Ex-terrorist tells of aid offer from Bulgarian envoy

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 9

Ex-terrorist tells of aid offer from Bulgarian envoy

NZPA Verona, Italy A key witness in the Red Brigades trial in Verona has said that an employee of the Bulgarian Embassy offered the Leftist terrorist group arms and money. Antonio Savasta, who says he was the ringleader of the gang that kidnapped Briga-dier-General James Dozier, said in written testimony the Red Brigades had sought out various international contacts for several months and that the first offer came form the Bulgarian, who was not identified, in November last year. Later, after the general was abducted, the Bulgarian offered to help with the management of the kidnapping — an offer the Red Brigades refused, Savasta said in his deposition to investigating magistrates. Savasta spoke on the third day of the trial of 17 men and women accused of kidnapping General Dozier from his home on December 17.

Last week, the Bulgarian Embassy denied that any embassy employee or diplomat had contacts with people linked to the Red Brigades. The denial - came after Savasta’s deposition was leaked to the press. “A meeting (between the Red Brigades and the Bulgarian) was set up in a cinema in Rome. I don’t know if the meeting ever took place,” Savasta said in

in his deposition, Savasta said he did not speak personally to any Bulgarian but he safd a jailed member of the Red Brigades,- Loris Scricciolo, had arrranged for the contact with his cousin, Luigi Scricciolo, a union leader arrested on February 4 in Rome on terrorist charges. Luigi Scricciolo, head of the international office of the socialist-leaning U.I.L. union federation, has denied he is a member of the Leftist terrorist group. The union leader alleges that his cousin boasted to the Red Brigades that ’he could get them foreign contacts in order to improve his image and standing in the organisation. Prosecutors have long suspected that the Red Brigades have ties outside Italy. Jailed terrorists who have turned State’s evidence have said that they got arms from the Soviet secret service, K.G.8., Libya, Israel, and Palestinian groups according to a Rome investigating magistrate, Judge Ferdinando Imposimato.

Savasta said in court the Brigades received arms from Palestinian groups, but they had lost their contact after the arrest of two Italian terrorists who organised the shipments. Libya, Israel, and the Soviet Union have denied any contacts with the Red Brigades. Yasser Arafat, the

leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, also has denied giving arms to the group. Describing the kidnapping of the general, Savasta told the court: "It was a big project." Flanked by two policemen and stooping over a microphone on the witness stand, Savasta, who is 27, said the strategic command of the Red Brigades met late last year and declared war on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, in which General Dozier was the highest ranking officer in Southern Europe. Savasta is one of’ six accused who have accepted an offer of shorter prison sentences in return for full co-operation with the prosecution. Sixteen Brigades members are charged with the kidnap and another is accused .of standing by to give medical help if necessary. Eight of the 17 are still at large. Although the accused can boycott summary trial proceedings, all nine captured defendants were in court yesterday including Ruggiero Volinia, an alleged member of the kidnap gang who had previously exercised his right not to appear. “I had sole responsibility for the military aspect of the kidnap.” said Savasta. described by the press as public enemy number one before his arrest.