By MICHELE McPHEE and JOHN MARZULLI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Saturday, December 7th, 2002

A Colombian rebel group allegedly is plotting to kidnap former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Mexico City, prompting an investigation by a joint terrorist task force, the Daily News has learned.
Sources said the threat by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, surfaced last month around the time Giuliani was planning to travel to Mexico City.

The ex-mayor is advising Mexico City's mayor and police department on fighting crime.

A source described the threat as a discussion about the group abducting Giuliani and "what they would get" in return in terms of ransom.

"We do not believe it is something they could actually pull off," a Police Department source said.

Detective learned of plot

The threat came to light when a retired NYPD detective, who was on assignment in Mexico for Giuliani, got wind of the alleged plans, another law enforcement source told The News.

The FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force is treating the threat seriously, authorities said.

When asked to comment on the kidnapping plot, Giuliani let out a long laugh.

"I never comment on security. I have a long, long practice, way back when I was assistant U.S. attorney," said Giuliani, who had just finished a talk on the arts at Hunter College last night.

Giuliani has not gone to Mexico City since his consulting firm, The Giuliani Group, signed a $4.3 million deal to try and replicate New York's historic crime reductions south of the border.

He canceled last month's trip, in part because of the threat and because his itinerary in Mexico City became public.

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, a partner in The Giuliani Group, has made several trips to Mexico City, where he traveled under heavy guard provided by the Mexican authorities.

Giuliani is still assigned a full NYPD bodyguard detail, including an advance team.

The rebel group's possible motive is unclear. The group, which the United States considers an international terrorist organization, is responsible for hundreds of kidnappings and slayings in Colombia.

Its anti-government operations are believed to be financed by millions of dollars provided by Colombian drug kingpins, and Mexico is a key dropoff point in the drug pipeline to the United States.

Scores of abductions

According to a recent State Department report, the group was responsible for 120 kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Colombia and nearby South American countries.

Giuliani's continued NYPD protection has been debated by some police officials who think the millionaire ex-mayor should defray the cost.

For example, NYPD detectives watched over Giuliani and Judith Nathan on their trip to Portugal and on their recent sojourn to Paris, where they got engaged.

On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said there were "security concerns" regarding Giuliani that justified an NYPD detective detail, funded by taxpayers.

"We've made it a policy not to talk specifically about threats," Kelly said. "We think that there are security concerns that have arisen as a result of his public employment sufficient to warrant a protective detail."


source: NY Daily News