Pan Am Flight 103 CIA Files.pdf - Paperless Archives

,
b\
'o~
leader of the oppressed. A~ugh this goal excecds
Libyan capabilities,
Iy has developcd
to a 'few select a "-
interest wit.. .
a s
targeting lJS personnel and
facilities and who ~ave proved their ability to carry
out tcrrorist attacks . .5ucn ties allow Tripoli fa augment
its striking power while minimizing the Libyan
operational role-and Washington's ability to prove
Libyan complicity. Qadhafi proOably believes that
using non-Libyan terrorist groups also enhances his
image. He often publicly portrays attacks by groups
anywhere in the world as spontaneous events in an
ongoing war against -colonialism and Zionism and
paints himself as a leading player in this war whose
revolutionary ideals are shared by the "oppressed"
worldwide. It d 6 J IIr b3
Radical Palestinian Groups
Radical Palestinian groups have served as Qadhafi's
primary clients for tcrrorist a Hacks. Support for anti­
Arafat Palestinian groups has been a f'lirly consistent
Libyan policy since the mid-I 970s ..-
b3
\J\
Although Qadhafi probably has not been able to
achieve the degree of control over his clients that he
has sought, they have given him the ability to project
power that he would not otherwise have. The Libyan
leader's influence with these groups-based primarily
on his ability to provide them support-is not always
sufficient to solicit attacks. Qadhafi's ability to do so
is circumscribed to some extent by a desire on the part
€If 30ildclients to protect their indepenclence, by
differences in political agendas, and by different views
on how to achieve shared goals, as well as by the
Libyan leader's mercurial
t and reputation
as an unreliable pa
Rec::nt ANO operations appear to rellect accordance
with Qadhafi;s terrorism agenda. Amonl! the ANO's
recent targets have been a British club and a hotel
used primarily by Westerners in Khartoum and a
the coast of Greece.
bl , b~
takes sueh forms as
cases,
funding, weapons,
safehaven, false documentation, or ideological
promotion-again, with varying degrees of regularity.
-.. ;,~,.-.i
63
9
suspect he encouraged or at least
dramatic reminders of Western vulnerability and the
power of terrorists who share hfs goals..... b 3
.. - --~
Other Palestinian Groups. Qadhafi_continuesTo-fund b f J ~
several radical PalestiJlian groups r d U . _. OJ
~nd ...... almost certainly . pressures t h em to at,ac '-k /
Wes"tern interests.' Qadhafi has consistently'ftppotted
"
•
as
3 9. 5' 5