Notorious terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, recalls how he joined the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine after getting expelled from university and abducted dozens of ministers at the behest of Libyan revolutionary Muammar Gaddafi, only to be betrayed by the leader he held in high regard.
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, is an international terrorist who for decades was considered to be the most wanted fugitive in the world. He was born in Venezuela to a wealthy family. His father was a devout communist who hated the West and – against the objections of his wife – even named his son after Soviet leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Already from a young age, Carlos was involved in political struggles, and according to his own confession, was only 15 when he first kidnapped and killed someone.
His terror activities led to the deaths of over 1,500 people, mostly while working for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to which he got exposed after getting expelled from university and joining a training camp for foreign volunteers of the PFLP in Jordan in 1970.
He experienced the events of Black September firsthand when King Hussein had thousands of Palestinians, who had set up military training camps in Jordan, massacred.
Carlos fought on the Palestinian side and later joined the PFLP as a member.
During this time, he terrorized targets in Israel and Europe. All major intelligence agencies tried to capture him, which he managed to evade for 20 years, hiding in countries such as Syria, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan.
He was close to such leaders as Saddam Hussein and Mu’ammar Gaddafi, and as a mercenary terrorist, collaborated with other Arab leaders against the West and Israel.
In 1994, after two decades on the run, Carlos was captured in a daring mission and has since been imprisoned in France.
Directors Yaron Nisi and Dani Liber interviewed Carlos on the occasion of the release of the second season of their Israeli docu-action limited series “Enemies,” which depicts the secrets of Arab leaders through the eyes of Israeli intelligence services and covers Gaddafi, who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination in 2011.
They are also working on a series to depict the years-long pursuit after Carlos. Below are some excerpts from the rare interview.
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Q: Can you begin by telling us who you are and where you are speaking to us from?
“My name is Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, and the media calls me Carlos the Jackal. I am from Venezuela, my Venezuelan parents have long passed. I am a communist, just like my father, a Stalinist communist. I believe in God, I am a Sunni Muslim. I believe in the goal of Palestine. I was the first non-Arab person to join the Palestinian struggle. I have killed at least 83 people myself, and between 1,500-2,000 have been killed at my command.”
Q: Why have you been dubbed “Carlos the Jackal”?
“Throughout my life, I’ve had more than a hundred fake passports. One of the first ones I used while on a mission in Europe, was a Peruvian passport made in Baghdad, and the name written on it was Carlos Andrez Martines Tores.
“After the shooting mission, which was published in the media, they started calling me Carlos. I was dubbed “the jackal” later, inspired by the novel The Day of the Jackal, which was found among my belongings in a hotel room on one occasion I fled. My Palestinian name is Saleem Muhammad.
The two are also working on a series about the years-long pursuit after Carlos. Below are some excerpts from the rare interview.
Q: Can you begin by telling us who you are and from where you are speaking to us?
“My name is Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, and the media calls me Carlos the Jackal. I am from Venezuela, my Venezuelan parents have long passed. I am a communist, just like my father, a Stalinist communist. I believe in God, I am a Sunni Muslim. I believe in the goal of Palestine. I was the first non-Arab person to join the Palestinian struggle. I have killed at least 83 people myself, and between 1,500-2,000 have been killed at my command.”
Q: Why have you been dubbed “Carlos the Jackal”?
“Throughout my life, I’ve had more than a hundred fake passports. One of the first ones I used while on a mission in Europe, was a Peruvian passport made in Baghdad, and the name written on it was Carlos Andrez Martines Tores.
“After the shooting mission, which was published in the media, they started calling me Carlos. I was dubbed ‘the jackal’ later, inspired by the novel ‘The Day of the Jackal’, which was found among my belongings in a hotel room on one occasion I fled. My Palestinian name is Saleem Muhammad.”
Read more: Israel Hayom
