VZCZCXRO6150
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #0250 0560914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 250914Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1259
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS ATHENS 000250
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER GR
SUBJECT: INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT: GREEK TERROR GROUP
"REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE"
1. (SBU) The domestic counterterrorism division of the
Hellenic National Police (HNP) and FBI at Embassy Athens
collaborated on a joint intelligence assessment of the Greek
domestic terrorist group Revolutionary Struggle. Their
assessment is summarized below:
2. (SBU) RS is the most dominant domestic terrorist
organization in Athens. This radical leftist group, which is
anti-Greek establishment, ideologically Marxist, and
sympathetic to extremist causes in the Middle East, is
believed to be responsible for nine terrorist acts since
2003, most notably the murder of a Greek policeman in 2004,
the detonations of improvised explosives in front of the
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the Ministry of
Economy and Economics in 2005, an attack on the Minister of
Culture in 2006, and an RPG attack on the US Embassy in
January 2007. There is sufficient data to suggest that
several other terrorist acts were conducted by RS, either in
support of the organization or as a separate group.
3. (SBU) RS has authored seven proclamations which
indicate that their political ideology is based on classical
and modern political science and economic ideas, mirrors the
general leftist-anarchist community in Athens, and is
international in scope. It is a relatively new terrorist
organization, but shows signs of significant professionalism
and organization. Based on the proclamation following the
attack of the Minister of Cultre in 2006, RS shows signs of
significant preoperational planning and surveillance for a
significant amount of time prior to the actual attack. Prior
to the attacks on the Culture Minister and the U.S. Embassy,
according to witnesses, suspicious individuals, wearing
district cleaning uniforms were seen "working" across the
street from the target. The FBI and HNP have assessed that
RS presents a threat to the GoG, HNP, and U.S. entities in
Athens. But RS appears acutely conscious of public opinion
and would shy away from large scale or random terrorist acts.
That said, RS is believed to have robbed and murdered a
police guard outside of the British Military Attach's
residence at gunpoint. RS appears to be less concerned with
domestic Greek politics than with alleged trends towards
global imperialism purportedly sustained by the U.S.-led war
on terror, and its attacks do not correspond with current
domestic political events. According to their proclamations,
RS claims that they are protecting the Greek public from
harsher attacks by Middle East extremist terrorists by
striking targets without harming the Greek public. RS has
mentioned their support and sympathy for Hezbollah, Hamas,
the Iraqi insurgencies, and the Palestinians.
4) (SBU) The Assessment team recommended that the
International Terrorism Section ad the Organized Crime
Section of the HNP be cnsulted in order to conduct an
analysis of possible links between Islamic extremists,
orgnized crime rings (especially Albanian) and the anarchist
community in Greece. The Assessment team also recommended
that an analytical review of all of the Proclamations be
conducted by a professor of political science or economics to
determine the educational history of the author. It is also
recommended that a comparative forensic analysis of explosive
devices and tradecraft be conducted in order to identify
possible connections to members of other groups. It is
recommended that anarchist blogs and websites be monitored,
all known anarchists/extremists traveling abroad be conduced,
and DNA samples be taken from suspected anarchists/extremists
be collected in order to compare against forensic evidence
acquired from RS investigations.
5) (SBU) The Assessment team identified several important
gaps in their knowledge about RS. For example, they are
unsure whether RS has any links with domestic or
international anarchist groups, criminal organizations
(domestic or international), international terrorist
organizations, Hamas, Hezbollah, or November 17th. No
members of RS have been identified to date, although the
assessment identifies several individuals potentially
associated with RS. The Assessment team does not know how RS
recruits or expands its membership. (For example: Does the
group use the internet?) The team does not know how they make
bombs, how RS learned how to make bombs, or whether RS has
received any training. It is unclear how many weapons the
group possesses, how it acquires them, whether it uses
criminal activities to finance the organization, whether it
has an arsenal or a safehouse. The assessment also asks what
the connection is between RS and terrorist acts in Greece
that have not been claimed by any group.
SPECKHARD