FORMER CIA operative Frank Terpil has long been comfortable in the arms of dictators. But now it appears dictators are no longer comfortable with him.
The renegade Terpil, who fled the United States in 1980 while under investigation for illegal arms dealings, was convicted in absentia and sentenced by a New York court to 53 years in prison. In recent years, Terpil eluded justice by hiding out in such outlaw hot spots as Cuba, Libya and Lebanon.But according to published reports, Terpil is now being held under house arrest by Cuban authorities pending an investigation into his activities, making him the second American fugitive this year who's fallen out of favor with Fidel Castro. Terpil apparently annoyed the Cuban government after his questionable dealings with Canadian businessmen threatened to tarnish Cuba's efforts to expand its business ties with the outside world.
If this is indeed the end of the road for Terpil, it will mark the end of one of the darkest chapters in the annals of U.S. intelligence. For it was the skills that Terpil learned at the hands of his CIA mentors that helped him launch a career as a terrorist for hire, a mercenary who crossed paths with some of the world's most notorious dictators.
Along with partner Ed Wilson, also a former CIA man, Terpil helped supply Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi with arms and other terrorist devices and also helped train Gadhafi's men in the dark arts of terror. He allegedly supplied weaponry and explosives, including boobytraps disguised as ashtrays, lamps, alarm clocks, flower vases, radios and books to world terrorists.
Terpil apparently knew how to use his U.S. intelligence contacts to his full advantage. Although Terpil wasn't criminally charged until 1980, it's possible that the CIA knew about, and perhaps even condoned, his terrorist activities in Libya. According to top-secret Justice Department files reviewed at the time by our associate Dale Van Atta, there are several leads that indicate CIA connivance but which could never be followed up. The agency cooperated with investigators on some questions but stonewalled inquiries that threatened to hit too close to home.
Terpil loved to tell stories about his exploits, and he often advertised connections and relationships he didn't have. During the Iranian hostage crisis, for example, Terpil told exiled Ugandan strongman Idi Amin that if Amin intervened on America's behalf with Ayatollah Khomeni, Terpil would arrange to have all of Amin's 24 children admitted to the United States.
When he made this promise to Amin, however, Terpil had no authority to make deals on America's behalf.
But apparently Terpil's big mouth finally got the better of him. According to reports, it was Terpil's bragging that led the businessmen to complain about him. This, in turn, is what led to his detention.