I reproduce here an excerpt from a 28 December 1989 article by Charles T. Powers of The Los Angeles Times, as well as the link to a translation that appeared this past weekend in Evenimentul Istoric and reminded me of this article. Here is the portion of the original article in English, along with the associated links:
Arms in Tunnels
The Securitate used a network of tunnels that linked their headquarters, which faced the Central Committee building across the square, with at least a dozen large buildings in the vicinity. The new government says the tunnels were outfitted with weapons, ammunition and communications gear. No one is sure how many Securitate forces were involved in the battle, which raged in similar fashion in five other major cities, but the total strength of the Securitate is estimated at about 700,000. Not all of them, of course, were trained as a military defense force. Some were simply eavesdroppers and informers.
Through Friday night, scores of Romanians were hit by Securitate fire. Many were killed by shots to the head, indicating that the Securitate men were skilled marksmen using rifles equipped with infrared telescopic sights.
Witnesses looking on from the 19th floor of the Inter-Continental Hotel, about three blocks away, could see Securitate men jump up, spray machine-gun bullets onto the square below, then duck out of sight as the army poured heavy fire into the window. Presumably, the Securitate gunmen would then move to another location, possibly even a different building. Remarkably, the Securitate did not give up, even though it seemed clear they were fighting for a lost cause.
The provisional government announced that the Ceausescus had been captured and were in custody but–perhaps not believing the reports–the Securitate continued to fight the hit-and-run war, apparently aiming to inflict as much damage as possible. It was as though Nicolae Ceausescu had left behind him a sort of living booby trap. A few Securitate men turned up at the city’s hospitals with wounds, and doctors said most of them had come with pistols hidden in their bandages and appeared to be drugged. Most had to be heavily sedated before they could be treated.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-28-mn-1536-story.html
Below, here are some other examples from the literature on December 1989 that mention the use of infrared scopes (infrarosu):
I. Col. (r) Ilie Stoleru, interviu luat de Mihail Galatanu, Flacara, (nr. 29, 22 iulie 1992), p. 7.
La ce fapte ati fost martor si ati participat in noaptea de 22 spre 23 decembrie?
I.S.: […Cu o masinaARO am plecat sa verific cele 11 obiective avute in grija…] Am incercat, in jurul orei 1,30 (noaptea), sa verific dispozitivile. Masina in care ma aflam a primit o rafala trasa dintru-un ARO civil alb. Pe o straduta care da spre Antiaeriana am primit (ma aflam intru-un ARO al armatei) o alta rafala de pistol automat, care a taiat crengile copacilor din fata noastra, iar ele au cazut pe capota din fata masinii.
Nu putea veni de la o alta formatiune a armatei?
I.S.: Nu putea veni, deoarece eu cunoastem amplasamentrul trupelor din zona….
Ce armament aveau in dotare formatiunile numite teroriste?
I.S.: Aveau arme cu amortizoare, cu mecanisme cu luneta, pentru lupta pe timp de noapte (in ,infrarosu’), gloante cu cap-vidia. Armament foarte modern. Comisiile civile si militare nu si-au dus treaba (de elucidare) la capat. Cu mine ce putin, comisia trebuia neaparat sa stea de vorba, dar cu mine n-a vorbit nimeni. In fata comisiei lui Nicolaescu nu m-am dus fiindca, va spun drept, am avut retineri. Toate casele (locuintele) din preajma C.C.-ului trebuiau luate pe liste de la I.C.R.A.L. si verificate….
https://romanianrevolutionofdecember1989.com/ion-corneliu-tragator-de-tir-campion-olimpic-l-a-times-aprilie-1990-teroristii-aveau-mult-echipament-sofisticat/
II. Romanian Olympic Shooter Downplays His Role in Revolution
April 14, 1990|ELLIOTT ALMOND | TIMES STAFF WRITER
In 11 days of bloodshed, many riveting stories were reported. But perhaps none was as captivating as those about Romanian Olympic pistol shooters Ion Corneliu and Sorin Babii, who reportedly volunteered to flush out Communist forces and defend a military target.
Corneliu said Ceausescu’s forces wanted access to the base’s gunnery.
“They would shoot in our direction and we would answer,” he said. “But we didn’t know who was there or where they were.
“The terrorists had a lot of sophisticated equipment. So, even though they were small in numbers they could cover a great area. The Securitat ran the country, even the army.”
The loyalist sharpshooters were equipped with infrared telescopic sights and were able to pick off Romania’s revolutionary soldiers at night, the Soviet news agency Tass reported last December.
III. Generalul Neculai Rizea si decembrie 1989 la Braila:
https://romanianrevolutionofdecember1989.com/generalul-neculai-rizea-si-decembrie-1989-la-braila/
La intrebarea cine a tras in Braila, d-nul gen. Rizea spune “Elemente teroriste ale securitatii.”…
Rep. (Libertatea Braila): A descoperit armat ascunzatori de arme?
Gen.: Desigur, in cimitirul Sf. Constantin si in port.
Rep.: Au existat oameni care sa fie surprinsi in actiuni teroriste?
Gen.: Da. Au tras din cele mai diverse locuri utilizind si casele conspirative.
Rep.: Cite case conspirative a gasit armata?
Gen.: Destule. Multe nelocuite, dar dotate ultramodern, cu rezerve de hrana, cu munitii si posibilitati de tragere perfecte. Retineti ca au folosit si cartuse explozive de tip dum-dum. Pentru stergerea urmelor au folosit captatoare de tuburi. Au dispus de arme ultramoderne, inclusiv de lunete cu raze infrarosii, de arme cu teava-lisa, imitatoare de zgomot.
IV. (Nicolae Stefan Soucoup, interview by Nicolae Tone, Tineretul Liber, 21 decembrie 1991, p. 3)
–Si aici am vazut acea luminita rosiatic-violacee, luminita zarita prima oara in Piata Dorobanti. Militarii de profesie mi-au confirmat ca este vorba despre o luneta cu infrarosii. Fiind noapte, nu aveam tinta decit aceste luminite ,plimbatoare’. Spun ,plimbatoare’ pentru ca ea aparea la intervale diferite in diverse locuri, ceea ce m-a determinat sa cred ca nu erau prea multi tragatori inauntru. Erau putini, dar nu trageau niciodata din acelasi loc….Eram asezati in spatele cabinei de la intrarea de pe Calea Dorobanti, fiind prinsi intre trei tiruri de gloante. Se tragea din fata noastra, de pe strada Pangratti, cit si din lateral, din imobile de pe Dorobanti, strada Teheran, strada Pictor Rosenthal….(–Si al treilea tir de unde venea?)–Al treilea tir venea dinspre curtea Televiziunii si din blocul Turn al Televiziunii, dar ne tintea pe noi, care aparam institutia, cit si pe manifestanti, si nu pe cei care ne atacau. Acest tir apartinea celor infiltrati printre noi, dar care, in realitate, erau de cealalta parte a baricadei. (–Va rog sa-mi explicati mai pe larg aceste afirmatii.)–Va pot da un exemplu, foarte cunoscut deja. In dimineata zilei de 23 Decembrie, pe la orele 4, la o mica distanta de mine, respectiv, linga grupul statuar din fonta, a fost impuscat un tinar, Stan Bogdan Serban, despre care chiar dv. ati scris pe larg. Adus pe subtiori de doi revolutionari, acesta ne-a spus cu vocea stinsa: ,Am fost impuscat de un civil de linga mine!’ Aceste cuvinte ale lui nu le pot uita. Mi-este foarte clar ca Bogdan Serban a fost victima tocmai a ,teroristilor’ infiltrati printre noi.
Nicolae Stefan Soucoup: Intre orele 5,00 si 7,00 [23 decembrie 1989] trageri intense. La un moment dat, dintr-una din cladiri se trage asupra sa cu arma cu infrarosu, calibru 5,6 mm (retine glontul)….In ziua de 24 decembrie ora 7 tir puternic spre casa scarii de la pasarela (din cladirea Studiourilor); gloantele care ricosau erau de calibrul 5,6 mm.
Roland O. Thomasson, PHD 