Iraqi dictator wanted terrorist attack on RFE/RL in Czech capital

The Czech counter-intelligence service has confirmed that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein planned a terrorist attack on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty at a time when the broadcaster was located in the centre of Prague, at the former Federal Assembly building near the top of Wenceslas Square. The news website tn.cz, which broke the story on Sunday, said the roots of the plan dated back to 1999: Mr Hussein allegedly wanted the attack carried out to silence broadcasts to Iraq by the US-funded RFE. The attack, BIS has confirmed, was to have been conducted by terrorists making use of an RPG 7 anti-tank weapon fired from a nearby building. The counter-intelligence service thwarted the move through an agent within the Iraqi embassy. Saddam Hussein’s regime was overthrown in 2003 after Iraq was invaded by US-led troops. In April of the same year weapons - that had been smuggled into the Iraqi embassy in Prague for use in the planned attack - were handed over to the Czech authorities.