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EXPERTS ON TERRORISM
SPEAKOUT!
Never before has the threat of terrorism been so great. Here we bring our readers a fascinating
interview with two of the world's best minds on this frightening specter!
e
hristopher Dobson, British
author and journalist, is a
specialist on terrorism. He
is a senior staff member
ofNow!
magazine and author of the fi rst
study of the Palestinian terrorist
group Black September. He has
written
The Terrorísts,
a guide to
terrorist groups, their weapons
and philosophy.
Author Walter Nelson is a
former specia/ agent for U.S.
Military l ntelligence and news
editor for Radio Free Europe.
He has recently written a thriller
about a daring coup in London
entitled
The Siege of Bucking–
ham Palace
(or in Britain
T he
Minstrel Code).
A writer for
many U.S. and British maga–
zines and newspapers. Mr. Nel–
son for sorne years has made his
home in London.
August 1980
QUESTION.
Mr. Nelson re–
cently wrote a thriller about the
kidnapping of Britain's Queen
Elizabeth by terrorists.
J
n the
wake of the assassination of Lord
Mountbatten by the l rish Repub–
lican Army ( IRA), would terror–
ist groups dare to undertake such
a fanatical mission as kidnappíng
the Queen? Could they really get
past the security forces?
NELSON:
A terrorist assault on
the highest VJPs is certainly not
out of the question. One IRA
leader has even announced pub–
licly that the British royal pal–
aces a re now on the JRA "hit
líst." As for whether security can
be penetra ted, the short answer is
that it a lready has been. Recent–
ly, an unauthorized person was
found in the prívate royal apart–
ments at Windsor Castle. In this
ínstance, even the electronic se-
curity perimeter had been
breached. A few years ago, an
attempt at kidnappíng Princess
Anne r ight ou tside Buckingham
Pa lace a lmost carne off. Her car
was halted, and shots were ex–
changed. Befa r e ex- P remier
[Aldo] Moro was kídnapped in
Italy, the ltalían police uncovered
a plot to kidnap the pope. The
fact ís that any security arrange–
ments man makes can be unmade
by other men. No one ís safe, as
the IRA's murder of Earl Mount–
batten showed.
DOBSON:
Given the present
level of security it would be a
d ifficu lt task to kídnap t he
Queen. The securíty forces a re
well aware of the danger and
ANTIGOVERNMENT REBELS
train with
pistols, above, in a remote area of
violence·wracked El Salvador.
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