German Trace

GENOA/BERLIN/BAGHDAD Italian combatant Quattrochi was a member of an international organization of mercenaries which includes in its management a German citizen who was a founding member of the organization. Members of the mercenary International Bodyguard and Security Services Association (IBSSA) had been deployed in Kosovo and elsewhere and boasted of bloody contract jobs in Africa and Afghanistan. According to the IBSSA, the organization works for several western governments, including the USA. In Germany the organization is permitted to recruit unhindered for its anti human rights activities.

For a long time the German citizen, Fritz Wendland, functioned as ,,director general"of the IBSSA. Currently Wendland is a member of the ,,executive committee"and is listed as one of the six ,,honorary founding members"of the IBSSA. The IBSSA lists Julius Eugen Graf von Straehle as its contact. 1)Several leading IBSSA organizers recruited interested parties in Nuernberg, Germany, during the middle of March. Although the activities of this organization are illegal and punishable under German and international law, German officials did not intervene. Neither did they intervene during an armed defense-sports meet conducted by the IBSSA in Germany in 1999. The organization announced a ,,world congress"against ,,criminality and terrorism"to be held in Berlin in October of 2004.

High morals

The Italian press reports that several IBSSA activists are common criminals. 2)For example, the mercenary Quattrochi, who was shot in Iraq, came out of Genoa's questionable red light district. A colleague of Quattrochi is accused of murder. Other acquaintances have criminal records due to illegal gambling activities (i.e. video poker). The blood money for international mercenary gangs, contracted by western agencies, amounts to between 4,000 and 6,000 Euro monthly per person.

In spite of the criminal connections, under investigation by the Genoa prosecuting authority, the Italian government celebrates the mercenary Quattrochi as a ,,hero."The Corriere della Sera, considered a serious paper of the ruling majority, calls him a national role model of high morals who resurrected Italian virtues. All Italian media keep secret the names of the leaders of the international IBSSA who can be traced to Germany.

1) Mr. von Straehle has advised us that he discontinued his association with IBSSA in December of 2002 and his name has not appeared on their web site since the beginning of May 2004. For how long he actually served as the contact for Germany, we cannot establish.
2) A Genova la rabbia dei buttafuori; Il manifesto, 16.04.2004


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