The French and Turks knew from experience that they should take the Armenians seriously.[1] Based in Beirut, the Secret Army had claimed at least 136 attacks against Turks in the previous six years, including sixteen killings and scores of bombings in cities including Sydney, Zurich and Los Angeles. The radicals had killed six Turkish officials in Paris alone, starting with Ambassador İsmail Erez and his chauffeur in 1975.[4] The Armenian group sought to avenge the genocide of their people by Turks during World War I.[2]