Special Anti-Terrorist Fighting Unit

The Special Anti-Terrorist Fighting Unit (or USLA for its acronym in Romanian) is the most well known anti-terrorist unit in Romania is the S.R.I.'s(Seviciul Roman de Informatii or Romanian Intelligence Sevice)Anti-Terro unit.The unit was created on December 15, 1977 as a result of the emergence, at that time, of certain centers of terrorist threats that, directly or indirectly, were aimed at Romania.

The Special Anti-Terrorist Fighting Unit confronted several attempts by members or sympathisers of different terrorist movements to enter Romania's national territory. Things were not limited to precursory acts of preparing violent actions; they tried to organize terrorist attacks on Romanian territory, the targets generally being foreign official representatives in Bucharest.

In 1972–73, terrorist elements belonging to the 'Black September' organization prepared to seize the Israeli Embassy in Bucharest and to assassinate the Israeli Ambassador. In co-operation with other units responsibile for fighting terrorism, the Special Anti-Terrorist Fighting Unit seized large quantities of arms and ammunition that were to be used in the attack; these had been smuggled into Romania in a double-bottomed suitcase and hidden in a hotel room.

On May 26, 1985, two Arab terrorists placed explosive devices under the cars belonging to Syrian students' leaders, in the Groz{ve~ti Campus parking lot in Bucharest. Two USLA officers were killed by the blast of the device they were trying to defuse.

On August 20, 1991, an Indian commando of four terrorists attempted to assassinate the Indian Ambassador while he was out for his usual walk together with his wife on the Aviatori Blvd. in Bucharest. The quick intervention of the anti-terrorist officers guarding the Ambassador resulted in failure for the terrorists: one was killed on the spot, one was captured, one was injured and the other one vanished. The criminal investigation revealed that the four terrorists belonged to an Indian Sikh extremist-terrorist group.

Following the terrorist attacks in the USA, the Inspectorate for Preventing and Fighting Terrorism was confronted with new challenges. The specialized units of the Romanian Intelligence Service were alerted and they implemented special plans designed for such circumstances. There is also an increased flow of information shared with partner-foreign services tasked with fighting terrorism.Backed up by state-of-the-art equipment and counter-terrorism tactics, the unit is always on alert.

External links

• USLA info @ the SRI – official document.