Al-Burkan (The Volcano, alt. Al-Burkan al Watani) was a Libyan dissident terrorist group opposed to the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, that claimed responsibility for several political assassinations and attacks in Europe during the 1980's.[1] A leader of Al-Burkan, Ragab Mabruk Zatout claimed to have personally met Oliver North and received support from US intelligence.[2]
Al-Burkan claimed responsibility for the assassination of Libya's ambassador to Italy on 21 January 1984 in Rome.[3] A Libyan businessman with close ties to Gaddafi was killed on June 21, 1984, in Athens during the visit of Abdul Salam Turayki, Libya's secretary of foreign liaison.
Both Al-Burkan and the Iraqi Sadr Brigade took credit for the 11 September 1984 attack on two Libyan diplomats in Madrid.[4][5] In 1985, Al-Burkan claimed responsibility for the assassination of the Libyan Information Bureau chief in Rome.[6]
In 1996, the Dispatches program on BBC Channel 4 produced a documentary on the shooting murder of London police officer Yvonne Fletcher during the 17 April 1984 demonstration at the Libyan embassy. The program alleged that Al-Burkan had infiltrated the building and had shot Fletcher.
References
edit- ^ Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses. April 1984. p. 270.
- ^ "Murder in St James's". BBC Channel 4 Dispatches. April 10, 1996.
- ^ Daniel Kawczynski (31 October 2011). Seeking Gaddafi: Libya, the West and the Arab Spring. Biteback Publishing. pp. 105–. ISBN 978-1-84954-261-6.
- ^ "GTD ID:198409120009". Global Terrorism Database. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
- ^ John E. Jessup (1 January 1998). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 1945-1996. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 14–. ISBN 978-0-313-28112-9.
- ^ "Libya: Exiled Opposition". CountryData.com.
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