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By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

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186 BY WAY OF DECEPTIONinto Italy. At the time, the PLO also had a modest yacht, withsleeping cabins, anchored near Bari on Italy's east coast directlyacross the sea from Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia.Salameh patrolled some sleazy bars in Hamburg, Germany'smajor port city, until he found a German who knew somethingabout navigation and was willing to do anything for money. Hethen hired two women he met in another bar, who were alsointerested in the <strong>of</strong>fer <strong>of</strong> money, sex, drugs, and a leisurely cruiseon the Adriatic.The Germans were flown to Rome, then to Bari, where theyboarded the PLO vessel, which had been stocked with food, drugs,and booze. Their only orders were to go to a small island <strong>of</strong>fDubrovnik, wait while some people loaded wooden boxes into thestorage area, then return to a spot on the beach north <strong>of</strong> Bari,where they'd be met by some other men and paid severalthousand dollars each. They were also told to enjoy themselves,take three or four days, and indulge in whatever earthly pleasuresthey wanted — orders they doubtless followed religiously.Salameh had chosen the Germans because, if they were caught,the authorities would be more likely to think they were Red Armyor some other organization, rather than PLO- related.Unfortunately for them, Salameh was not in the habit <strong>of</strong> takingchances with outsiders at the end <strong>of</strong> a mission. When theGermans arrived back with the crated missiles, the PLO went outin a small boat to unload the cargo, then took the three <strong>of</strong> themaway and slit their throats, punched holes in the yacht, and let itsink about a quarter mile <strong>of</strong>fshore.The Strellas were loaded into a Fiat van, and from Bari the PLOteam drove to Avelino, from there to Terracina, then to Anzio, toOstia and into Rome, staying <strong>of</strong>f the main roads and driving onlyduring daylight hours to avoid any suspicion, finally arriving at anapartment in Rome where the boxes containing the missiles wouldbe stored until they were needed.* * *In Beirut, Black September leader Abu Yusuf had beenimmediately informed that Akbar was a mole within the organiza-

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