Jamahiriya el-Mukhabarat
Encyclopedia
Mukhabarat el-Jamahiriya (Intelligence of the Jamahiriya
) is the national intelligence service
of Libya
. During the 2011 Libyan civil war
, agency director Abuzed Omar Dorda
was captured by anti-Gaddafi forces
, and many of the agency's functions were disrupted or usurped as a result of the conflict.
It is publicly known to have carried out these three operations against the West:
Jamahiriya
Jamahiriya may refer to:* a concept in the Political philosophy of Muammar Gaddafi* the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ruled by Gaddafi * a Savage Republic album, see Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage-See also:...
) is the national intelligence service
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. During the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, agency director Abuzed Omar Dorda
Abuzed Omar Dorda
Abuzed Omar Dorda was General Secretary of the People's Committee of Libya from 7 October 1990 to 29 January 1994, and as Libya's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1997 to 2003....
was captured by anti-Gaddafi forces
Anti-Gaddafi forces
The anti-Gaddafi forces were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi, killing him in the process. These opposition forces included organised and armed militia groups, participants in the 2011 Libyan civil war, Libyan diplomats who switched their...
, and many of the agency's functions were disrupted or usurped as a result of the conflict.
Operations
Mukhabarat el-Jamahiriya allegedly keeps Libyan society under surveillance, preventing even open demonstrations. It also carried out murder and espionage against Libyan dissidents living abroad and has also infiltrated attempted military coups against the Gaddafi government.It is publicly known to have carried out these three operations against the West:
- 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing1986 Berlin discotheque bombingThe 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing was a terrorist attack on the La Belle discothèque in West Berlin, Germany, an entertainment venue that was commonly frequented by United States soldiers...
- On 5 April 1986, Libyan agents detonated a bomb a discotheque popular with U.S. soldiers in West BerlinWest BerlinWest Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, killing three soldiers, a Turkish woman, and wounding 50 soldiers and 180 civilians.
- Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
- On 21 December 1988, Libyan agents detonated a bomb aboard a Pan American Airlines jet over LockerbieLockerbieLockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. A total of 270 people were killed, eleven of them on the ground. This was in retaliation to British support of the United States during air strikes on Libya.
- UTA Flight 772UTA Flight 772UTA Flight 772 of the French airline Union des Transports Aériens was a scheduled flight operating from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, via N'Djamena in Chad, to Paris CDG airport in France....
- On 19 September 1989, Libyan agents detonated a bomb aboard a French airliner shortly after taking off from N'Djamena International AirportN'Djamena International AirportN'Djamena International Airport , serves N'Djamena, Chad, and is the main international airport of Chad.The airport is dual use, with civilian and military installations on opposite sides of the single runway.- Military base :...
, killing all 170 people aboard. The attack was in retaliation for French support of ChadChadChad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
during the Chadian–Libyan conflict.
External links
- Libyan Intelligence from GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...