need for "armed revolutionary action." The author takes the Greek government, and PM Karamanlis personally, to task for getting involved in the fight against Islamic fundamentalism and warns that cases like the Pakistani affair "... could be characterized as an act of war against Muslim immigrants living in our country and, more generally, against the Muslim and Arab world." It follows, then, according to the RS rant, that "armed revolutionary acts," like the Voulgarakis bombing, "... build a climate of trust with the peoples resisting (the war on terror) ... and could be a deterrent of war reprisals (against Greece) by armed Islamists." ¶4. (SBU) The author assumes a global view of world events and identifies the loss of national sovereignty as the key factor in the growth of a "supranational state" under the aegis of the U.S., which responds only to a "supranational elite." In this context, FM Bakoyannis and Defense Minister Meimarakis are mentioned for agreeing to Greece's involvement in "neo-liberal globalization" and the "surrender" of Greek interests in cases such as Cyprus, Macedonia, and the future status of Kosovo. RS Compared with November 17's Ideology... -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Unlike the November 17 terrorist organization -- for decades Greece's dominant and most murderous group, its main leaders now imprisoned -- RS appears less preoccupied with the organization and presumed crimes of the Greek capitalist system. It is more interested in the emerging "global empire" promoted and sustained by the U.S.-led war on terror. While 17N had no kind words for American imperialism, RS appears concerned more with global trends in the context of the necessity to move immediately toward a "social revolution" -- in which Greece should play a role, if only as a means of deterring Islamic attacks inside the country. Those ready to join the ranks of this revolution, RS suggests, should connect "with the liberation, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist movements in the rest of the world as a pre-condition for the overthrow of capitalism." ¶6. (SBU) Like 17N, RS warns its targets to cease their "anti-people" practices or suffer "revolutionary justice." As the proclamation said it: "The only justice that could be meted would have been Voulgarakis' execution. And if we failed because of an unlucky coincidence (this time),it does not mean we would fail next time we will choose to strike some SOB. of political or economic authority." ... and Modus Operandi -------------- ¶7. (SBU) RS appears prepared to carry out "dynamic actions," as 17N was. It assigns a good deal of attention to logistics, surveillance, and overall intelligence. Like 17N, it claims it would rather abort a well-prepared "action" than harm passers-by. RS goes into great pains to say it does not tolerate "blind strikes" that could endanger innocent bystanders. Indeed, the proclamation emphasizes that an initial attempt at "executing" Voulgarakis had to be aborted because those charged with exploding the bomb spotted a motorcyclist approaching the scene. The group also argues that no attempt would have been made if Voulgarakis' family had been spotted nearby. ¶8. (SBU) Like 17N, it appears that RS is more comfortable with remotely detonated devices, requiring the presence of its members in close proximity to the target until the last moment, and avoids timer-controlled devices that escape control once they've been set and abandoned. (Note: It is unclear how seriously RS takes its own rhetoric: the group took responsibility for a large bomb that, with little advance warning, exploded in December 2005 in Athens' busy Constitution Square and could easily have killed many people. End Note.) Comment: A New Generation of Terrorists? -------------- ¶9. (C) This group is to be taken seriously. Its members have explosives, tactical agility, planning and, despite the rhetoric, do not hesitate to place bombs in busy downtown Athens and even next to an elementary school. They have declared their intention to continue targeting what they call the "SOBs" of the political system, so that they "...come to understand what it means to suffer casualties." While there is no mention thus far of targeting foreign "capitalist-imperialists," it would not be a leap of faith for RS to focus its attention on the U.S. presence in Greece. COUNTRYMAN