Terrorist personality cult

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34037, 29 December 1975, Page 13

Terrorist personality cult

(By

ROBERT FISK.

)f "The Tinies.’’ through FTZ.P.A.)

LONDON. December 27

The reputation of Carlos Martinez, Alias Ilich Ramirez, international hijacker, assassin and hostage-taker extraordinary has in the last few days reached almost Guevara-like proportions.

( The surface charm and apparent arrogance of the young gunman on the Austrian Airlines DC9, which flew the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries hostages from Vienna to Algiers last week, together with the fascination of the world’s press, seems to have created a new phenomenon in the terrorist world — the personality cult. From Iran, for instance it

was reported that Carlos had now formed a band of 40 professional “commandos” ready to strike anywhere in the world and that he had been joined by members of the West German BaaderMeinhof gang and the Japanese Red Army

There was a tale that en route to Algiers he had handed the Venezuelan Mining Minister a letter for his mother addressed to “Senora Sachez Ramirez.” final proof that he was the legendary Carlos.

And there was a report in Paris that he had indeed joined the hall of terrorist mythology by the simple process of being shot dead by his own Arab comrades. In the last year Carlos has also identified himself as Cenon Clarke, Hector Dupont, Glenn Gabbard, Adolf Bernal, and Carlos Andres Martinez-Torres, not to mention “The Jackal.”

Since he is almost certainly still in Algiers, some of the stories seem doubtful. But if the terrorist leader who so blithely handed out his autograph on the flight to Algiers is only half as vain as his hostages made him out to be he must be experiencing some elation at the publicity surrounding his name.

The most melodramatic of the Carlos tales this Christmas was published in Teheran where the evening newspaper, “Kayhan,” in a report from Algiers, claimed that the guerrilla had told Mr Jamshid Armouzegar, the captive Iranian Interior Minister, that he was ready to launch operations across the world with the assistance of his 40 specially-trained commandos. According to “Kayhan,” the 24-year-old Venezuelan also said that last Sunday’s attack on the O.P.E.C. building would, not be his last.

Most terrorist leaders are said to be fond of their families but the story of Carlos’s letter to his mother took

something of a blow yesterday. It was the Paris newspaper, “France-Soir.” which originally reported that Carlos handed the missive to Mr Valentin Hanandez Acosta, the Venezuelan Mining Minister. The newspaper did not disclose why Ramirez should choose such a public method of communication since he could presumably go to the post office in Algiers, but Mr Freddy Arocha Castresana. Venezuelan Ambassador to Austria described the newspaper article as "completely untrue.” Meanwhile, a report in “Le Monde” suggested that, tired of his persona,! war, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine had dispatched the real Ramirez to his death not far from Beirut some weeks ago. If that was the case. Dr Kreisky and his Austrian

, Cabinet colleagues might have been tempted to give; • up their diplomatic efforts to secure Carlos's extradition from Algiers. But all the signs are that ■■the world’s best-known ter(rorist is far from being a corpse.