Bruno Breguet
Encyclopedia
Bruno Breguet was a Swiss associate of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, better known as "Carlos the Jackal". He disappeared in 1995.
, Simone de Beauvoir
, Noam Chomsky
, and Alberto Moravia
--as well as Francois Genoud
.
headquarters in Munich as his first operation. In August 1996 German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Breguet in connection with that attack.
(fresh from a failed January 18, 1982 mission to destroy the Superphénix
nuclear power plant in France) were arrested in an underground parking garage in Paris, and attempted to kill the police with a gun that misfired. After bombs were found in the car, they denied they were on a terrorist mission. Carlos' organization set off several bombs in retaliation, and he then wrote to French interior minister Gaston Deferre demanding their release. When the letter was leaked to the press, the publicity ended in the pair getting lighter prison sentences with the attempted murder charge dropped. It was later said that they had been hired to bomb the Paris office of the magazine Al Watan al Arabi at 33 Rue Marbeuf, which was eventually hit on April 22, 1982.
Breguet and Kopp were both paroled in 1985.
, the German government believes that he went into hiding because of evidence against him in recently released Stasi
files. The Sunday Herald
reported in 2009 that there had been "persistent rumours that Breguet died during interrogation at a secret CIA facility in Hungary at the end of 1995." Others have speculated that he was killed by former associates, or cooperated with authorities and has since been living under a new identity. In 2009 Carlos wrote to newly elected US President Barack Obama alleging that Breguet had been kidnapped by "CIA agents backed by Nato naval commandos" and asking for information on his current whereabouts.
Israel
In 1970 Breguet, then 19 years old, traveled to Lebanon to join the PFLP. A few weeks later he was arrested in Israel carrying two kilograms of explosives. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but was pardoned in 1977 as a result of public advocacy by an international committee of supporters that included Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...
, Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, and Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism....
--as well as Francois Genoud
François Genoud
François Genoud was a noted Swiss financier and a principal benefactor of the Nazi diaspora through the ODESSA network and supporter of Middle Eastern liberation groups during the post-World War II 20th century. He was considered the Swiss financier of the Third Reich.- Early life:Genoud was from...
.
Radio Free Europe bombing
Richard Cummings writes that Breguet joined Carlos' group in 1980 and took part in its 1981 bombing of Radio Free EuropeRadio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
headquarters in Munich as his first operation. In August 1996 German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Breguet in connection with that attack.
French missions
In February 1982 Breguet and Carlos' wife Magdalena KoppMagdalena Kopp
Cecilina Magdalena Kopp was born in Neu-Ulm, Bavaria in 1948. She was a photographer and member of the Frankfurt Revolutionary Cells . She is known for being the wife and accomplice of political militant Ilich Ramírez Sánchez also known as "Carlos the Jackal".- Early life :Magdalena Kopp grew up in...
(fresh from a failed January 18, 1982 mission to destroy the Superphénix
Superphénix
Superphénix or SPX was a nuclear power station on the Rhône River at Creys-Malville in France, close to the border with Switzerland. A fast breeder reactor, it halted electricity production in 1996 and was closed as a commercial plant in 1997....
nuclear power plant in France) were arrested in an underground parking garage in Paris, and attempted to kill the police with a gun that misfired. After bombs were found in the car, they denied they were on a terrorist mission. Carlos' organization set off several bombs in retaliation, and he then wrote to French interior minister Gaston Deferre demanding their release. When the letter was leaked to the press, the publicity ended in the pair getting lighter prison sentences with the attempted murder charge dropped. It was later said that they had been hired to bomb the Paris office of the magazine Al Watan al Arabi at 33 Rue Marbeuf, which was eventually hit on April 22, 1982.
Breguet and Kopp were both paroled in 1985.
Disappearance
Breguet was last seen on November 12, 1995, on board a ferry from Italy to Greece. There are various theories and rumors regarding his disappearance. His family has charged that he was kidnapped by the Greek or French secret service. According to the Greek newspaper KathimeriniKathimerini
I Kathimerini is a daily morning newspaper published in Athens. It is published in the Greek language, as well as in an abridged English-language edition. The English edition is sold separately in the United States and as a supplement to the International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus. On 2...
, the German government believes that he went into hiding because of evidence against him in recently released Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
files. The Sunday Herald
Sunday Herald
The Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper launched on 7 February 1999. The ABC audited circulation in April 2011 showed sales of 31,123.From the start it has combined a centre-left stance with support for Scottish devolution...
reported in 2009 that there had been "persistent rumours that Breguet died during interrogation at a secret CIA facility in Hungary at the end of 1995." Others have speculated that he was killed by former associates, or cooperated with authorities and has since been living under a new identity. In 2009 Carlos wrote to newly elected US President Barack Obama alleging that Breguet had been kidnapped by "CIA agents backed by Nato naval commandos" and asking for information on his current whereabouts.