Mick Jagger News

03/03/2008

The new British Broadcasting Corp. documentary has claimed that Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger escaped an assassination plot hatched in 1969 by the Hells Angels,

A program to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Monday says the rock star was the target of the plot following a purported dispute with the motorcycle gang over concert security.

Jagger had vowed not to use Hells Angel members as bouncers following the death in December 1969 of an 18-year-old fan at a notorious free performance at Altamont Speedway in Northern California.

In return, gang members hatched a plan to kill Jagger at his holiday home in Long Island, New York, the BBC claimed.

"The Hells Angels were so angered by Jagger's treatment of them that they decided to get rid of him," Tom Mangold, the presenter of the program, was quoted as telling Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

He said the plan was disclosed during an interview with Mark Young, a former FBI officer, for the BBC's "The FBI at 100" documentary.

Mangold said the men tried to reach Jagger by sea. "The boat was hit by a storm and all of the men were thrown overboard," he was quoted as saying. They all survived but made no other attempt on his life, Mangold said.

It was not clear whether Jagger was ever informed of the alleged plot against him.

LD Communications, Jagger's publicists in Britain, did not immediately return calls requesting comment.

Who are the Hells Angels?

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a world-wide motorcycle club whose members traditionally ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States, and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Some members nickname themselves "one-percenters" in response to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) claim that 99% of motorcyclists were law abiding citizens, and the last one percent were outlaws.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada classify the Angels as one of the "big four" outlaw motorcycle gangs; contending that members carry out widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion.[1][2] The Hells Angels assert that this is a mischaracterization, and claim that they are a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who organize social events such as undertaking trips as a group, parties and motorcycle rallies.