‘Jihad’ Threatens to Strike at Vulnerable U.S. Points

A letter received today by a Western news agency in Cairo and signed “Islamic Jihad” threatened to strike “the most vulnerable points of American imperialism,” while U.S. diplomats in the Netherlands began a terror-alert telephone campaign, calling the 10,000 Americans there to warn them of possible terrorist acts.

Security remained tight at major airports and Jewish targets in Scandinavia after reports that terrorists may strike soon in Northern Europe.

The Islamic Jihad, in its letter to the news agency, said: “The Americans will experience for the first time the righteous anger of the Muslims on their own territory. We will strike at the most vulnerable points of American imperialism.”

Letter in English

The undated letter, in English, was addressed to American policy-makers and said they had become “more impertinent in demonstrating your malicious hostility toward Muslims” and were no longer content with merely supporting Israel’s “crimes” against Muslims.

“Now under the cover of the hypocritical slogan of anti-terrorism, you are more frequently making recourse to U.S. military might to initiate aggression against the Muslim Arabs,” the group said.

Although the letter made no direct mention of Libya, the threat appeared to have been triggered by reports the United States was planning to attack Libya in retaliation for the Dec. 27 guerrilla attacks at Rome and Vienna airports that killed 15 travelers, including five Americans.

Islamic Jihad has said it killed U.S. Embassy political officer William Buckley and is holding four Americans and four Frenchmen hostage in Lebanon. The group also bombed the American and French military headquarters in 1983, killing 242 U.S. Marines and 58 Frenchmen.

In the Netherlands, the telephone campaign by personnel at the embassy and at the American consulates in Amsterdam and Rotterdam was spawned by a Palestinian terrorist alert declared by the Dutch government.

Security Tightened

In response to the Dutch weekend alert, protective measures were expanded at the embassy and two consulates. (Story on Page 14.)