A team of researchers have recently entered the National Archives to piece together a comprehensive anatomy of the 1980 Armenian terror attack killing two Turkish diplomats in Sydney. They have found out the details of the work carried out by police on one of the main suspects; Mardig (Mardik) Boghossian. (Boghosian)
The Armenian Reporter, published in New York, US, on 1 July 1982 edition came up with a story that rose the hopes of those who were awaiting justice for the terrorist killings of Turkish diplomats, Sarik Ariyak and Engin Sever, some 18 months earlier.
The paper claimed that the NSW Police knew the identity of the killer; Mardig Boghossian. Born on 7 Feb 1952 in Lebanon, and had been living in Australia as an immigrant since 1973, Boghossian came under the police radar during an investigation into fourteen Armenian taxi drivers.
He had migrated to Australia with his wife and had lived at 74 Toowoon Bay Road, Toowoon, NSW. Boghossian was the leader of the local ARF - Dashnags - chapter, Simon Varatzian.
According to Dashnag records, his address was 3/34 Centennial road, Willoughby.
TVOA has found a Mardik Boghossian, whose citizenship record published on the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, dated 19 May 1978. His address was shown as 38 Bellevue Street, Cammeray.
During the investigation into Armenian taxi drivers in Sydney, police had become aware of a two-way radio talk between two cabbies, referring to "Mardig" as "having succeeded". The taxi company, according to the Armenian Reporter, had been keeping records of these radio calls.
Boghossian's flight and passport records had been subsequently requested from the authorities, according to National Archive records. He had travelled at least twice to the US in 1979. This was the year, when JCAG US cell was germinating. He was also believed to have attended Dashnag camps in Beirut, prior to 1980 killings.
Boghossian's flight records show that he had flown out of Australia for Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight CX100 only three days before the murders. He was registered as having stayed at Holiday Inn Kowloon from 14 December 1980 to 19 December 1980, and departed to Rome and Paris via Bahrain.
However, according to the recently published intelligence assessments, he could well have travelled to Australia for the terrorist attack via New Zealand. Until July 1981, New Zealanders did not have to carry passports to travel to Australia. One of the police theories is that Boghossian returned to New Zealand then travelled to Australia under an assumed identity. He might well had travelled directly to Australia with a fake passport.
Following the attack, police records indicate, he might have left Sydney on 1 PM flight to Beirut never to return again.
These findings have raised more questions. For example, how could the Armenian Reporter have access to such insider police information? The story was published unsigned. However, that paper, we can reveal was founded and published by another Armenian, Edward K Boghosian. The paper, while using Boghosian surname with one "s", Australian police records suggest Mardig had two "s" in his surname. Boghossian or Boghosian, the explicit detail in which The Armenian Reporter could publish this story before any Australian outlet, about the suspect Mardig Boghossian sounds like an intriguing coincidence.
Finally, TVOA has run a quick search on the internet and found one Mardig Boghossian with links to Australia, being the Mayor of a town in Lebanon, called Bourj Hammoud. TVOA does not suggest Mr.Boghossian is in anyway related or linked to this heinous crime. He seemed to have received then the Australian ambassador to Beirut, Mr Glenn Miles in 2017. More importantly, there is no direct evidence linking the Boghossian on police records to the murders. Mr.Miles said in his Tweet following this visit:
"Enjoyable meeting with Mayor of #BurjHammoud, Mardig Boghossian, whose Australian links highlight strong ties between our countries."
TO BE CONTINUED.
NEXT: ASIO'S DOSSIER ON DASHNAGS - ARF.
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