Cablegate: Turkey: 1988 Annual Terrorism Report

R 100911Z DEC 88
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2066
INFO AMEMBASSY ATHENS
AMCONSUL ADANA
AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
AMCONSUL IZMIR
AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
SECDEF WASHDC
JCS WASHDC
USMISSION USNATO
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//POLAD//
USDOCOSOUTH NAPLES IT//INTAFF
USNMR SHAPE BE//INTAFF//
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//POLAD//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 16439

S/CT FOR WHARTON

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PTER TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 393532 AND PREVIOUS

1. (U) THIS REPORT CONTAINS THE REPORT REQUESTED REFTEL. POST WILL SUPLEMENT THIS REPORT AS MORE
INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

2. (U) NAME OF COUNTRY: TURKEY

3. (U) (A) COUNTERTERRORISM PROSECUTIONS IN 1988:

THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF TERRORISM TRIALS IN TURKEY IN 1988, INCLUDING ONE INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION. THE TRIALS THIS YEAR WERE AS FOLLOWS:

4. (U) KIRIKKALE MUNITIONS PLANT BOMBING TRIAL -- EIGHT INDIVIDUALS WERE SENTENCED TO THIRTY YEARS FOR
PLACING A BOMB AT THIS PLANT WHICH KILLED EIGHT PEOPLE.
THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION WAS INVOLVED IN THE PLOT AND
A JORDANIAN DIPLOMAT WAS ORIGINALLY INDICTED IN THIS
CASE BUT WAS RELEASED BECAUSE OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY.
HE HAS RETURNED TO JORDAN..

5. (U) OTHER TRIALS:

(U) -- THE TWO LIBYANS CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTING TO BLOW
UP THE NATO OFFICERS CLUB IN ANKARA STILL HAVE THEIR
CASE UNDER APPEAL ON GROUNDS OF IMPROPER PROCEDURES; ONE IS CLAIMING INSANITY.

6. (U) -- HIZBULLAH ACTIVISTS: ISLAMIC JIHAD BROUGHT
100 KGS. OF EXPLOSIVES TO USE AGAINST U.S. AND OTHER
INTERESTS INTO TURKEY. ARRESTS WERE MADE IN MARCH,
1987. THE TRIAL IS ONGOING.

7. (U) -- MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: THE TRIAL OF INDIVIDUALS
INVOLVED IN IMPORTING EXPLOSIVES FROM IRAQ TO SYRIA
THROUGH TURKEY ALSO CONTINUES.

8. (U) -- MEHMET DEMIRAG, WHO ATTEMPTED TO ASSASSINATE
PRIME MINISTER OZAL AT A POLITICAL CONVENTION JUNE 18,
WAS SENTENCED TO TWENTY-ONE YEARS IN PRISON IN NOVEMBER.

9. (U) -- TWO IRANIAN DIPLOMATS ACCREDITED TO ANKARA
WERE EXPELLED AND TWO OTHERS NOT ACCREDITED WILL GO ON TRIAL (ALONG WITH TWO OTHER IRANIANS) FOR THE ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING OF AN ANTI-KHOMEINI ACTIVIST FROM ISTANBUL TO IRAN.

10. (U) -- TWENTY-SIX INDIVIDUALS WERE ARRESTED IN
NOVEMBER FOR AN ALLEGED PLOT TO KILL A FORMER ANKARA
MARTIAL LAW COMMANDER. THE INVESTIGATION OF THE TURKISH COMMUNIST PARTY (B) MEMBERS ALLEGED TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS CASE IS CONTINUING.

11. THERE ARE ALSO A NUMBER OF UNSOLVED TERRORIST ACTS, SUCH AS THE MURDER OF A SAUDI DIPLOMAT IN ANKARA IN OCTOBER, AND SMALL BOMBS PLACED IN ISTANBUL AND UNDER AN AMERICAN TEACHER'S CAR IN IZMIR. INVESTIGATIONS IN THESE CASES ARE CONTINUING.

12. (B) PLO STATUS: TURKEY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
COUNTRIES TO RECOGNIZE THE DECLARATION OF AN
INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN "STATE." THE PLO ALREADY HAD
DIPLOMATIC STATUS IN TURKEY. THE GOT HAS SIGNALLED THAT
IT WILL NOT UPGRADE THE MISSION TO AN EMBASSY, ANY TIME
SOON, THOUGH IT WILL CONSIDER DOING SO IF AND WHEN A
"PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT" OF THE PALESTINIAN "STATE"
DECLARED BY THE PNC IN NOVEMBER IS FORMED.

13. THE GOT HAS NOT MADE ANY STATEMENTS SUPPORTING
GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED TERRORISM. IT CONDEMNED NORTH KOREA FOR ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE KAL-858 BOMBING BUT AVOIDED COMMENT ON OTHER TERRORISM-RELATED ISSUES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN WORKING RELATIONS WITH IRAN AND LIBYA. THE GOT BELIEVES ITS METHOD OF DEALING WITH
MIDDLE EAST TERRORISM HAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL.

ROPE

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