Carlos the Jackal

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ramírez and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez.
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez
Photograph of Ramírez Sánchez from a fake passport under an assumed name, c. 1974
Born (1949-10-12) 12 October 1949 (age 74)
Michelena, Venezuela
Other names
  • Carlos
  • Carlos the Jackal (Spanish: Carlos el Chacal)
Criminal statusImprisoned since 1994
Spouses
Conviction(s)16 murders
Criminal penaltyThree life terms

Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (Spanish: [iˈlitʃ raˈmiɾes ˈsantʃes]; born 12 October 1949), also known as Carlos the Jackal (Spanish: Carlos el Chacal) or simply Carlos, is a Venezuelan who conducted a series of assassinations and terrorist bombings from 1973 to 1985. A committed Marxist–Leninist, Ramírez Sánchez was one of the most notorious political terrorists of his era,[1][2][3] protected and supported by the Stasi and the KGB.[4] After several bungled bombings, Ramírez Sánchez led the 1975 raid on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headquarters in Vienna, during which three people were killed. He and five others demanded a plane and flew with a number of hostages to Libya.

After his wife Magdalena Kopp was arrested and imprisoned, Sánchez detonated a series of bombs, claiming 11 lives and injuring more than 100, demanding the French release his wife.[5] For many years he was among the most-wanted international fugitives. He was ultimately captured by extra-judicial means in Sudan and transferred to France, where he was convicted of multiple crimes. He is currently serving three life sentences in France. In his first trial, he was convicted of the 1975 murder of an informant for the French government and two French counterintelligence agents.[6][7][8] While in prison, he was further convicted of attacks in France that killed 11 and injured 150 people and sentenced to an additional life term in 2011,[9][10] and then to a third life term in 2017.[11]

  1. ^ Clark, Nicola. "Ilich Ramírez (Carlos the Jackal) Sánchez". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (Carlos the Jackal) 1949". Historyofwar.org. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Feared Terrorist Mastermind Goes On Trial". Huffington Post. 6 November 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference shredder was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Carlos the Jackal's Parisian trail of destruction". RFI. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  6. ^ Morenne, Benoît (28 March 2017). "Carlos the Jackal Receives a Third Life Sentence in France". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Venezuela's Hugo Chavez defends 'Carlos the Jackal'". BBC News. UK. 21 November 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Communists want 'Carlos the Jackal' repatriated". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Carlos the Jackal convicted for 1980s French terrorist attacks". The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Carlos the Jackal given another life sentence for 1980s terror attack". The Guardian. London. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017.
  11. ^ "'Carlos the Jackal' sentenced to third life term for 1974 attack". abc.net.au. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017.