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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