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factories that produced military equipment, the headquarters of political parties or offices, military infrastructure, the police force, a NATO oil pipeline and banks. The CCC furthermore operated not in one specific region but across Belgium, which underlined their capability to strike anywhere—and cause fear anywhere. On 1 May 1985, the group exploded a small van that was placed in front of a government office but, unfortunately, two firefighters died in this explosion. "Unfortunate", for the CCC's campaigns were organised to minimise, if not exclude, a human death toll. Indeed, this makes the CCC not fit neatly into those attacks in which civilian casualties are acceptable. But this was just stage factories that produced military equipment, the headquarters of outside security company?" Libert added: "We carried out the political parties or offices, military infrastructure, the police force, orders and sent in our reports: hours of opening and closing. a NATO oil pipeline and banks. The CCC furthermore operated Everything you want to know about a supermarket. What was this not in one specific region but across Belgium, which underlined — for? This was one amongst hundreds of missions. Something that their capability to strike anywhere—and cause fear anywhere. On had to be done. But the use it was all put to, that is the big 1 May 1985, the group exploded a small van that was placed in _—question."'"* A "big question" that would soon be answered, and front of a government office but, unfortunately, two firefighters | which had a human death toll of twenty-eight. died in this explosion. "Unfortunate", for the CCC's campaigns The logical conclusion is that there was a NATO-sponsored were organised to minimise, if not exclude, a human death toll. secret army operating within Belgium, apparently outside the Indeed, this makes the CCC not fit neatly into those attacks in knowledge and control of the government itself. which civilian casualties are acceptable. But this was just stage A most interesting statement came from a member of the one. inquiry, Hugo Van Dienderen, who said: "This secret network did The CCC became part of the government investigation after more than prepare for a war against a Communist threat... Agents Belgium, together with Switzerland and Italy, set up parliamentary _tried to infiltrate peace movements. Certain American groups tried commissions following the discoveries of "stay-behind armies" in to contact them... A former director of the CIA [William Colby] 1990. The scope of the investigation was the extent to which the leaves no doubt that it was their intelligence agencies that were at existence of a national secret army, co-ordinated by NATO (and __ the basis of these networks.""” inspired by the US and the UK in the wake of World War II) within When Jean Bultot, one of the suspected killers in the several NATO and non-NATO states, had interfered with these supermarket murders, spoke from his hideout in Paraguay, he democracies. stipulated that certain members of the The Belgian defence minister, the gang were indeed part of the national Socialist Guy Coéme, who stated to Thus the two terror campaigns intelligence network. He added, have been unaware of the existence of that Belgium witnessed in the without being asked, that the activities the secret armies, had this to say about of the CCC followed the same formula. this secret army's involvement with early 1980s were apparently Two police officers, Martial Lekeu terrorism: "Furthermore, I want to A and Robert Beijer, made similar know whether there exists a link carried out by a group of statements. According to Lekeu: between the activities of this secret Belgians operating asa secret "There must exist a type of organisation network and the wave of crime and army, sponsored by NATO between the members of the national terror which our country suffered from intelligence agency, the gendarmes and during the past years."'® whose headquarters the judiciary department. Coéme was referring to the years . In my opinion, the attacks of the 1983 to 1985 and the CCC, but also to it actually hosted. CCC are part of the same plan. One of a series of brutal robberies and attacks the caches of the CCC was hired by a by the so-called Nijvel gang, in which the brother of a member of the State geographic area around Brussels saw 14 brutal terrorist attacks on Security. shoppers in supermarkets. These attacks left 28 people dead and And thus, the two terror campaigns that Belgium witnessed in many more injured in a series of 17 burglaries and armed the early 1980s were apparently carried out by a group of Belgians robberies, which in late 1985 turned extremely violent. Inthe three operating as a secret army, sponsored by an organisation— final attacks, 16 people died during armed robberies in NATO—to which Belgium not only belonged but whose supermarkets in Braine-l'Alleud, Overijse and Aalst, the gang headquarters it actually hosted. 20 stealing (in total) not more than US$56,000 (reducing a human life Furthermore, though politicians were apparently unaware, the to $3,500).”” Belgian intelligence agencies were not, and they specifically and The Belgian Senate inquiry revealed that the secret army was consistently accused "communists" (the CCC) as well as the staffed by Belgian citizens and took its orders from the Belgian "extreme right" (the Nijvel gang) of carrying out terror activity, State Security, the equivalent of the Russian FBS or the American whereas they were actually part of the planners if not executioners. CIA. The cell was code-named SDRA8 and was directly linked to Remarkably, in 1985, despite never-before-seen protest marches, NATO's stay-behind centres, the Allied Clandestine Committee NATO installed nuclear missiles in Belgium. This time, it seems (ACC) and the Clandestine Planning Committee (CPC). However, the intended goal was not an invasion... the Senate inquiry was unable to clarify whether the secret army In 1995, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives organised a had anything to do with the Nijvel gang murders, as the Belgian _ parliamentary inquiry into the effectiveness of the Belgian police military secret service refused to co-operate. and judiciary with regard to the Nijvel gang investigation. The Several journalists, including Allan Francovich, suggested that conclusions of this inquiry, as well as the earlier Senate inquiry on SDRA8 had linked up with the Belgian right-wing organisation SDRA8 and the Chamber inquiry on banditry, resulted in the Westland New Post (WNP), an opinion that was confirmed by preparation of new legislation governing the mission and methods WNP member Michel Libert, who stated during a televised of the Belgian State Security, which was passed in 1998. interview that he had been told by his SDRA8 handlers that: Unlike the US government with its so-called Patriot Act, which "You, Mr Libert, know nothing about why we're doing this. was signed into law on 26 October 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11, Nothing at all. All we ask is that your group, with cover from the the Belgian government decided to contain the powers of the Gendarmerie, with cover from Security, carry out a job. Target: intelligence and law enforcement network as much as possible, so the supermarkets. Where are they? What kind of locks are there? that the wilful complicity of the Belgian State Security in allowing, What sort of protection do they have that could interfere with our _if not organising, the deaths of people it was supposed to protect operations? Does the store manager lock up? Or do they use an would not happen again. NEXUS = 19 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2007 www.nexusmagazine.com