Carlos the Jackal appeals life term in France

[May 13, 2013]  PARIS (AP) -- Carlos the Jackal, the flamboyant terrorist and self-proclaimed revolutionary who was once one of the Cold War's most wanted men, is appealing his life sentence for orchestrating bombings in France two decades ago.

Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, is serving two life sentences in France for a triple murder in 1975 and for bombings in France in 1982 and 1983 that killed 11 people and injured more than 140. He's been jailed since 1994 after French agents seized him in Sudan.

Monday's hearing began with Ramirez demanding a new lawyer.

His alleged ties to attacks by far-left and Palestinian terror groups made him feared among governments in Western Europe and the Middle East but also brought him admirers including the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.