Miscellaneous articles from media survey

Visitors to "Basel 2000" reacted enthusiastically to the services provided by the Tourist Guardian Angels and their hot Infomobiles. photo: Steph Berger

Basel, Switzerland
March 27, 2000
Basler Zeitung

Underway with the flying Guardian Angels

The simpler the idea - the greater its success. The six Infomobiles from "Basel Tourismus" won the hearts of tourists and fair visitors. Promoter Dennis Rhein believes this is the first operation of its kind in the world. He would love to operate the fleet year round.

Hard to believe that this never existed before. The idea behind it is simple: instead of stationary information booths, "Basel Tourismus" outfitted six vehicles with the "smart" Logo and prospectuses. Today they are sporadically winding their way through the city. The motto reads, "Welcome friendly Basel" ("Willkommen freundliches Basel"). Six young people are sitting behind the wheels. Anybody can stop them on the street and ask for help. Often they are parked with the tailgate door opened wide up where many tourists are passing by.

A "smart" operation

The drive-by contacts, however, rarely worked the first few days of the fair: "You have to make small talk to the people. Very few of them stop you spontaneously," said Sylvia Siegler. She is one of the six driver/guides. The female student therefore positions her vehicle with its pamphlets etc near the fair, downtown, by the airport or in front of the "Park & Ride" in Klybeck.

Moreover, the "Park & Ride" also appeared to be a huge success. The high point of activity there is at nine in the morning. Fair visitors arrive from all directions, lock up their cars and climb into an off-duty BVB bus. Sylvia and her business partner, Nausicaa Ruzza, have positioned themselves by the bus stop. The two like to work as a team. "It works better in a car with two people," Nausicaa explained.

The little "smart" fleet attracts people's attention everywhere, especially the visitors from out of the country. "Many of them are probably more interested in our car," Sylvia mentioned soberly. "Also, it is older people - Baslers - who talk with us, just because they're glad we're doing this." Certain shop owners have been trying to flirt with the young women. "But most of the people simply ask about things like streetcar numbers and hotel addresses, related Nausicaa. In the event that anything happens, every car has a mobile telephone. So far, everything has run smoothly. The good fairy with her "smarts" - Sylvia calls them "space ants" ["Atom ants"?] - appear to like their work. They're just not used to driving around.

A shot in the dark

Jan Kundert has also been playing motorized guardian angel. We waited with him a while for those seeking help at the Weil guest stop, then wound our way through the city a little bit and stopped at Muenster Square. The law student has specialized in pilot service: when a lost out-of-town driver looks in for help, Jan jumps out of his car, listens to the problem and takes his ward in tow to the destination. Later on he put himself at the entrance to the Steinen suburbs and competed with the recruiters from "Scientology" (they also are trying to show people the right way). Jan answered secular questions: "How do I make a collect call?" and "Where is downtown?"

Dennis Rhein, vice director of "Basel Tourismus," commands the small fleet. "People should have the feeling that one is concerned about them," stated Rhein. "It should appear as though these cars are all over the city." To that end he stays in steady contact with his drivers and directs them to where the demand is greatest. There is a daily report to discuss the tactics of the guardian angel patrols.

Future music

"If we want to do things better, we would have to have more cars," said Rhein. Actually, the fleet could be operated year round, with more or less "smarts" sent out to cruise at different times, Rhein believes: "'Welcome friendly' will go beyond the scope of the fair." In that case, "Basel Tourismus" would buy the vehicles, equip and document them better. Naturally that would cost a pile of money.

Matthias Wyssmann

Activities of about 500 psycho-sects

Berlin, Germany
April 10, 2000
Berliner Morgenpost

About 500 sects are active, according to a statement by the Evangelical State Church in Berlin. A market currently exists mainly for small psycho-providers, sect commissioner Thomas Gandow said yesterday in "berlin aktuell 93.6." Participants of such courses, however, often just lose much money. The "Boston Church" is especially active at this time. It was said to "carefully target" people for recruitment. Recruiters are underway on busses and trains and will "address people who are acting vulnerable." In the end, however, the group is concerned only with financial interests. Scientology is also active again, said Gandow. At the moment they have increased operations in Schoeneberg and Steglitz, because that is where their centers are. ddp

Konstanz, Germany
June 17, 2000
Saarbruecker Zeitung

Konstanz (epd). According to a decision from the Konstanz State Court, the media may reveal even indirect involvements of commercial operations with denominations of belief. Background reports on corporations were said to be a legitimate interest of the press, according to the decision published on Friday. This was especially valid "if a denomination of belief was active in commercial form."

In the specific case, the "Gut zum Leben" bio-products marketer (Marktheidenfeld, Wuerzburg) and sued the "Suedkurier" which appeared in Konstance to stop its critical statements (file number: Konstanz State Court O 241/00 S).

News from Sachsen

The CDU faces their next test of integrity in Zwickau

After Mayor Eichhorn's withdrawal from candidacy, Dietmar Vettermann will probably jump into the fracas

Zwickau, Germany
September 20, 2000
Freie Presse Lokales

Zwickau. Hardly has Zwickau Mayor Rainer Eichhorn (CDU) thrown in the towel out of the clear blue sky that his political party faces its next test of integrity: It is predicted that Vice Mayor and Planning Commissioner Dietmar Vettermann will jump into the fracas and enter the nominations for mayoral candidates against his party colleague, CDU faction chairman Frank Seidel. In Zwickau the mayoral election takes place in June 2001.

Since the 49-year-old Eichhorn tossed in his cards in one fell swoop late Monday afternoon, the valley city is no longer the way it was; rumor and speculation abound. Even Eichhorn's closest confidante in the council building, in politics and in business reacted as if he was still stunned. "I didn't hear of his decision until late Monday afternoon via cellular phone. I was shocked and couldn't believe it," said Vettermann yesterday, who, in the eyes of not a few CDU members, could and should follow in Eichhorn's footsteps.

Eichhorn, who has been the city's top man since May 30, 1990, making him the longest serving mayor in Sachsen, will not run again and, in June this coming year, will be cleaning out his desk in the council building. The main reason he gave was irreconcilable differences between him and several CDU council members. Although he did not name any names, who he means was clear: CDU faction chief Frank Seidel, who wants to be mayor himself and who would have run against incumbent Eichhorn. Now there will not be such a head-to-head struggle as Eichhorn has withdrawn from the running.

There is nothing new about conflict among the Christian Democrats in Zwickau. It had reared its head in the community elections in the year before last. After 43-year-old Seidel obtained the most individual votes, the CDU faction was not able to get past him - he was its chief. Since then it's been a different wind that blows, and not always to the advantage of Rainer Eichhorn. He has been a contrast to the popular Seidel, who is closer to the people, has come up with more of his own initiatives and relies less upon the construction of large, foolhardy projects. As the same time, the rift in the CDU has gotten deeper: in-house fighting, intrigue, indiscretion, as well as constant bickering has since split party and faction into two camps.

And Eichhorn does not feel like he's been betrayed and sold only by his own party members, he's also had to take the rap for various crises and scandals. It was mainly in dealing with Scientology that he could not do anything right. His critics accused him of going into battle only half-heartedly against the sect, which was growing wildly in Zwickau. When more shady dealings, irregularities and dubious machinations were exposed in the highly indebted "Standortentwicklungsgesellschaft Zwickau" (SEZ), the mayor fell under more fire - he currently bears responsibility for the SEZ debacle as the chairman of the oversight board. In the meantime, the commercial crimes department of the Chemnitz state attorney's office is investigating several people. The worst might still be to come, and Eichhorn could feel its effects.

Whether that investigation could have contributed to the mayor's withdrawal from the race may only be speculated upon. The only thing certain is that the strong Eichhorn backing inside the CDU is not ready to give up without a fight to faction chief Seidel.

Seen that way, there is some cause to believe that the Eichhornians would pull a new candidate for mayor out of their hat - Dietmar Vettermann. The Vice-mayor, true-blue and long-term companion of Rainer Eichhorn, would continue his politic. As of yesterday, Vetterman did not yet wish to make a comment: he said he would first have to go over the news of Eichhorn's departure and so could not say anything definite.

(raech)

Roberto loses bid for Volusia post
St. Petersburg Times
September 20, 2000

The Volusia County Council passed over former Clearwater City Manager Mike Roberto on Tuesday and offered the job of Volusia County manager to Cynthia Coto, the deputy county manager of neighboring Seminole County.

Roberto was one of four finalists vying to manage the county, which includes Daytona Beach. Originally, the County Council was split on which candidate members preferred. Roberto had impressed council members with his answers to a barrage of questions during an hourlong interview last week.

But the three members who wanted to hire Roberto threw their support to Coto during a Tuesday morning meeting.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/092000/NorthPinellas/Roberto_loses_bid_for.shtml

Stuttgart, Germany
October 7, 2000
Stuttgarter Nachrichten

On Appeal accepted

re: "Scientology comes up short," StN of 20 September

For many years various courts in Germany have decided that Scientology can be constituted as an association. Obviously the Stuttgart administration simply does not want to accept that. Numerous human rights organizations have reproached Germany for constant discrimination. There are many experts and decisions which confirm that Scientology is a religion. What bothers me personally is that for years there have been many positive court decisions on Scientology which are legally effective. Those are kept quiet while this acceptance of an appeal (no decision) once again makes headlines.

Gabi Schaer, Scientology Publicity Officer

Life in prison without parole for ax murderess

Overwhelming proof - Victim killed to assume her identity
Court: "Perpetrator wanted to be convicted"

Heilbronn, Germany
November 17, 2000
Heilbronner Stimme 2000

by Martin Oversohl

In the end, the proof against the young woman was simply too overwhelming. "Life in prison" was the sentence pronounced on Thursday in Stuttgart for the bloody deed, which has been making headlines as the "Altdorf Ax Murder."

It was stated that the 35-year-old woman, with a dozen blows to the head and neck, killed her victim in the summer of 1999, who was also 35 years old at the time. The motive: the murderess wanted to assume the identity of her victim and, in the view of the judges, wanted bring "the entire estate" into her own possession. The criminal court had no doubt as to the guilt of the former waitress.

"When one leaves a chain of evidence at the scene of the crime like in this case, one must conclude that the perpetrator absolutely wanted to be convicted." The body of the unemployed interpreter was found wrapped in a black plastic trash bag by her bed in the small village of Altdorf near Boeblingen.

Blood on the walls, on the curtains and on the dresser

Only one day later the woman who has now been convicted was apprehended in the vicinity of the victim's residence. She was driving the murdered woman's small car, had her identification cards as well as her cellular telephone with her and was even already spending the victim's money using her check book.

The police found a blood-stained ax in the car's storage space and the 35-year-old's fingerprints were found at the site as well as tracks from her gym shoes. The motive for murder, in the view of the state attorney and the court, was fear of punishment.

Prior to that the woman had stolen about 25,000 marks from her ex-boyfriend's grandmother, for which she had been sentenced to prison, suspended. However she said she was making payments back and should therefore not now be subject to the sentence.

As the reason she tried to switch identities, the accused said she was being persecuted by the Scientology organization. In her testimony, though, she was continually getting caught up in her own conflicting statements.

The case was clear to the court and the state attorney's office. In seeking a new identity, the former waitress sought out and murdered a woman of her own age. The 35-year-old woman found out about her victim-to-be from a help wanted ad.

She drugged the former interpreter in her residence and killed her. [...]

Legislative Proposal

Religions to be protected from insult?

The following was forwarded from El Awadalla on de.soc.weltanschauung.scientology who forwarded it from Alfons Pasulke of de.soc.zensur

Berlin, Germany
November 24, 2000
http://www.bundestag.de/aktuell/hib/hib00/0028405.htm

The CDU/CSU would like to obtain better protection from insult for religious and weltanschauung beliefs.

The faction's legislative proposal (14/4558) therefore has the goal of changing a relevant regulation of the criminal code (StGB, § 166).

According to what the representatives propose, this type of insult should not be punishable if it is likely to disturb the public peace.

Rather the respect of the religious and weltanschauung mandate of tolerance, and by means of this religious sensitivity, should be protected.

The characteristic of the likelihood to disturb the public peace would therefore have to be deleted from the StGB regulations.

In order to avoid collision with the freedoms of art and of opinion outlined by Basic Law, not every negative value-judgment, according to what the Union wants, will be categorized as insult, but only those which contain a "particularly hurtful expression of disrespect in form and content."

The CDU/CSU bases its initiative on the standard in the criminal codes book being interpreted in verbal and written judgments in such a way so that it is no longer sufficient to protect religious or weltanschauung convictions.

As experience in the recent past has shown, the attacks, particularly on on Christian denominations, have increased in bitterness and intensity.

Examples were said to be the "benediction" of homosexuals by a former prostitute in pope-like garb during a demonstration against the Pope's visit in Berlin in June 1996, as well as nude shots at an alter in the Cologne Cathedral the month after.

More and more films and plays are paying less heed to measures of tolerance and respect to the religious convictions of others, continued the CDU/CSU.

It was said that many citizens and church officials reacted with "outrage and concern" at these type of attacks and appealed to authorities with petitions, law suits and criminal charges.

The numerous decisions by state attorney's offices and courts refusing basis for charges as the public peace not having been disturbed are increasingly met with misunderstanding on the part of those who are most affected.

Deutscher Bundestag * Pressezentrum * Platz der Republik 1 * 11011 Berlin Verantwortlich: Uta Martensen
Redaktionsmitglieder: Dr. Bernard Bode, Rainer Büscher, Michael Klein, Sabrina Möller, Dr. Volker Müller, Siegfried Wolf

Embrach

Town council prohibits citizens commission's planned anti-psychiatry rally

Banned for libelous leaflet

Zurich, Switzerland
December 14, 2000
Zuercher Unterlaender

by Jonathan Engmann

On Saturday the Citizens Commission for Human Rights wanted to hold a silent march in Embrach for the victims of psychiatry. The town council prohibited that because of a leaflet with questionable text.

"In the schools psychiatry is daily ruining our future: it puts children on drugs and destroys their concepts of value." It was this sentence, above anything else in the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) leaflet, which caused the Embrach town council to prohibit the anti-psychiatry rally planned for Saturday.

Attack on Schools

"This statement is slanderous and suggests that drugs are doled out by the public hand. That is a direct attack on our schools," founded Embrach Town Council President Albert Berbier the official denial. Berbier further stated, "There are drug problems in many communities. We will not have our efforts in that regard undermined by such untrue attacks."

Wrongly interpreted

Felix Altorfer of the CCHR has no understanding for the prohibition. He said the leaflet they submitted was merely a sample. It had not actually been meant that this would be one of the ones to be handed out. Besides that, he said, its contents had been wrongly interpreted. "Basically what we're doing is bringing to the public's attention the victims of psychiatric methods of treatment," explained Altorfer. He said that Embrach, as the nearest community to the Hard Psychiatric Center, was representative of psychiatry all over Switzerland. He said they had already held similar demonstrations in front of several psychiatric clinics without them ever having been prohibited.

No violations known

CCHR Switzerland, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, is the local branch of the international organization by the same name with 125 branches in 27 countries. The association, described as apolitical and charitable, was founded by the Scientology Church and psychiatry professor Thomas Szasz in 1969 and lets on that it is exposing psychiatry's violations of human rights. CCHR has no actual examples of violations in the Hard Clinic, as Altorfer admitted.

After the CCHR sounded out the local police, representatives of the Hard Clinic, the Canton police and the Buelach City Police and found there was a positive attitude toward the clinic, the organization presumed that Berbier "had exerted his influence as a member of the Hard Clinic's oversight committee." "Wrong," reacted Berbier. He said for one thing he was not in the oversight commission, but was a member of the cantonal psychiatry commission. For another the prohibition was a decision by the entire town council and no one individual.

Assembly instead of a rally

The CCHR filed for recourse at the district hall. According to Altorfer they would meet on Saturday in Embrach one way or another. If there were a negative response to their request, he said the approximately 100 expected demonstration participants would then hold an assembly. Whether that would violate the official prohibition on Saturday would have to be checked on Saturday based on the current situation, explained Berbier.

Responsible for new religious and ideological communities and psycho-groups:

New jurisdictions for the Scientology Task Force

Hamburg, Germany
January 16, 2001
Press release
http://www.hamburg.de/Behoerden/Pressestelle/welcome.htm

Today the Senate decided on a change in the responsibility concerning the child and youth assistance law from the Agency for Schools, Youth and Vocational Education to the Interior Agency. As a result the Interior Agency's Scientology Task Force (AGS) gets an assignment which is part of educational youth protection. It concerns the dangers which can arise for children and youth from new religious and ideological communities and psycho-groups.

As a result the AGS is the uppermost state youth agency in this field. The Senate transferred the corresponding missions to the Interior Agency because the AGS is already involved in separating certain groups from Scientology and other psycho-groups in terms of ideology, methods of operation and special risks, said Interior Senator Hartmuth Wrocklage on Tuesday. Special attention in this area will be given to occultism and so-called "Satanism." "It's clear in this area that many individuals and groups cannot be definitively categorized. Clear definitive terms are necessary. That also goes for increased explanation of who is dealing with whom in this area," said Wrocklage.

The transfer of mission to the Interior Agency will lead to the merger of responsibilities in connection with the dealings with so-called new religious and ideological communities and psycho-groups. By this merger, this important state mission will be better and more effectively fulfilled in the future.

This page contains three entries:

  1. Exonerated man admits murdering Olof Palme
    Stockholm, Sweden
    October 29, 2001
    TagesAnzeiger
  2. Bid Harrington's October 29, 2001 post to a.r.s.
  3. Bid Harrington's May 5, 2001 post to a.r.s.
  4. A man died in a bomb explosion in Sweden
    Stockholm, Sweden
    December 24, 1983
    Kouvolan Sanomat

Exonerated man admits murdering Olof Palme

Stockholm, Sweden
October 29, 2001
TagesAnzeiger
http://tagesanzeiger.ch

Stockholm. - Christer Pettersson, a Swedish man who was convicted of the murder of Olof Palme and then later let free, has now stated that he committed the murder of the Swedish Minister President in 1986. "I did the shooting," said the man, who is 54 years old today. "But they'll never convict me. The weapon is gone," stated the drug-addicted alcoholic. Last week Lisbet Palme made her first public statement ever about the assassination. She said she had been sure that Pettersson was correctly identified in the line-up, even though the Swedish court did not believe her, said the widow of the popular Social Democrat. (SDA/AFP)

[...]

"Hyttinen worked for the GO as well as for CCHR [Citizens Commission for Human Rights - a Scientology front group] and took Scientology courses. Hyttinen's friend in CCHR, Lars Tingstroem, had been sentenced to prison for this crime, but he disputed any participation in it up to his death in April 1993. Tingstroem asserted that it was the Scientologist Hyttinen who made the bombs. In his last statement by by his attorney, Tingstroem said that he also knew who had murdered the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986. Tingstroem and Hyttinen were both friends of the main suspect for Palme's murder, Christer Pettersson."

(...)

Pettersson is referred to as Petersson in a following statement. 

 
      From:   Bid, Angel_of_Xenu
Newsgroups:   alt.religion.scientology
   Subject:   Re: Palme assassination update
      Date:   29 Oct 2001 20:34:53 +0100

Below is additions and amendments of the earlier debrief. They were done by Rolf Sjogren in a meeting with Birgitta on the 2nd of August 2001.

Bid

Abbreviations and explanations 

AG SWE  Assistant Guardian for Sweden
B1      Bureau 1 (Intelligence Section) of the GO
CCHR    Citizens Committee of Human Rights
Church  Church of Scientology
CMO     Commodore Messengers Org
C of S  Church of Scientology
GAS     Guardian Activities Scientologist (GO volunteer)
GO      Guardian's Office
Org     Scientology organization (office, church, mission)
OSA     Office of Special Affairs
PI      Private Investigator
Squirrel        A defector who offers services that the Church
considers illegal competition

Police Investigations

1980

In March 1980 the Chief prosecutor of Sweden, Erik Östberg led a series of police raids of the Scientology church of Malmö, because of suspected tax evasion. The "Treasury Secretary", B. Wiberg, was arrested. During a conversation within the GO it was said that he confessed some things to the police and that he was shaken. Daily reports from his confessions made their way to the GO in Malmö. A few days later the media reported that a security guard within the police department, P. Duttlinger, was a Scientologist.

In response to the confessions of Wiberg, the GO created false receipts of incoming money, showing religious services". The GO Offices in Malmö and Stockholm had "safe rooms" for collecting sensitive files that could potentially get into the hands of the police. As a result of the tax evasion investigation, the "Church of Scientology of Sweden" filed bankruptcy in 1986, after that the Tax Office demanded back taxes for three consecutive years.

In 1980, during a raid of Stockholm Org, the GO managed to copy the Police search warrant orders! A GO staff member noticed that the Chief Inspector forgot to carry with him his suitcase while running around in the org trying a stop the GO (Boo Jonsson, Bo Strandman, Rolf Sjogren and others) from distracting the investigation. The Police was busy trying to locate Treasury financial records. A "chain" of people handed documents from the suitcase (in AG SWE's office) to the copy machine, and the copies ended up in a hidden stack of documents in the ceiling of B1...

Hyttinen, bomb assaults

1981

In 1981, Hannu Hyttinen sought help from the CCHR chapter in Stockholm. Hyttinen and his wife had earlier immigrated to Sweden from S:t Mickelstad (Mikkeli ?) in Finland. Hyttinen's wife suffered from a mental illness, and one day she was found with cigarette burns all over her chest. Hyttinen was suspected of maltreatment of her and apprehended by the Police, but he himself claimed the burns to be caused by drug pushers she was in contact with. A friend of him contacted CCHR during a radio talk show and despite being sentenced to psychiatric care, Hyttinen with the assistance of CCHR got out of Beckomberga Mental Hospital in Stockholm after just a week! Prior to Beckomberga, Hyttinen was kept at Huddinge Forensic Psychiatric Clinic (RPK Huddinge) for mental evaluation. A certain Professor Lars Lidberg headed RPK Huddinge. He discovered Hyttinen's particular knowledge of psychiatry (mainly CCHR indoctrination) and at every occasion Medical Doctors in training visited the RPK, Hyttinen was allowed to take care of them for an hour or so, telling about psychiatry in general and his own experience in particular! After the release from the Beckomberga Hospital, Hyttinen assisted CCHR in many actions. During an event at Karsudden Mental Hospital for the Criminally Insane, the Police arrested Hyttinen when he refused to leave the premises.

1981/1982

Hyttinen told Birgitta that 1981/1982 he had bugged a chair during a meeting in Karsudden. He did it while being present as a CCHR agent, doing an official investigation. During the time Birgitta knew Hyttinen, he was very hostile towards any kind of psychology, psychiatry, social work or any type of government institution.

At that time Rolf Sjogren was the head of the CCHR chapter. He was posted within the GO Stockholm, PR branch.

Sjogren considered Hyttinen dangerous, and he once warned Birgitta to stay at his place, when Hyttinen offered her his apartment to stay overnight. During that time he had another man living there. Sjogren didn't say why he considered Hyttinen as dangerous to Birgitta.

Lars Tingström was an old friend and employee of Hyttinen, who had a small repair company. It is possible that he was the man, who stayed with him in the apartment. The CCHR-Stockholm was mainly composed of Sjogren and M. Nyman, who is OSA-staff today. They recruited interested people like Hyttinen and R. Wersocki-Lind, who had been Scientologist for a long time before. He had a locksmith company, worked for the Flag Service Consultant Office as well as for the GO. Before be joined Scientology he had been convicted for bank robbery. In a statement to Birgitta, he meant, that be was sentenced for probation in the trial, because he had said he had changed through Scientology.

1982

In July 1982 the villa of the Swedish prosecutor Denckert was bombed and his son-in-law got killed. Lars Tingström, friend and former employee of Hyttinen, was suspected of the assault. The motif was apparently Tingström's hatred against Swedish authorities (several bankruptcies) and Denckert. During the investigation, Tingström bugged and tape recorded the phone of his ex-fiancée and discovered that Denckert had a sex affair with her. Since she was Denckert's witness, this constituted an unheard of violation of Police impartialness!

In 1982 Tingström came to CCHR (Sjogren) but failed to supply the recording tapes, so Sjogren called off a planned media exposé. Later (in 1992) the scandal did blow up in Swedish newspapers. Tingström was an electronic genius and in 1983 actually worked for a Damascus situated terrorist group, Black September. However, he was convicted for this and other bomb assaults and received a life sentence.

As a side comment, Tingström met and befriended Christer Pettersson, later to become main suspect of the murder of the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme.

1983

In February 1983, a bomb placed inside the Stockholm Tax Office exploded and killed an employee. Three hours before the explosion an ex-Scientologist, Tore Hedström, was seen kneeing before the building. Hedström, who left the C of S in 1969, was weirdly dressed in a Muslim like skirt. He was soon excluded from the suspect list, as being crazy. After a thorough technical investigation Hyttinen, however, was connected to the assault. In August the building of the Nacka District Court (south of Stockholm) was bombed.

Shortly after, on September 13th, Hyttinen got arrested for the bombings. Since the police suspected Hyttinen for two of the bombings, Sjogren took the arrest seriously and was concerned about a possible threat for Scientology. Approximately two weeks after his arrest Hyttinen was set free, as the police couldn't prove his involvement in the bombings.

In December 23rd, a bomb in his apartment in Stockholm killed Hannu Hyttinen. In a letter sent to his mother few days before he died, he mentioned that he "was part of the Scientology terror group". He also said that he feared about his life, as the Swedish Police was corrupt. Shortly after his death, Lars Tingström was arrested and stayed in jail until summer 1984.

OSA, CCHR

1981

Sjogren, while responsible for CCHR activities in Stockholm area, wanted to know what patients were involuntary committed to Ulleråker Mental Hospital in Uppsala. He ordered a GAS, KJ, to go there to pull whatever files he could. He managed to "borrow" the main keys of the hospital, and after having impersonated an M.D. got a few patients medical records...

1983

Leif Nordström and B Strandman opened a private investigators office in Stockholm, "Detecta Info Consult. Both were kicked out off the Guardian's Office in 1982, but continued their work for the GO, and later for OSA from their company. The company is still operating today. They also opened a company "Inventor Trading", specializing in electronic equipment.

Late 1983, while Sjogren headed OSA Sweden, he, Nordström and Strandman emptied an external files basement, located at Wallingatan in Stockholm (between Drottninggatan and Upplandsgatan). Around ten filing cabinets and huge piles of documents were investigated and some 1,500 kilos of documents with poor present value were thrown in a truck, transported to a dump and burned. The docs contained information about private individuals, suspected or proven hostile to the C of S (government officials, defectors, priests, etc), debriefs from events, and various other things.

At some prior point in time, as response to an official investigation, Sjogren ascertained that the C of S did not keep any records of private individuals...

The main activities of CCHR concentrated towards the closing of psychiatric hospitals, doing investigations and exposing abuses done by the psychiatrists. The GO program's name was "Psychs Behind Bars". While Birgitta was doing other PR-actions, Sjogren concentrated mainly on his CCHR-campaigns.

During that year, the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme elected a committee composed of scientific experts that was supposed to look into the usage of high dosages of vitamins and the "Purification Rundown".

Treatment of Church staff and defectors

1982

In December 1982 it happened that many staff of the Guardian's Office in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg were thrown out by an "ethics"-mission. Before that a meeting in the Hotel Nordland in Copenhagen took place, where all the GO-staff had been ordered to attend. Guillaume Lesevre, Jesse Prince and Ray Mithoff were some of the missionaries. The GO bad been told that they were out-ethics and that most of the GO-staff had to leave their positions. After this meeting just four staff were left in the GO's of Sweden: Sjogren (Stockholm), Birgitta (Malmö), A. Dysholm (Gothenburg) and M. Persson (Narconon Malmö). During that time CMO missions closed down the Guardian's Offices in Europe.

82 of the GO-staff members were put on the DPF in Copenhagen. Birgitta graduated in March and was assigned to the new "Office of External Affairs" for Europe in Malmö, after she had signed the Sea Org contract. As she refused to be responsible for all Europe matters of the new office, Birthe Held was soon elected to be the new chief of Europe. Birgitta was now mainly concerned with re-establishing the Swedish org in Malmö, which had been nearly collapsed, after an "ethics"-mission was sent to the org and had driven out the staff and public Scientologists.

Also around that time the tax office sent two agents to Malmö org to look into the finance records. Sjogren came from Stockholm to assist them.

In April Birgitta was sent to Los Angeles to brief the "Special Unit" composed of Scientology executives. Present were also lawyers of the Church. Among them were Alan Cartwright and Henning Heldt. Birgitta briefed them about the Palme Committee and opponents to Scientologists in Sweden. After doing some PR work in the Guardian's Office and for the lawyers she was then sent back to Malmö.

1983

In 1983, Kerry Gleason, the resigned former International Executive Director of Church of Scientology was in Stockholm. Birgitta was supposed to "handle" him, but not to get in direct contact with him. Despite the order she met with him in a café and had a conversation with him, about an alleged ethics program he was on, and about the new management and the new "squirrel groups" in the United States. Due to the unauthorized meeting with Gleason, Birgitta got an ethics hearing, was suspended from post and had later a Board of Investigation on her.

Birgitta didn't appear in the org at that time, but was forced to appear on nightlong ethics hearings at the "FOLO" in Copenhagen. She became ill, returned to Malmö and moved to the hospital for three days. Missionaries from the Sea Org were sent to their home, demanding her to return to the FOLO. Birgitta refused. When her husband was pressured to separate from her, she finally gave in and went back to the FOLO on December 18th. She had hearings during the nights, was constantly guarded and all her possessions was confiscated. At 4 am on December 22 , the hearings were finished and after she was pressured to sign an affidavit, in which she stated, "that she was warning about squirrel groups". She was also ordered to stay away from the Church.

1984

In April Sjogren, who was working for OSA in Stockholm and for the RTC, asked Birgitta for an appointment. That took place at the Main Railway Station in Stockholm on 3rd and 4th of April. Sjogren said that various agents were placed within the "squirrel" groups, and that the GO-actions were nothing in comparison with the OSA activities. Someone had visited him from RTC, who urged him to report squirrels and cooperate with the police. He asked Birgitta to become one of his agents, so he could tell RTC she would cooperate with the Church. Birgitta refused the offer.

On April 10th, the police at the Arlanda Airport in Stockholm arrested a so-called "squirrel" Stefan Sahlvall, when he returned from the US. This took place on behalf of Sjogren, who made a deal with a policeman, to whom he delivered pieces of the pc folder of Sahlvall as evidence for laundering money in exchange for allegedly stolen OT material, which hadn't been found at him at the arrest.

One day later, Todde Sahlen of Gothenburg, another "squirrel" starts to write a series of letters to the police and various newspapers, stating that he feels threatened by Sjogren.

During another meeting with Birgitta, Sjogren stated that he could kill Sahlen and that the end justifies the means. He told her not to tell anybody anything.

Due to a rumor of being the target of a tax investigation, Birgitta contacted the police in May 1984 and at a meeting was shown a letter where A. Dysholm of Gothenburg alleges her to be responsible for the finances of the Malmö organization, due to an annual meeting. At that time the organization was threatened to get bankrupt if 96.000 SEK (9.600 USD) weren't paid within a few days to the Tax Office. Birgitta was found to be not guilty of the false accusations and that the record of the annual meeting was falsified.

June 12th, Sjogren, Wersocki-Lind, Nyman and Dysholm, who placed their cars in front of his, prohibited Todde Sahlen to go to work. When the Gothenburg police was called, Sjogren alarmed the police of Stockholm with his walkie-talkie. They arrived within minutes and took over. Without authorization they moved into the house, searched the place and took belongings. Sahlen was taken to his company, where the police confiscated all his money and different papers. Later he got arrested on behalf of District Attorney Stettler from Stockholm.

During the night of the same day OSA Stockholm searched Britt-Marie Mossberg. For that purpose they went to her mother, and found out that she is visiting Marie-Louise Krusell.

Sjogren, Wersocki-Lind and Nyman went to Krusell's place and tried to get into the apartment. After calling the Gothenburg police, the three men and other Scientologists from the org were forced to leave the place. They returned at 1 or 2 am, screaming on the street with Wersocki-Lind holding a gun. The police was again called and they made certain that they left the city. Sjogren (now Palmgren), who headed the operation, can't recall ever having seen a gun, much less a Magnum revolver, in the hands of Wersocki-Lind. Sjogren can confirm that Wersocki-Lind owned one of the earlier mobile phones, by which he called Krusell's apartment from his car. It's beyond Sjogren's judgment whether this phone was mistakenly confused with a gun.

During the next day, Sahlen's wife, Renee, was called for a police interview. Together with her friend Chia she appeared at the police station in Gothenburg. Prosecutor Stettler and policeman Öberg led the interview. During the interview Öberg was heard to call Sjogren, who had returned to Stockholm, and saying to him in a mild and friendly tone, that he should stop the harassment while the police investigation was on going. After he hang up, he told Renee, that she shouldn't suspect, he would act on behalf of the church or would cooperate with them. The next day Todde Sahlen was set free. He later was found not guilty regarding the accusations.

Birgitta never returned to the org after December 1983 and in July 1984 Birgitta received her SP-declare.

On August 23rd a journalist told Birgitta that he knew about two Scientologists who were involved in drug trafficking. One of them was Julek Wersocki, the brother of Roger Wersocki-Lind. They would use a Scientology company called "Pro-Life" for it. A few days later he mentioned that a member of the Palme commission, Jan-Ove Hansen was also involved in this.

On August 30, while being at her mother in Stockholm, Birgitta called her daughter in Helsingborg to find out how she was doing. Her daughter told her that Sjogren had previously called her. Birgitta phoned back to Sjogren in his office. He denied calling her daughter and said it was Leif Nordström from the private agency "Detecta". Sjogren gave the telephone number of Nordström to Birgitta, who called then the agency. Nordström explained to Birgitta, that it was easy to get her secret number and address, also due to the fact that he had contacts within the phone company. He asked her twice, if she didn't care about her life. Birgitta felt threatened and reported the matter to the police.

A police investigation into the infiltration of the Scientology agents began in September. It became known that the cooperation between the police and the Scientologists started in the year 1980, after the raid. The policeman Öberg was fired from the police.

On February 28th, 1986 Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot to death with a Magnum 357 in Stockholm, after he had gone to a movie together with his wife and his son.

In July 1987 Sjogren stated to Birgitta that he had changed his last name to Palmgren (maiden name of his mother).

In April 1986 Marie-Louise Krusell stated to Birgitta that she knew who had killed Palme. 12 years later Birgitta learned that Krusell had died. Date of death is unknown.

In November of 1986 Lars Tingström's attorney Pelle Svensson was the subject of repeated harassment from OSA International, who reported him on several legal abuses to the bar of lawyers. He was designed as a program "to be handled", and due to his sayings there is a connection between the bombings, the Palme murder and Scientology.

In July 1987 Sjogren contacted and told Birgitta that he had left Scientology and the Sea Org in March 1987, due to "out-ethics" (financial irregularities and out-2D). He had been posted in Italy, and prior to that he was sent from his office in Stockholm to RTC, Los Angeles/Hemet CA.

Prior to Tingström's death of liver cancer in 1993, he confessed to Pelle Svensson that not only was he responsible for the four assault bombs, but he claimed to have forced Christer Pettersson to shoot Prime Minister Palme. The Attorney General took the confession seriously and appealed to the Supreme Court to reopen the case against Pettersson. The attempt failed however.

Special Mission work

1985

Sjogren lead a six months "squirrel handling" mission to Switzerland. He brought in 25,000 Danish Kronor for "investigatory purposes" without reporting it to neither Swiss nor Danish authorities.

At a get together in 1985, Sjogren met Gavino Idda, who headed a similar mission in Italy at the time. Idda boasted that he hired a PI who bribed a head of the dreaded Guardia di Finanza (The Finance Police) in Milano with an expensive gold watch and some thousands of dollars. The result was a raid of the premises of a "squirrel group", accompanied with bad media for the group.

1986

Sjogren got files from the Milano District Court by bribing an official (less than $100). 

From: Birgitta 
Subject: Correction "Debrief" 
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Date: 2001-05-01 15:25:53 PST

For authenticity sake, I found that Joe did not write most of this text which I thought when I found it in his file. Originally it was three of us who made this work together. It was me, Joe and someone else.

Later on, Joe added a lot of more details into it after he had asked me more questions. So the background, my diary and words are the same, but it has mainly another author.

Bid

On Mon, 30 Apr 2001 16:01:59 +0200, Birgitta wrote:

This dirty story is a write-up made by my deceased husband Joe Harrington last year. There is more details to be filled in as Joe didn't get the time to finish it fully. It is based on his debrief on me, my diary and newspaper clippings. I have been very much in doubt about posting it, but I feel now that it must be told.

I didn't really understand how much I knew and that CofS could feel threatened about my memories and diary until I looked back on this written record of events. The Hyttinen letter to his mother written a couple of days before he was killed, will be posted separately.

Bid

"Debrief"

In March 1980 the Chief prosecutor of Sweden, Erik Osterberg led a series of police raids of the Scientology church of Malmoe, because of suspected tax evasion. The "Treasury Secretary", B. Wiberg, was arrested. During a conversation within the GO it was said that he confessed some things to the police and that he was shaken. Daily reports from his confessions made their way to the GO in Malmoe. A few days later the media reported that a security guard within the police department, P. Duttlinger, was a Scientologist.

In response to the confessions of Wiberg, the GO created false receipts of incoming money, showing "religious services". The GO Offices in Malmoe and Stockholm had "safe rooms" for collecting sensitive files that could potentially get into the hands of the police. As a result of the tax evasion investigation the "Church of Scientology of Sweden" filed bankruptcy in 1986, after back taxes for three consecutive years were demanded by the Tax Office.

In 1981, Hannu Hyttinen sought help from the CCHR-chapter in Stockholm. He had been a patient in a mental clinic in Finland and also in the Karsudden-hospital, in the city of Katrineholm, Sweden. It is not clear what his initial purpose was, but he offered to help CCHR in their operations against Karsudden. Karsudden is mainly a hospital for the more severe cases, like psychopaths.

Hyttinen told Birgitta that 1981/1982 he had bugged a chair during a meeting in Karsudden. He had done that while being present there as an CCHR agent, doing an official investigation. During the time Birgitta knew Hyttinen, he was very hostile towards any kind of psychology, psychiatry, social work or any type of government institution.

R. Sjogren, was at that time the head of the CCHR-chapter. He was posted within the GO Stockholm, PR-branch.

Hyttinen was considered dangerous by Sjogren, and he once warned Birgitta to stay at his place, when Hyttinen offered her his apartment to stay overnight. During that time he had another man living there. Sjogren didn't say why he considered Hyttinen as dangerous to Birgitta.

Lars Tingstrom was also an activist for CCHR, both friend and employee of Hyttinen, who had a small repair company. It is possible that he was the man, who stayed with him in the apartment. The CCHR-Stockholm was mainly composed of Sjogren and M. Nyman, who is OSA-staff today. They recruited interested people like Hyttinen and R. Wersocki-Lind, who had been Scientologist for a long time before. He had a locksmith-company, worked for the Flag Service Consultant Office as well as for the GO. Before he joined Scientology he had been convicted for bank robbery. In a statement to Birgitta, he meant, that he was sentenced for probation in the trial, because he had said he had changed through Scientology.

In 1983 a private investigators office, "Detecta Info Consult", was opened by L. Nordstrom and B. Strandman in Stockholm. Both were kicked out off the Guardian's Office in 1982, but continued their work for the GO, and later for OSA from their company. The company is still operating today. They also opened a company "Inventor Trading", specializing in electronic equipment.

The main activities of CCHR concentrated towards the closing of psychiatric hospitals, doing investigations and exposing abuses done by the psychiatrists. The GO program's name was "Psychs Behind Bars". While Birgitta was doing other PR-actions, Sjogren concentrated mainly on his CCHR-campaigns.

During that year the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme elected a committee composed of scientific experts that was supposed to look into the usage of high doses of vitamins and the "Purification Rundown".

In July 1982 the villa of the Swedish prosecutor Denckert was bombed and his son-in-law got killed.

In December 1982 it happened that many staff of the Guardian's Office in Stockholm, Malmoe and Gothenburg were thrown out by an "ethics"-mission. Before that a meeting in the Nordland-hotel in Copenhagen took place, where all the GO-staff had been ordered to attend. Guillaume Lesevre, Jesse Prince and Ray Mithoff were some of the missionaires. The GO had been told that they were out-ethics and that most of the GO-staff had to leave their positions. After this meeting just four staff were left in the GO's of Sweden: Sjogren (Stockholm), Birgitta (Malmoe), A. Dysholm (Gothenburg) and M. Persson (Narconon Malmoe).

In February 1983 several floors in the big tax office building in Stockholm were blown out from a bomb. Shortly before the explosion Hyttinen and an electronic educated Scientologist were seen in the building.

During that time the Guardian's Offices in Europe were closed down by CMO missions.

82 of the GO-staff members were put on the DPF in Copenhagen. Birgitta graduated in March and was assigned to the new "Office of External Affairs" for Europe in Malmoe, after she had signed the Sea Org contract. As she refused to be responsible for all Europe matters of the new office, Birthe Held was soon elected to be the new chief of Europe. Birgitta was now mainly concerned with re-establishing the Swedish org in Malmo, which had been nearly collapsed, after an "ethics"-mission was sent to the org and had driven out the staff and public Scientologists.

Also around that time the tax office sent two agents to Malmoe org to look into the finance records. Sjogren came from Stockholm to assist them.

In April Birgitta was sent to Los Angeles to brief the "Special Unit" composed of Scientology-executives. Present were also lawyers of the Church. Among them were Alan Cartwright and Henning Heldt. Birgitta briefed them about the Palme-Committee and opponents to Scientologists in Sweden. After doing some PR-work in the Guardian's Office and for the lawyers she was then sent back to Malmoe.

In August 1983 the building of the Tax Enforcement Office in Nacka near Stockholm was bombed.

Shortly after, on September 13th, Hyttinen got arrested for the bombings. The arrest was taken seriously by Sjogren, who was concerned about a possible threat for Scientology, as the police suspected Hyttinen for two of the bombings. In his function as a case officer Sjogren had recruited an police officer named Oberg within the Stockholm police. With his help he could manage to visit Hyttinen in his cell and "sec-check" him with his e-meter. Sjogren told Birgitta later, that the e-meter had shown, that Hyttinen was clean on the bombings.

At the same time Kerry Gleeson, the resigned former International Executive Director of Church of Scientology was in Stockholm. Birgitta was supposed to "handle" him, but not to get in direct contact with him. Despite the order she met with him in a cafe and had a conversation with him, about an alleged ethics program he was on, and about the new management and the new "squirrel groups" in the United States. Due to the unauthorized meeting with Gleeson, Birgitta got an ethics hearing, was suspended from post and had later a Board of Investigation on her.

Approximately two weeks after his arrest Hyttinen was set free, as the police couldn't prove his involvement in the bombings. Birgitta didn't appear in the org at that time, but was forced to appear on night-long ethics hearings at the "FOLO" in Copenhagen. She became ill, returned to Malmoe and moved to the hospital for three days. Missionaires from the Sea Org were sent to their home, demanding her to return to the FOLO. Birgitta refused. When her husband was pressured to separate from her, she finally gave in and went back to the FOLO on December 18th. She had hearings during the nights, was constantly guarded and all her possession was confiscated. At 4 am on December 22nd, the hearings were finished and after she was pressured to sign an affidavit, in which she stated, "that she was warning about squirrel groups". She was also ordered to stay away from the Church.

In December 23rd, 1983 Hannu Hyttinen was killed by a bomb in his apartment in Stockholm. In a letter sent to his mother few days before he died, he mentioned that he "was part of the Scientology terror group". He also said that he feared about his life, as the Swedish Police was corrupt. Shortly after his death, Lars Tingstrom, his friend was arrested and stayed in jail until summer 1984. In a press article from July 6th, 1988, Sjogren admitted to have been at the apartment after the explosion, on the same day.

In April 1984 Sjogren, who was at that time working for OSA in Stockholm and for the RTC, asked Birgitta for an appointment. That took place at the central station in Stockholm on 3rd and 4th of April. Sjogren said that various agents were placed within the "squirrel"-groups, and that the GO-actions were nothing in comparison with the OSA-activities. He had been visited by someone from RTC, who urged him to report squirrels and cooperate with the police. He asked Birgitta to become one of his agents, so he could tell RTC she would cooperate with the Church. Birgitta refused the offer.

On April 10th, a so-called "squirrel" Stefan Sahlvall was arrested by the police at the Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, when he returned from the US. This took place on behalf of Sjogren, who made a deal with a policeman, to whom he delivered pieces of the pc-folder of Sahlvall as evidence for laundering money in exchange for allegedly stolen OT-material, which hadn't been found at him at the arrest.

One day later, Todde Sahlen of Gothenburg, another "squirrel" starts to write a series of letters to the police and various newspapers, stating that he feels threatened by Sjogren.

During another meeting with Birgitta, Sjogren stated that he could kill Sahlen and that the end justifies the means. He told her not to tell anybody anything.

Due to a rumor of being the target of a tax investigation, Birgitta contacted the police in May 1984 and at a meeting was shown a letter where A. Dysholm of Gothenburg alleges her to be responsible for the finances of the Malmoe organization, due to an annual meeting. At that time the organization was threatened to get bankrupt if 96.000 SEK (9.600 USD) weren't paid within a few days to the Tax Office. Birgitta was found to be not guilty of the false accusations and that the record of the annual meeting was falsified.

June 12th, 1984: Todde Sahlen was prohibited to go to work, by Sjogren, Wersocki-Lind and Nyman, who placed their cars in front of his. When the Gothenburg police was called, Sjogren alarmed the police of Stockholm with his walkie-talkie. They arrived within minutes and took over. Without authorization they moved into the house, searched the place and took belongings. Sahlen was taken to his company, where the police confiscated all his money and different papers. Later he got arrested on behalf of District Attorney Stettler from Stockholm.

During the night of the same day Britt-Marie Mossberg was searched by OSA Stockholm. For that purpose they went to her mother, and found out that she is visiting Marie-Lousie Krusell.

Sjogren, Wersocki-Lind and Nyman went to Krusell's place and tried to get into the apartment. After calling the Gothenburg police, the three men and other Scientologists from the org were forced to leave the place. They returned at 1 or 2 am, screaming on the street with Wersocki-Lind holding a Magnum revolver. The police was again called and they made certain that they left the city.

During the next day, Sahlen's wife, Renee, was called for a police interview. Together with her friend Chia she appeared at the police station in Gothenburg. The interview was led by prosecutor Stettler and policeman Oberg. During the interview Oberg was heard to call Sjogren, who had returned to Stockholm, and saying to him in a mild and friendly tone, that he should stop the harassment while the police investigation was on-going. After he hang up, he told Renee, that she shouldn't suspect, he would act on behalf of the church or would cooperate with them. The next day Todde Sahlen was set free. He later was found not guilty regarding the accusations.

Birgitta never returned to the org after December 1983 and in July 1984 Birgitta received her SP-declare.

On August 23rd a journalist told Birgitta that he knew about two Scientologists who were involved in drug trafficking. One of them was Julek Wersocki, the brother of Roger Wersocki-Lind. They would use a Scientology-company called "Pro-Life" for it. A few days later he mentioned that a member of the Palme-commission, Jan-Ove Hansen was also involved in this.

On August 30, while being at her mother in Stockholm, Birgitta called her daughter in Helsingborg to find out how she was doing. Her daughter told her that Sjogren had previously called her. Birgitta phoned back to Sjogren in his office. He denied calling her daughter and said it was Leif Nordstrom from the private agency "Detecta". Sjogren gave the telephone number of Nordstrom to Birgitta, who called then the agency. Nordstrom explained to Birgitta , that it was easy to get her secret number and address, also due to the fact that he had contacts within the phone company. He asked her twice, if she didn't care about her life. Birgitta felt threatened and reported the matter to the police.

A police investigation into the infiltration of the Scientology agents began in September. They found out that Sjogren was equipped with two walkie-talkies, that he had gotten from the police. It became known that the cooperation between the police and the Scientologists started in the year 1980, after the raid. The policeman Oberg was fired from the police.

On February 28th, 1986 Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot to death with a Magnum 357 in Stockholm, after he had gone to a movie together with his wife and his son.

In July 1986 Sjogren stated to Birgitta that he had changed his last name.

In April 1986 Marie-Louise Krusell stated to Birgitta that she knew who had killed Palme. 12 years later Birgitta learned that Krusell had died. Date of death is unknown.

In November of 1986 the attorney Pelle Svensson of Lars Tingstrom was the subject of repeated harassment from OSA International, who reported him on several legal abuses to the bar of lawyers. He was designed as a program "to be handled", and due to his sayings there is a connection between the bombings, the Palme murder and Scientology.

In July 1987 Sjogren contacted and told Birgitta that he had left Scientology and the Sea Org in March 1987, due to "out-ethics" (financial irregularities and out-2D). He had been posted either in Spain or Italy, and prior to that he was sent from his office in Stockholm to Flag.

Tingstrom maintained his statement until his cancer death in 1993 that is was Scientologist Hyttinen who had made the bombs.

The Palme case was planned to be reopened in late 1997. An investigation regarding the Magnum is still ongoing.

One of the suspects for the murder, Wersocki-Lind, had fled to the United States.

Another one is B. Strandman, from "Detecta".

The third one, Christer Petersson, happened to be a friend to Hyttinen and Tingstrom.

Did he try to make a bomb?

A man died in a bomb explosion in Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden
December 24, 1983
Kouvolan Sanomat

Stockholm, (STT - TT)

A 39-year-old man, a native Finn, was killed on Thursday morning in his apartment in a residential district of Tensta in Sweden by a bomb explosion. The police suspect that he was making a bomb that accidentally exploded in his apartment. He had been in custody for suspicion of the bomb attacks on the income tax offices in Nacka near Sweden in August of this year [1983]

The explosion caused great material damage to the building, as well as to nearby buildings. The apartment of the deceased was completely destroyed and at least three other residences were so badly damaged that their residents are going to have to live someplace else. The explosion occurred on Thursday morning shortly after 5:30 a.m.

The dead man has had prior experience with explosive materials. "We are convinced that he took part in the bomb attack in Nacka and we suspect that he also had plans for future acts of sabotage," said chief inspector Lennart Thorin, the head of the police arson department.

In the course of the fall the same man threatened government and private offices with bomb attacks. The police had him under surveillance and were preparing an operation against him when the explosion that ended his life occurred.

Even though the police were certain that the man took part in the explosion at Nacka, the municipal court of Nacka disagreed. After 14 days in jail the man was let free because, according to the court, there was not enough evidence against him and therefore he had to be let go.

The bomb destroyed an entire floor of the income tax agency in Nacka. The explosive material was in an ice chest and it was discovered because office staff heard the ticking. The police were called and the entire building was evacuated.

When explosive experts shot the ice chest, its contents exploded and the entire fourth floor was destroyed by the explosion.

The police also suspect that this was the same man who perpetrated a bomb attack on the Stockholm tax offices in which a female employee lost her life.

Ministry of health and medical industry of Russian Federation

Order

19.06.96, number 254

Moscow

On the revocation of ""Detoxication program" Methodical recommendations"

To bring the normatives and regulations of the Ministry of health and medical industry of Russian Federation in accordance with current laws, I hereby order:

1. Heads of the health institutions within subjects of Russian Federation, heads of federal health institutions, including research, education and healing and prophylactical institutions shall consider the ""Detoxication program" Methodical recommendations" signed on 5th august of 1994 by Deputy minister of health and medical industry of Russian Federation, V.K. Agapov, to be revoked. No propaganda or use of detoxication and other methods taken from R. Hubbard's teachings of scientology and dianetics shall be permitted.

2. The control over the implementation of this order shall remain within my responsibility.

Minister, A.D. Tsaregorodtsev.

Translated from Russian to English
Evgenie Medvedev, Project 7
http://www.project7.ru

"All conspiracy theories possible ... "

Evangelical Church sect commissioner Thomas Gandow

Berlin, Germany
June 1, 1997
http://www.zitty.de/stories/ufo2.htm

Do you think that God created only one inhabited planet?

Theoretically, life on other planets is conceivable, but in practice that is, because of the great distance, irrelevant.

The church's attempt to explain the world has failed. Are esoterica (New Age) and UFOlogy substitute religions?

It was never the intention of theology to explain the world 100 percent. There are people, however, who are seeking 100 percent solutions, but those often turn out to be more adventurous and crazier than a sound skepticism in our own beliefs. I don't have a tendency to think that UFO religions are an answer to the failed fantasies of science's megalomania. [In this sense, theology is thought of as "religious science."]

Most of the UFOlogists are presented in public as harmless tale-tellers. Are there exceptions?

One problem for UFO adherents is that nobody shares their views. Because of that they claim there is a conspiracy at work. There are even people who believe that the fight against UFO's will be directed by a Jewish Illuminati world conspiracy and that there is a hole in the Antarctic which leads to the center of the earth, and that would be the where the Nazi base is, where Adolph Hitler lives. All conspiracy theories possible are found in UFO beliefs. From these thoughts of conspiracy come dangerous persecution complexes.

Is there any danger in UFOlogy?

There have been dangerous UFO groups in recent times. The Heaven's Gate movement, which was led to its own self-destruction through their worship of the Hale-Bopp comet. Also Scientology is, in essence, a UFO cult. The "Thetans" into which its adherents can "develop" are aliens stranded on earth who only use people as bodies to live in. One problematic sect in Germany is the "Heimholungswerk" or "Universal Life" of the self-proclaimed prophetess Gabriele Witteck. In that group it is taught that the earth is surrounded by UFOs from the semi-material worlds, and that Mrs. Witteck's adherents will be evacuated at the proper time. Highly dangerous, when one conceptualizes what kind of a human image that is.

Interview: Lutz Goellner

Icing on the top, nothing underneath

From: "Giessener Anzeiger Online"
Thursday, February 11, 1999

Commentary by Rolf Obertreis on
Schoeder's Visit to Washington

The two men who came together to eat lunch today have hardly any problems with each other. That does not have to do with Bill Clinton and Gerhard Schroeder being of the same left reformist mind, as it is described in the theory of the "Third Way." ["Dritten Weg"]. And that does not have to do with the US view that it has found a mixture of a junior partner and mediator in Germany as firm ground for a bridge to eastern Europe. The reason lies more in Clinton managing an administration which is pro-European through and through and extremely friendly to Germany (despite Scientology). This could be the last administration of this sort that Washington has.

Schroeder's Chancellor Minister Bodo Hombach had just demonstrated the basis for the US trust. With a mixture of the right signals - moral responsibility, self-awareness and a desire to wrap up material claims - the new German administration has made it possible to defuse the powderkeg of forced labor reparation and restitution in regards to the former East German "Stasi" secret police.

The atmosphere was good, so good that the US administration was not particularly offended even by the German-Canadian wish to avert the option of a first nuclear strike in the context of the new Nato strategy. At this time the Green Party is also getting the best press it has ever gotten in America. So is everything going smoothly?

Clinton's administration is floating like an iceberg in a sea which creates its own current. One need only compare what has been learned by state representatives in the US and parliamentary representatives in Germany. Of the first-termers in the US Congress, almost 90 percent have no passport. They have never been out of the country - this shows up in their interests. For the majority of them, "multi-lateralism" is an obscene word; the stabilization of the UN is a red cape. Any state politics which proceeds supranationally runs into a complete lack of understanding.

The best that one can say about the personal politics outside the White House is that Europe does not present a problem. Apparently this is also what Clinton thinks. In his speech on the state of the nation three weeks ago, west Europe/Germany/France/Great Britain did not come up. He mentioned Japan twice. This led to a great uproar in Tokyo about being ignored.

"A Public Danger"

Stuttgart, Germany
June 15, 1999
Stuttgarter Nachrichten

The Scientology Organization (SO), founded in 1948, is under observation by the German Constitutional Security because of their "anti-Constitutional endeavors." The State Office for Constitutional Security assumes there are from 1,000 to 1,200 Scientologists in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The SO states that there are 5,000 members in Stuttgart alone. Auditing is a technique used in the Dianetic procedures of the SO. The "mixture of interrogation, confession and therapy" (says Constitutional Security) is said by the organization to assist in a positive and "cleared" personality. Medical professionals have written off auditing for any therapeutic purpose and regard it as "a danger for the public."

This is an unofficial translation of a public, official document:
http://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/verfassungsschutz/so8.htm

Willful dealing of the *SO in dealing with facts - basis for this is in "Policy Letters"

* SO: Scientology Organization

Examples:

On June 8, 1999, the SO had to agree to the following settlement before Great Britain's high court of justice in the case of a libel suit filed by former member Bonnie Woods:

During the 1970s and early 1980s Mrs. Woods - at the time she was still living in the USA - was a member of Scientology. She completed a whole series of courses and intensive training steps. In 1982 she left the SO and emigrated with her husband to England. That is where both of them, beginning in the 1990s, made information about Scientology available and ran a public information campaign. In doing that, Mrs. Woods used criticism toward the SO, and spoke to the media about her experiences as a member of the organization. She also took part in warning watches in front of SO book stores in East Grinstead and distributed documents in which Scientology was strongly criticized.

In reaction, the SO distributed a leaflet with a photograph of Mrs. Woods which was sub-titled with the polemic statement, "The leader of a hate campaign arrives in the city." At the same time she was described as the one responsible for this campaign, who - driven by religious intolerance - tried to dissuade people away from their chosen religion. Mrs. Woods defended herself against this defamation in December 1993 by filing a suit for libel. In its decision which was pronounced in June 1999, the court determined that the SO admitted to having distributed untrue assertions about Mrs. Woods. For that reason, the organization stated its agreement to the initially named arrangements. The SO attorney gave the following statement to the court:

"The defendants regret that when responding to Mrs. Woods's criticism of the Church of Scientology they went too far in attributing to her conduct and motives which they now accept were not correct. Through me they apologise to Mrs Woods and undertake not to make any such allegations again" (in accordance with the conditions of the proposed instructions from Your Lordship).

The SO's presentation to the public, however, ran as follows:

"Church of Scientology
Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, Sussex, RH19 4JY

8 June 1999

For more information, please contact:
Graeme Wilson, 01342 318 229

Church of Scientology Statement

The Church of Scientology Religious Education College settled its litigation with Bonnie Woods in Court today.

The subject of the litigation was a flier distributed on one day in 1993 by some Church members in response to attacks by Bonnie Woods which they considered offensive to their religious beliefs and believed were the cause of discord with the town of East Grinstead.

Bonnie Woods has now made a statement to the Court saying that she does not hate any religion, including Scientology, and that she does not stir up religious hatred and intolerance including against Scientologists and their families. She has also told the court that she doesn't put pressure on people to give up the Scientology religion, nor does she encourage others to do so. The Church was very happy to resolve these proceedings on the basis of this statement.

In deciding to settle the action, the Church also bore in mind that Bonnie Woods would have been completely unable to pay the enormous costs of trial if the Church had won."

A similar method of procedure is also shown in a Dianetics-Scientology Stuttgart press release from July 10, 1999, in which it was asserted that the French cassation court had recognized Scientology as a religion:

"... The French Supreme Court confirmed a judgment by the appeals court in Lyon - which made headlines across Europe in July 1997 - which stated that the Scientology Church fulfilled all the criteria of a religious denomination."

However, the official French press report of July 1, 1999 on the findings of the highest court read quite differently:

"Scientology could not be recognized as a religion by the court. The 'Mission Interministerielle de Lutte contre les Sectes' accepted the findings of the judgment of the Supreme Court on June 30, 1999 with satisfaction ...

Thirdly, the Supreme Court indicated that it was not the judge's mission to decide on the religious character of a group. The subject passage from the court of Lyon which Scientology has taken out of context to say that it has been "acknowledged as a religion" is therefore declared to be not proper."

These SO press releases have their origin in the "Public Relations Series" by L. Ron Hubbard. This series contains instructions in the form of "Policy Letters" (HCO-PL), which describe the exact method of procedure for Scientology's public affairs work. Not only that, but journalists do not enjoy any special position of value with Scientologists, but belong to the group of people called "Potential Trouble Sources." Hubbard describes the inability of the press in several "policy letters" and expressed the opinion that statements from reporters should receive no special attention.

In the matter of reporters, etc., it is not worthwhile to give them any time contrary to popular belief. They are given their story before they leave their editorial rooms and you only strengthen what they have to say by saying anything. They are no public communication line that sways much. Policy is very definite. Ignore.

HCO PL 7 May 1969, Policies on "Sources of Trouble"

Assessment

Subject to the accuracy of the internet statements, the discrepancy between the SO's testimony before the court and the statement made for the public reflect Scientology's dealings with provable facts.

In the two cases described, the basic message of the official press were ignored, a small portion of it was taken up for a necessary presentation and transformed via the appropriately worded supplementary information into a report so as to be positive for the SO.

The same method of procedure can also be found in the "Response of the Scientology Church" in its response to the booklet published by the Hamburg State Office for Constitutional Protection, "The Scientology Organization's secret intelligence service."

1 http://www.access.ch/pwidmer/SCI/bonnie.html and Newsgroup: de.soc.weltanschauung.scientology
2 Newsgroup: de.soc.weltanschauung.scientology>tilman@berlin.snafu.de>

How dangerous are sects in the North?

Abendblatt Interview with Schleswig-Holstein's new commissioner

Hamburg, Germany
July 26, 1999
Hamburger Abendblatt

by Ulf B. Christen

Kiel - Matthias Knothe has nothing in common with an embittered sect hunter. The new Schleswig-Holstein Sect Commissioner gives an impression in the Kiel state chancellory as being outspoken and liberal. Naturally there is a risk in sects, said the 39 year old lawyer. However, he continued, this risk is not as great as is often presumed.

The administration director proves his assessment two ways in one. An Enquete Commission of the Federal Assembly came to the same conclusion, he states, and the sect situation in Schleswig-Holstein is currently relaxed. "There are no special cases," reports Knothe.

His area of expertise is actually media politics. For seven years the industrious top lawyer has been leading the media office in the state chancellory.

He became sect commissioner more as a matter of coincidence and as a collateral duty. "It's good for a diversion, and now I have a second full-time job."

Knothe's second career began in Fall 1998. Hans-Peter Bartels, who was the Director of the Information and Documentation Office of Sects and Similar Associations, moved to the Federal Assembly for the SPD. When Schleswig-Holstein's plans for a common sect information center with Hamburg fell through, the administration searched urgently for a new sect man. Knothe first took over the job on a provisional basis, then it became official in March.

The Hamburg-born man has been reserved in making public statements so far. The only reason that there have been no warnings about sects in the headlines is that he has not seen any reason for them.

Things have also been calm in Schleswig-Holstein as concerns Scientology, according to Knothe. He is especially glad about that, because sect hunters often name northern Germany as a possible refuge for Scientology. The reason: the only place the association is not under surveillance by Constitutional Security is in Schleswig-Holstein.

Knothe believes that is fitting, and thereby conflicts with the belief of his predecessor, Bartels. The political scientist had always spoken out in favor of observing the sect. "As a lawyer one sees things a little differently," said Knothe casually, and gave his reasons for that.

If Scientology were to operate a company, that would be subject to monitoring by the Commerce Oversight Office. If the association were to announce a demonstration, the codes office is responsible for that. Therefore Scientology is already effectively under standard observation by the state. For the time being there is no need for a change to the Constitutional Security law, according to Knothe.

Otherwise, the lawyer also talked more about Basic Law than some other sect experts.

Knothe does not want to be chief inspector. He said that there is no need to regulate the individual people in this area, what they have to do or not do, "the state should simply keep its hands out of it."

However, things would not operate completely without the state, either, philosophizes the sect commissioner. The state had to keep a hold of a few strings to guarantee the minimum degree of protection.

Something about the doomsday sects, which fix their course worldwide on the year 2000. "Several sects are having a second springtime because of this," warned the sect commissioner - and immediately smoothed over his statement: the doomsday mood in Schleswig-Holstein is not spread near as far as in places like America, he stated.

So that things will stay that way, Knothe is planning a congress on the year 2000 in Kiel in early September. The title is "Apocalypse how? [sic]" Knothe invited mainly colleagues.

In the north, he said, there is a very tight network of private initiatives, churches and communities, said the commissioner, and he praised the coordination efforts of his predecessor. This network practically runs itself, he said.

Knothe wrapped up by saying he gets about four or five calls daily in Kiel. Most are concerned citizens making inquiries about more or less obscure groups.

These days in the north miracle healers are making their way about who swear by balls of aluminum foil. The commissioner got right to work on this. There was a danger that sick people would stop taking their medication, thereby endangering themselves. And even for a liberal sect commissioner like Knothe, that was going too far.

Scientologists fill up the Search Engines

From: TAZ Nr. 5577
July 9, 1998

copyright: Contrapress media GmbH

Ron Hubbard's sect distributes instructions for the construction of home pages, but surfing is permitted only with a filter program.

Of course Ron Hubbard's disciples are permitted onto the World Wide Web. They are even supposed to be there, because they have a mission. Each Scientologist who wants to present himself on the internet receives a "Scientology Web Kit" on a CD ROM. A couple of forms have to be filled out, signed and sent in, and before you know it, another sect member's home page is ready. It does not have to win any web prizes; it completely suffices that it is part of the net at all. That is because the objective of this operation is to flood the data bases of the search machines with thousands of standard pages so that anybody who searches on "Scientology" in Alta Vista, HotBot, or other programs will find the pages of the front line members. This spam project, which affects the entire internet, was introduced on March 13. A couple of Scientology opponents taped the speech which was held on this occasion, and put it on the internet www.xmission.com/~mirele/spam.html.

The sect shepherds do not appear to completely trust their sheep. Even dedicated disciples could find things on the web which might shake their belief. This is why they must sign a license agreement, which states that they must use a specially designed filter program when they access web sites, before they install their Scientology Web Kit. This is supposed to guarantee, as the instructions state, that they can "view other sites on Dianetics, Scientology or its principals without threat of accessing sites deemed to be using the Marks or Works in an unauthorized fashion or deemed to be improper or discreditable to the Scientology religion." Further instructions as to the construction of on-line pages are downloadable on-line from scientology.org/welcome.htm, but they can be accessed only with a password.

What are Scientologists not permitted to read? A free group of Scientology opponents who meet on the usenet group alt.religion.scientology have decoded the filter and published it www.taniwha.com/crack.list.html. The sect had applied, less creatively, the data format from the Cybersitter program, the market leader of self-censorship of the net filters.

It is not surprising that all of the web sites of former members and declared opponents of the sect are on the black list. The usenet groups on Scientology are also blocked out; discussion is not desired. Conspicuously, many German sites have been censored: WDR and ZDF, the Stern, the Berliner Morgen Post, the Online Chat group "Metropolis,", the domestic intelligence and the Green Party in Bavaria, only to mention a few. Apparently they are all re-incarnations of "Xenu," who is the personified evil of the universe in the Scientology belief. There are unmistakable parallels to the church's "Index librorum prohibitorum" of 1564, that was effective up to 1966, and which censored works by Voltaire, Descartes, Sartre, Kant and Heine.

Tilman Hausherr, the Berlin resident who publishes extensive material on Scientology under www.snafu.de/~tilman, and who is also on the black list, says, "It only goes to show you how much fear Scientology has of Scientologists having contact with the real world." The internet, as the sect would like to have it, is available at on-line.scientology.org/. That is where links to the home pages of Scientology members are to be found. The layout of all the pages are the same. "About Me," "My Success with Scientology," "My favorite quote by Ron Hubbard" (choice words such as, "Try not to do unto others as you would have them do unto you."), "Groups I support," (always the same ones) and "Favorite Links" (always the same ones.) With no more than two clicks the visitor will find himself looking at the "free information packet." Amazingly, the slogan used to recruit new members is found everywhere, "Think for Yourself!"

Roland Beck

Commentary: Without Scruples

Travelling Cult Supporters present themselves as "Religious Scientists"

by Thomas Gandow

[not sure of date. This is probably out of a 1997 BERLINER DIALOG. Thomas Gandow is a well-known theologian.]

Cult lobbyists who appear ever more openly are Massimo Introvigne, an attorney from Turin who has an excellent knowledge of Satanism, and Gordon Melton, an American Methodist theologian, who brings with him an abundance of lists and compilations. Both represent small, private institutions (CESNUR and ISAR), about whose finances little is known, and which appear internationally as lobbying establishments.

Both travel widely in order to represent cult organizations. Introvigne appeared as a character witness in an attempt to exonerate Scientology in a Scientology legal proceeding in Lyon, France. GordonMeltonappeared for a Children of God proceeding in London for the extremist cult which was convicted of child abuse, and also had a trip to Japan paid for by the AUM Shinri-Kyo in May of 1995, in order to defend the AUM Shinri-Kyo from "unjustified" persecution and "religious suppression" by the police after the cult unleashed a poison gas attack in a Tokyo subway. (see BERLINER DIALOG 1-96, pages 25; 3-95, page 28).

Scientology Adherents Protest in Frankfurt am Main

From: dpa newswire, 17:59:42
August 10, 1998

Frankfurt am Main (dpa) - Several thousand adherents of the Scientology organization have demonstrated for religious freedom in Frankfurt am Main on Monday after a European march.

According to a statement by the police, there were about 6,500 people at the protest until evening. Representatives of Scientology said it was 8,000 people. The 3,000 kilometer march began in England on June 25.

At the demonstration, the participants demanded that all forms of religious discrimination be ended. Scientology brought up 19 notifications by governments and human rights organizations which they say confirmed a climate of intolerance in Germany. According to the Scientology statement, signers of the proclamation included several members of the European Parliament.

Scientology goes Underground

From: "Westfalische Nachrichten"
May 7, 1998

From: http://www.wnonline.de/l/ms/news/data/?obj=ms310.html

The Sect only makes Profit

Scientology: The dependency business is blooming

by Klaus Baumeister

Muenster - At first glance it seems that the controversial Scientology organization has taken its leave of Muenster. The so-called mission on Bernhard-Ernst Strasse no longer exists. Leaflets which offer Dianetics courses are hard to come by. Public events given by Scientologists in Muenster have become a thing of the past.

Seen this way, the Muenster "Exit" group, which gives assistance and advice concerning sects and totalitarian organizations, seems to have outlived its usefulness. This is not the case by any means. For one thing, that group does not deal solely with Scientology, even if it has played a predominant role in the history of the group. For another thing, according to the information of the Exit members, the Scientologists have changed their tactics. They now use sales training, communications courses or seminars for personality development groups as cover organizations. The word "Scientology" does not appear at all.

Despite the public discussion about the dangerousness of Scientology, the organization apparently continues to win people over. The reason for that, according to Exit, is that the Scientologists pursue goals which are held in high regard by our society: professional success, achievement, material wealth.

"Exit" states that there may very well be Scientologists who earn a great deal of money. That is not out of the question. However, new ties, or as they say, dependencies, are created by credit and business checks, by [posting of] collateral and a proliferation of courses which make departure increasingly more difficult. This is made even more difficult as there are internal control mechanisms and punishment, called "rehabilitation" in the jargon of the Scientologists. In the event a person wants to terminate his association, he stands to suffer both psychological and financial consequences.

With this in mind, Exit brings attention to the special legal and financial counseling available for former Scientologists. All the same, the group cannot stop Scientology from hurting people. This was the case with a resident of Muenster who was used by the [Scientology] organization for years and then, when he was no longer up to the strain [placed on him by the sect], was left to fend for himself. He is now undergoing treatment in a psychiatric ward.

Anybody who would like to get in touch with the "Exit" association, which is made up principally of relatives of Scientology members, can do so confidentially at the contact counter for self help in Muenster.