European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 19, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes monday March 19,1990 germans botched probe Book says Washington apr German authorities bungled and then tried to cover up an investigation of a palestinian terrorist group they believe bombed pan am flight 103 Over Scotland 15 months ago according to a new Book. But the German operation codenamed a autumn leaves a is credited by authors Steven Emerson and Brian Dufty with arresting 16 people linked to the group two months before the bombing possibly stopping plans for even worse terrorist attacks. An explosion that investigators say originated in the Luggage compartment of the Boeing 747 Airliner killed All 259 people on Board the dec. 21, 1988, flight from London to new York and 11 pc Etc on the ground in Lockerbie Scot ind. British investigators have concluded the bomb was made of semtex a plastic explosive concealed in a radio cassette player put aboard another Airliner that began flight 103 in Frankfurt. But they have filed no charges in the Case. Emerson and Duffy a Book a the fall of pan am 103,�?� published by . Putnam a sons new York examines the bombing and its investigation by ., British German and other authorities. Excerpts from the Book appeared in sundays edition of the new York times Magazine. The authors say their conclusions Are based on 250 interviews in the United states Europe and the Middle East. Many of their findings have been reported in less detail by  Television networks and european newspaper and Magazine accounts. The Book says investigators were convinced within Days of the crash that the bombing was carried out at the Behest of Iran by the popular front for the liberation of Palestine general command headed by palestinian terrorist Ahmed Jibril. Prior to the bombing All but two of the people linked to Jibril in Germany had been released including Marwa Khz Cesar a Man previous reports have identified As the maker of bombs found by German authorities. Emerson and Duffy s Book says Khz Cesar May have been an informant for German and jordanian authorities and could also have been a double or triple agent reporting Back to Jibril. German intelligence officials have denied that three sat Ever worked for them. The germans let the alleged terrorists go because they thought they were not a threat to Germany and because they included their own informants the Book says. German authorities also failed to find All of at least five bombs three sat made until several months after the bombing of flight 103, the Book says. A German police officer was killed in the dismantling of one bomb in april 1989. Until the officers death the germans attempted to cover up their release of members of Jibril a group by being uncooperative with investigators from other countries looking into the bombing of flight 103, the Book says. Investigators have linked the bomb aboard flight 103 to one of three alarm clocks purchased by accused terrorist Hafez dal Kimoni before his october Sian Neanus 2�?T/j, is believed to be the youngest person Ever to receive a bionic ear. I ast week surgeons in Melbourne Australia fitted her with a tiny microphone worn behind the ear that trans bionic baby mits sounds to a receiver they implanted in her Skull. Sian who was bom with hearing that is less than 10 percent Normal will have to be taught How to hear with the device. 1988 arrest in Germany according to the Book. They also believe a suitcase seen by a witness in three sat a Possession May have been the Copper coloured suitcase concealing the bomb aboard flight 103. Dal Kimoni remains in custody but three sat was released and the Book says is believed to be in Jordan. The Book says american Law enforcement and israeli intelligence officials believe the bombs built by three sat were intended to be used for a mass murder on a scale even More terrible than  it says authorities have no hard evidence but they believe the intent was to avenge the deaths of 290 people when a  Warship shot Down an iranian Airbus Over the persian Gulf on july 3, 1988. A that also leads to the conclusion that autumn leaves for All its evident failings May have inadvertently saved several hundreds if not thousands of lives a the Book says. The authors also say Western intelligence officials have reconstructed How the bomb was built with semtex smuggled from Iran through an iranian diplomatic Pouch to a terrorist Safe House in Yugoslavia. The barometric timers designed to trigger the bombs at a set Altitude were built near Damascus and smuggled to West Germany on syrian airlines the Book says. Emerson is an investigative reporter for  News amp world report. Duffy is an assistant managing editor for the Magazine. Group claims responsibility for terror acts Panama City Panama apr a terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the fatal crash of two  Helicopters and the bombing of a discotheque and it threatened More attacks on americans and  Property. The group Calls itself the dec. 20 movement or m-20, and is the first terrorist group to surface following the dec. 20  Invasion that overthrew panamanian military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega. One  Soldier was killed and 16 american military personnel and 12 panamanians were injured in the grenade attack on the discotheque March 2. The  Southern come said the feb. 21 helicopter crashes near Colon at the Northern end of the Panama canal killed 11 soldiers and it blamed the crashes on bad weather. The dec. 20 movement claimed in a handout distributed Friday in the Western City of David that 30 soldiers died. A it was not an Accident As they have said a it said. The Southern come made no comment on the statement. Officials of the government of president Guillermo Endara installed at the Start of the invasion have said pro Noriega groups arc known to exist and Are Likely to have Access to Large weapons caches believed still hidden in the country. Witnesses said men who threw the grenade at the disco yelled a Viva Noriega a Justice minister Ricardo Arias Calderon said authorities do not have enough information to confirm that m-20 was responsible for the bombing. He said the bombing also appears to involve a dispute among drug traffickers. Rosendo Samudio Monagas a member of the Small communist group the party of the people was arrested Friday in David for handing out the fliers and authorities said they were seeking two others Panama City newspapers reported saturday. World today belgians abolish death penalty Brussels Belgium a prime minister Wilfried Martens said his government will prepare legislation to abolish capital punishment. Although belgian Law still provides for the death penalty death sentences Are automatically commuted by King Baudouin to life terms in prison. After the weekly Cabinet meeting Martens said capital punishment will remain on the books for serious crimes committed in wartime. He said the agreement among his governments Center left coalition partners to do away with the death sentence was taken to a make Belgium comply with the . Charter. Soviet kids arrive for Burn treatment London apr a group of soviet schoolchildren has arrived in Britain for treatment of Burns suffered in a siberian Gas disaster. The six girls and three boys aged 12 to 17, will undergo plastic surgery in hospitals in Manchester England and Aberdeen Scotland under an Anglo soviet health cooperation agreement. The children Are accompanied by five soviet surgeons studying the techniques of specialists Stewart Watson and Colin Rayner who aided the Rescue operation in the urals. Nearly 500 people were reported dead or missing and 700 injured at Chelyabinsk after liquid Gas leaking from a pipeline exploded on june 4, 1989, and engulfed two passing trains carrying Many vacationers. Stockholm declares War on vermin Stockholm Sweden apr authorities have declared War on vermin after two successive mild Winters encouraged an exploding population in Stockholm where experts now count two rats per human. The Sven ska Dag bladet daily quoted officials As saying they expect it to take three years to bring the rats under control. Starting this week four a commando groups will stalk the sewage system armed with rat Poison. A we will open up 8,000 sewage outlets a year and put out rat Poison a said Gyorgy Bill aah of the anti Cimex extermination company. With an estimated 2 million rats prowling Stockholm a cellars sewage pipes and subway tunnels some appear to be abandoning their overcrowded subterranean domains. One family reported two rats emerged from the drains in the bathroom floor of their eighth Story apartment