Romania investigates Securitate links with Carlos

The public prosecutor's office in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into alleged links between the former communist secret police -- the Securitate -- and Carlos "the Jackal".

Romanian newspaper reports have alleged that the late dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, paid Carlos millions of dollars for collaborating with the Securitate.

Last month Carlos began a life sentence in France for killing two French secret agents and their Lebanese informer in 1975.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service