World Notes Terrorism

"There is no doubt God Almighty was on our side." So said Group Captain Colin Adams, commander of the British Royal Air Force base in Akrotiri, Cyprus. Adams was talking about a raid launched against his base last week by a small group of pro-Libyan terrorists who, police believe, arrived by car. Firing 60-mm mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, the attackers concentrated on well-populated areas, including a beach and a sports complex. Miraculously, casualties were limited to two injured women and a slightly damaged building. Several hours later the Unified Nasserite Organization, a previously unknown group, claimed in Beirut that it had carried out the raid primarily in retaliation for British support of the U.S. bombing of Libya. American F-111 jets used in the raid took off from British soil.

Shortly before the April l4 strike, the Malta government disclosed, its air-traffic controllers had warned their Libyan counterparts of approaching war planes. A Maltese official called the notification a "normal procedure." In Washington, State Department Spokesman Charles Redman said the raid was nonetheless a "tactical surprise."