The jailed Venezuelan terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is to face trial for his alleged role in deadly terror bombings in 1982 and 1983 in France, a judicial official said Friday.
Top anti-terror judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere — renowned for tracking down Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez — ordered him to stand trial for the four attacks, which killed 12 and injured at least 100, a judicial official said on condition of anonymity. Such officials are not authorized to speak to the media about such matters.
Ramirez, 57, is serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informer. He gained international notoriety as the Cold War-era mastermind of deadly bombings, killings and hostage dramas.
After years on the run, Ramirez was captured in Sudan in 1994 and hauled in a sack to Paris by French secret service agents. He was convicted three years later for the 1975 murders.
Last year, Bruguiere wrapped up 20 years of investigations into Ramirez’ possible role in the 1980s attacks last year.
No date set
The date of the trial has not been set. The judicial official provided no other details about the trial or Ramirez’ suspect role in the attacks.
One hit a train from Paris to Toulouse in southwestern France in March 1982, killing five; another hit in front of the Paris offices of the Arab newspaper Al Watan in April 1982, killing one; another hit a Marseille train station in December 1983, killing two; the fourth hit a TGV high-speed train the same day, killing three.
He is also suspected in the 1976 Palestinian hijacking of a French jetliner in flight to Entebbe, Uganda. Ramirez has testified that he led a 1975 attack that killed three people at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
Ramirez has remained vocal from behind bars, and was convicted for saying in a 2004 TV interview that terror attacks are sometimes “legal.” A Paris court later overturned the conviction, ruling that the remarks were taken out of context.