'Carlos the Jackal' faces new trial

Jailed Venezuelan terrorist "Carlos the Jackal" is to face trial for his alleged role in deadly terror bombings in 1982 and 1983…

Jailed Venezuelan terrorist "Carlos the Jackal" is to face trial for his alleged role in deadly terror bombings in 1982 and 1983 in France, judicial officials said today.

A file photograph of Ramirez Sanchez also known as 'Carlos the Jackal'.
A file photograph of Ramirez Sanchez also known as 'Carlos the Jackal'.

Top anti-terror judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere — renowned for tracking down Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez — ordered him to stand trial for the four attacks, which killed 12 people and injured at least 100.

Ramirez, 57, is serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murders of two French secret agents and an alleged informer. He gained international notoriety as the Cold War-era mastermind of deadly bombings, killings and hostage dramas.

After years on the run, Ramirez was captured in Sudan in 1994 and hauled in a sack to Paris by French secret service agents. He was convicted three years later for the 1975 murders.

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Last year, Bruguiere wrapped up 20 years of investigations into Ramirez' possible role in the 1980s attacks.

The date of the trial has not been set. The judicial official provided no other details about the trial or Ramirez' suspect role in the attacks.

Ramirez has remained vocal from behind bars, and was convicted for saying in a 2004 TV interview that terror attacks are sometimes "legal".

A Paris court later overturned the conviction, ruling that the remarks were taken out of context.