Islamic Jihad Warns of a ‘Horrible Disaster’

A caller claiming to represent the Islamic Jihad terrorist group warned Friday that the United States can expect “the greatest military operation that has ever been known” if Kuwait fails to free 17 Muslim extremists.

The fresh threats by the Islamic Jihad came two days after the shadowy movement produced photographs of four kidnaped Americans and two Frenchmen, saying they faced “a horrible disaster” unless the jailed extremists are freed in Kuwait.

“The U.S. government can expect the greatest military operation that has ever been known,” a telephone caller told a Western news agency in Beirut. “The movement has been preparing this surprise for a long time.

‘Hell on Earth’

“A refusal to our demands is tantamount to a hell on earth for Kuwaiti diplomats around the world,” the Arabic-speaking man warned, saying he represented Islamic Jihad, which means Holy War. He gave no details.

There was no way of confirming the authenticity of the message. The caller gave no indication where the extremists might strike or when, but most of its previous terrorist operations have been in the Middle East.

Larry Speakes, deputy White House spokesman, said in response in Washington, “We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by terrorist threats or permit such threats to compromise our fundamental policies and values.”

Little Known of Group

Little is known about Islamic Jihad, but it is believed to be a loosely knit group of fanatical Shia Muslims, possibly backed by a faction inside Iran’s government. It has taken responsibility for a series of terrorist bombings in the Middle East.

In a related development, armed gangs of Muslim kidnapers, who had not been active since March, appear to have renewed their effort to seize Americans in Lebanon. An Irish U.N. official, Aidan Walsh, was abducted Wednesday and freed Thursday night after his captors discovered he was not American.

Walsh, 49, told a news conference Friday that he did not know the affiliation of the eight gunmen who pulled him from his car in a district of Muslim West Beirut controlled by Shia and Druze militias.

He said they held him for 36 hours in a darkened van and apparently had no idea where Ireland was.

Checked Map, Freed Him

After consulting a map, he said, “they decided they obviously didn’t need me any more.” Walsh is deputy director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which aids Palestinian refugees.

He added that he was not harmed apart from a pistol-whipping.

In statements published Friday, a leading Shia Muslim cleric condemned kidnapings in Lebanon, saying Muslim efforts should be expended on destroying Israel.

“Israel is trying to control the entire region, and therefore we must work and plan to eliminate Israel from existence,” said Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, leader of the Muslim fundamentalist Hezbollah movement.

Protect Diplomats, Newsmen

In Al A’hd, Hezbollah’s magazine, Fadlallah condemned kidnaping foreigners and called on Muslims to protect “diplomats and newsmen who do not harm the security and lives of the people.”

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Fadlallah was the target of an assassination attempt that killed more than 80 other people March 8 and was carried out by people hired by a CIA-trained counter-terrorism squad.

The CIA has denied training any Lebanese squad and the Lebanese army has denied it was involved in the unit.

But Fadlallah said Friday that he holds the United States, Israel and Lebanese intelligence responsible for the bombing.

“The file will not be closed,” he said in a statement. “America wants to lay siege to us. But we will besiege it first.”