PAPER ON THE ABU NIDAL GROUP

UNCLAS STATE 394785

TERREP

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PTER XG XF
SUBJECT: PAPER ON THE ABU NIDAL GROUP


1. HERE FOR POSTS USE WITH PRESS AND MEDIA IS AN
UNCLASSIFIED PAPER ON THE ABU NIDAL GROUP WHICH WAS MADE
AVAILABLE AT THE DECEMBER 31, 1985 STATE DEPARTMENT NOON
PRESS BRIEFING.

BEGIN TEXT.

THE ABU NIDAL GROUP

INTRODUCTION

THE ABU NIDAL GROUP IS AMONG THE MOST DANGEROUS OF THE
MIDDLE EASTERN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS. IT IS PROBABLY
THE BEST ORGANIZED AND MOST EFFECTIVE OF THE RADICAL
PALESTINIAN TERRORIST GROUPS, CAREFULLY PLANNING ITS
OPERATIONS AND KEEPING ITS INFORMATION TIGHTLY
COMPARTMENTED.

THE GROUP HAS REPEATEDLY DEMONSTRATED ITS ABILITY TO
OPERATE IN ANY COUNTRY IT CHOOSES. IT HAS STAGED ATTACKS
IN OVER 20 COUNTRIES ON THREE CONTINENTS, AND OPERATES
THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST.

ABU NIDAL HAS CONDUCTED OVER 60 TERRORIST ATTACKS DURING
THE LAST EIGHT YEARS--AT LEAST 30 OF THEM SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF 1984. TWO-THIRDS OF THE GROUP'S NEARLY 20
ATTACKS THIS YEAR HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN WESTERN EUROPE, AS
INNOCENT BYSTANDERS INCREASINGLY HAVE BECOME CASUALTIES
OF THE GROUP'S ASSAULTS:

--THE SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS ON AIRLINE OFFICES IN ROME AND
VIENNA ON DECEMBER 27, WHICH HAVE THE HALLMARKS OF ABU
NIDAL, LEFT MORE THAN A DOZEN DEAD' INCLUDING 5 AMERICANS.

--THE EGYPT AIR HIJACKING IN LATE NOVEMBER ULTIMATELY
COST THE LIVES OF 59 PASSENGERS

--THE GROUP BOMBED THE BRITISH AIR OFFICE IN ROME IN
SEPTEMBER INJURING 15 PERSONS, MANY OF THEM PASSERSBY.

--ABU NIDAL MEMBERS THREW GRENADES AT ROME'S CAFE DE
PARIS IN SEPTEMBER, INJURING 38 TOURISTS--AMONG THEM
AMERICANS, GERMANS, BRITONS, ITALIANS, ARGENTINES, AND
BRAZILIANS.

--THE GROUP BOMBED TWO HOTELS IN ATHENS, ONE IN SEPTEMBER
THAT INJURED 19, MOSTLY BRITISH TOURISTS, AND ONE IN
AUGUST THAT INJURED 13 BRITONS.

--IN SPAIN, ABU NIDAL ATTACKS IN JULY AT THE BRITISH AIR
OFFICE AND THE NEARBY ALIA TICKET OFFICE KILLED ONE AND
WOUNDED 24 CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES.

--ALSO IN JULY THE GROUP WAS PROBABLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
BOMBING OF TWO RESTAURANTS IN KUWAIT, KILLING EIGHT AND
INJURING ALMOST 90.

--IN APRIL, AN ABU NIDAL TERRORIST FIRED A ROCKET AT A
JORDANIAN AIRLINER AS IT WAS TAKING OFF FROM ATHENS
AIRPORT. THE ROCKET HIT THE PLANE BUT DID NOT EXPLODE.
HUNDREDS OF CASUALTIES MIGHT HAVE RESULTED HAD THE
OPERATION BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION IS "FATAH
- REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL", WHICH IT USUALLY EMPLOYS WHEN
ATTACKING ISRAELI TARGETS. BUT IT HAS EMPLOYED A NUMBER
OF COVER NAMES FOR ITS OPERATIONS. ORIGINALLY THE GROUP
OPERATED UNDER THE NAME BLACK JUNE; MORE RECENTLY, THE
GROUP HAS USED THE NAME ARAB REVOLUTIONARY BRIGADES WHEN
IT STAGED ATTACKS AGAINST PERSIAN GULF TARGETS. IT ALSO
ACTS AS BLACK SEPTEMBER WHEN IT ATTACKS JORDANIAN AND
PALESTINIAN TARGETS AND EMPLOYS THE NAME REVOLUTIONARY
ORGANIZATION OF SOCIALIST MOSLEMS (ROSM) AS ITS SIGNATURE
FOR ATTACKS AGAINST BRITISH TARGETS. IT ADDED EGYPTIAN
NOMENCLATURES WHEN IT HIJACKED THE EGYPTAIR PLANE IN
NOVEMBER.

BACKGROUND

THE GROUP IS HEADED BY SABRI AL-BANNA (WHO USES THE NOM
DE GUERRE ABU NIDAL),GREW OUT OF ELEMENTS THAT BROKE
AWAY A DECADE AGO FROM PLO CHAIRMAN ARAFAT'S FATAH
ORGANIZATION. THE GROUP IS COMMITTED TO THE USE OF
VIOLENCE TO DESTROY DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS DESIGNED TO
RECONCILE ISRAEL AND THE ARAB STATES, ESPECIALLY THOSE
MOUNTED EARLIER THIS YEAR BY KING HUSSEIN AND ARAFAT'S
PLO. THE ABU NIDAL GROUP ALSO CALLS FOR THE DESTRUCTION
OF RULING "REACTIONARY" REGIMES SUCH AS JORDAN, EGYPT,
AND THE PERSIAN GULF STATES AND IS CRITICAL OF WHAT IT
SEES AS ARAFAT'S AND THE PLO'S MODERATION AND LACK OF
REVOLUTIONARY BASE AND ZEAL. CONSEQUENTLY THE GROUP
CONTENDS THAT BOTH INTER-ARAB AND INTRA-PALESTINIAN
TERRORISM ARE NEEDED TO FORCE THE ALL-EMBRACING ARAB
REVOLUTION WHICH IN TURN WOULD LEAD TO THE LIBERATION OF
PALESTINE.

THE GROUP WAS FORMED IN 1974 AFTER ARAFAT INSTITUTED A
BAN ON PLO INVOLVEMENT WITH INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
OUTSIDE ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES. ABU NIDAL'S
RADICAL VIEWS FOUND FAVOR AT THE TIME WITH THE IRAQI
REGIME, WHICH HELPED HIM CREATE THE ORGANIZATION THAT ABU
NIDAL CALLED "FATAH - THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL" TO
PROMOTE HIS CLAIM THAT HIS ORGANIZATION, RATHER THAN THE
ONE LED BY ARAFAT, WAS THE LEGITIMATE FATAH. HE HAS
SIMILARLY DUPLICATED OTHER FATAH ORGANIZATIONAL TITLES TO
SUGGEST A PARALLEL STRUCTURE WITH THE ORIGINAL.

BEGINNING IN THE EARLY 1980S, BAGHDAD SUPPRESSED
ACTIVITIES OF THE ABU NIDAL GROUP OUT OF IRAQ. ELEMENTS
OF THE GROUP THEN MOVED TO DAMASCUS. SINCE EARLY 1984,
LIBYA BEGAN TO PROVIDE INCREASED SUPPORT TO THE GROUP AND
ABU NIDAL HIMSELF AND MANY OF THE GROUPS OPERATIONS MAY
HAVE MOVED THERE WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

THE GROUP PROBABLY HAS SEVERAL HUNDRED MEMBERS ALTHOUGH
AN ACCURATE COUNT IS DIFFICULT. WE BELIEVE THE GROUP HAS
A NUMBER OF CELLS THROUGHOUT WESTERN EUROPE AND THE
MIDDLE EAST, AND MAKES USE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF
PALESTINIAN STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD, SOMETIMES INVOLVING
THEM IN OPERATIONS AFTER ONLY PERFUNCTORY TRAINING.
THESE NEW RECRUITS FOR EXAMPLE, WERE INVOLVED IN THE FIVE
GRENADE ATTACKS STAGED BY THE GROUP IN 1985.

CURRENT OPERATIONS AND TRENDS

BASED ON THE STYLE OF ABU NIDAL ATTACKS IT IS EVIDENT
THAT THE GROUP IS WILLING TO CAUSE INDISCRIMINATE
CASUALTIES. APART FROM ASSASSINATIONS OF PARTICULAR
INDIVIDUALS, ABU NIDAL OPERATIONS THROUGH NOVEMBER 1985
RESULTED IN NEARLY 70 DEATHS AND 201 WOUNDED AMONG
INNOCENT BYSTANDERS--AND THE NUMBER COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH
HIGHER IF THE JORDANIAN AIRLINER ATTACK IN ATHENS HAD
BEEN SUCCESSFUL. IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, 111 DIED IN THE
CRASH OF A GULF AIR JET ON WHICH AN ABU NIDAL BOMB MAY
HAVE EXPLODED.

THE ABU NIDAL GROUP HAS CONCENTRATED ON ATTACKING
JORDANIAN INTERESTS SINCE 1984. THESE ATTACKS WERE
PROVOKED BY THE JORDANIAN AGREEMENT TO HOST THE PNC
MEETING IN NOVEMBER 1984 AND KING HUSSEIN'S FEBRUARY
ACCORD WITH ARAFAT TO RESTART THE STALLED MIDDLE EAST
PEACE PROCESS. ABU NIDAL OPERATIVES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE
ASSASSINATED FORMER WEST BANK MAYOR AND PALESTINIAN
MODERATE FAHD QAWASMEH IN DECEMBER 1984 SHORTLY AFTER HIS
ELECTION TO THE PLO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. THE
ANTI-JORDANIAN/PLO CAMPAIGN HAS NOT ABATED. AS LONG AS
JORDANIAN AND PLO EFFORTS TOWARD MIDDLE EAST PEACE
NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE, ATTACKS AGAINST BOTH JORDANIAN AND
PALESTINIAN TARGETS PROBABLY WILL ALSO CONTINUE.
ASIDE FROM THE ATTACK ON ALIA OFFICES IN MADRID IN JULY
AND THE ATTEMPT TO DOWN A JORDANIAN AIRLINER OVER ATHENS
IN APRIL, OTHER INCIDENTS INVOLVING JORDANIAN TARGETS IN
1985 HAVE INCLUDED:

--THE NOVEMBER 24 ASSASSINATION OF A PALESTINIAN IN AMMAN.

--THE MURDER OF A JORDANIAN PUBLISHER IN ATHENS IN
SEPTEMBER

--A PLOT TO ASSASSINATE THE JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR TO
GREECE IN AUGUST.

--THE MURDER OF A JORDANIAN DIPLOMAT IN ANKARA ON JULY 24.

--A ROCKET ATTACK ON THE JORDANIAN EMBASSY IN ROME IN
APRIL'

THE GROUP HAS ALSO TARGETED BRITISH INTERESTS. ROSM
CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE KIDNAPPING IN MARCH 1985
OF A BRITISH JOURNALIST IN LEBANON AND THE ASSASSINATION
OF BRITISH DIPLOMATS IN INDIA AND GREECE IN 1984. THE
PURPOSE OF THE ATTACKS PROBABLY IS TO FORCE THE UK TO
RELEASE GROUP MEMBERS IMPRISONED FOR THE ATTEMPTED
ASSASSINATION OF THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR IN LONDON IN JUNE

1982.

EVEN BEFORE THE RECENT ATTACKS ON VIENNA AND ROME
AIRPORTS, ABU NIDAL HAD BEGUN TO CONCENTRATE HIS FIELD OF
OPERATIONS IN WESTERN EUROPE' ALTHOUGH HIS TARGETS HAVE
BEEN HIS USUAL ENEMIES, E'G' BRITISH, ISRAELI, MODERATE
ARAB, HE HAS BECOME VERY INDISCRIMINATE ABOUT INJURING
BYSTANDERS. THE RELATIVELY RELAXED CONTROLS IN WESTERN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAS BEEN CONDUCIVE TO HIS OPERATIONS
THERE. THE PATTERN OF CONCENTRATING HIS EFFORTS IN
EUROPE HAS COINCIDED WITH THE STRENGTHENING OF HIS LINKS
WITH LIBYA. THE LIKELIHOOD OF LIBYAN FINANCING,
SAFEHAVEN, AND LOGISTICAL ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE VERY
HELPFUL TO HIS FUTURE INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST OPERATIONS.

END TEXT.


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