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[NYT Flashback] A Much-Shunned Terrorist Is Said to Find Haven in Iraq
The New York Times Archives | Jan 27, 1999 | James Risen

Posted on 06/30/2005 12:01:00 AM EDT by nwrep

Abu Nidal, one of the world's most infamous terrorists, moved to Baghdad late last year and obtained the protection of President Saddam Hussein, according to intelligence reports received by United States and Middle Eastern government officials. The reports have raised questions about whether Iraq is pushing to establish a terrorism network, American and Middle Eastern officials say.

Abu Nidal, a brutal survivor of the Middle East's terrorist wars dating to the 1970's, had been living in Cairo for more than a year, according to Middle Eastern government officials who say they have information from inside his organization. While intelligence information about terrorist groups is hard to corroborate, American intelligence officials say they consider these Middle Eastern officials to be highly reliable. But counterterrorism experts in the Middle East say Abu Nidal remains a significant threat. One official who has watched Abu Nidal for years said, ''Osama bin Laden is a student by comparison.''

Although Abu Nidal's organization is a shadow of the terrorist machine that staged airport killings in the mid-1980's and raids on Arab, Jewish and other targets, since he moved to Egypt he has been directing attacks on Islamic radicals at war with the Egyptian Government, the Middle Eastern officials said.

United States intelligence officials said he has been hard-pressed financially and has been seeking a new government sponsor since Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya, looking for ways to persuade the United Nations to lift economic sanctions, backed away from him in the early 1990's.

Abu Nidal's move to Iraq, which he was forced to leave 15 years ago because of his ties to Syria, suggests that he may have renewed a relationship with President Hussein. ''He could become a more significant threat again if he finds more effective state sponsorship,'' an American intelligence official said.

Abu Nidal still has 200 to 300 followers in his organization, and President Hussein lacks such hard-earned expertise at terrorism.

Officials caution that there is no evidence that Abu Nidal is planning to conduct terrorism on Iraq's behalf. In recent years he has not attacked American targets and thus has become a lower priority for American officials, who have focused instead on Osama bin Laden, the Saudi exile who officials say ordered the bombings of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August.

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