1981 Libyan hit squad scare
| Date | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Location | USA |
| Blamed on | Muammar Gaddafi |
During several weeks in late 1981, US corporate media and Reagan administration officials warned of an imaginary hit squad of terrorists sent to Washington by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to assassinate President Reagan.[1]
Descriptions and sketches of 14 suspects were released to media. One source cautioned, however, that the identities and sketches are based mostly on the recollection of a key informer whose credibility has not been determined.
In December 1981, the Los Angeles Times that Israeli intelligence was the major source of some of the most dramatic published reports about the suspected plot. The paper said Israel's intent in passing on information to the news media about the affair, but quoted sources as saying that Israel may be trying to build American public support for a strike against Qaddafi.[2][3]
References
- ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301746604_Read_it_in_the_papers_seen_it_on_TV_The_1981_Libyan_hit_squad_scare_as_a_case_of_simulated_terrorism_in_the_United_States
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/12/12/us-border-agents-sent-data-on-suspected-libyan-hit-squads/18f8cf06-c793-4482-8c4a-3ab1c0ebce4b/
- ↑ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/17/US-intelligence-officials-may-have-been-conned-into-paying/7199377413200/
