Weekend Violence in Cairo
May 2, 2005 --
200 Detained After Violence in Cairo
Police on Sunday detained about 200 people from the home villages of the three attackers responsible for a bomb blast and tour bus shooting near Cairo tourist sites the day before, authorities said. (AP)
Sources: Local Group Behind Recent Attacks
The three April attacks in Cairo were all carried out by a small local group not affiliated with any other networks, security sources told Asharq Al Awsat. They believe the death of four suspects will bring an end to the violence. An eye-witness also told the newspaper that one of the two women who shot at the tourist bus said "his life won't go in vain" as she approached the bus. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Sources: Attacker May Still Be At Large
Saturday's attack in Cairo may not have been a suicide operation as authorities had declared. Sources close to the investigation told Asharq al Awsat that preliminary interrogation of eyewitnesses indicates that the man who threw the bomb off the bridge managed to escape. The sources questioned the official story about the suspect dying and said the body found on the scene is that of a tourist guide. They stressed that the body shown on television looks like it belongs to a fat man whose at least over 40. Ehab Yousri, the suspect who authorities claim was killed in the attack, looks like a young thin man in pictures that had been published in different Egyptian newspapers after the April 7th attack in the Bazaar. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Egypt Denies Return To Violence
Egyptian authorities have denied that an attack on tourists in Cairo on Saturday signaled a return of Islamist militant violence. (BBC)
In Pictures: Cairo Attacks (BBC)
U.S. Sees Drop in Terrorist Threats
Al Qaeda focusing attacks in Iraq and Europe, officials say. (Washington Post)
Inquiry Finds Abuses at Guantánamo Bay
A high-level military investigation into accusations of detainee abuse at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has concluded that several prisoners were mistreated or humiliated, perhaps illegally, as a result of efforts to devise innovative methods to gain information, senior military and Pentagon officials say. (NY Times)
U.S. Targets Africa's 'Merchant of Death'
The United States treasury this week took aim at Victor Bout, a Russian businessman and former Johannesburg resident who has been dubbed "the merchant of death" for his alleged involvement in arms trafficking and sanctions-busting across the globe, notably in Africa. (Sunday Independent)
Qatar Buys Off Al Qaeda Attacks With Oil Millions
The government of Qatar is paying millions of pounds a year to al Qaeda in return for an undertaking to spare it from further terrorist attacks, official sources in the wealthy Gulf state claimed last week. (The Times)
U.S. Recruits a Rough Ally to Be a Jailer
Evidence that the U.S. has sent terror suspects to Uzbekistan, a nation with a poor human rights record, continues to mount. (NY Times)
N. Korea Missile Test Raises New Fears
North Korean missile test into sea of Japan raises new fears of Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities. (AP)
Flemish Firm Mired In Iran Nuclear Scandal
An inquiry is under way into accusations that a Belgian company sold military material illegally to Iran. (Expatica)
Iran Plans Defense of Nuclear Program
U.S. is set to deliver ultimatum at meeting. (Washington Post)
Algeria's Top GIA Rebel Captured
Algerian authorities say they have arrested the leader of an Islamic rebel group suspected of killing 14 civilians in an ambush earlier this month. (BBC)
Asharq al Awsat reports that Algerian television aired confessions by the GIA leader.
Liberia Peacekeepers Accused of Sex Abuse
Some U.N. peacekeepers sexually abused and exploited local women and girls in Liberia, a U.N. spokesman said. (LA Times)
U.S. Frees 85 Afghans From Military Jails
U.S. releases 85 Afghans from Afghanistan jails after deciding they posed no threat. (AP)
Terror Suspect 'Returned To' Netherlands
Wanted by police, a main suspect of the alleged terror network Hofstadgroep reportedly visited Muslim friends in the Netherlands last month. (Expatica)
British Military Chief Reveals New Legal Fears Over Iraq War
Forces head in remarkable 'jail' claim. Top law officer met key Bush officials. (The Observer)
Oman Jails 31 For Plotting Coup
A total of 31 suspected Islamists in Oman have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for plotting a coup. (BBC)
Judge in Moussaoui Case Blocks Release of Sept. 11 Report
The federal judge overseeing the prosecution of admitted al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui has blocked an attempt by the Justice Department's inspector general to release a report on FBI missteps prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a ruling unsealed yesterday. (Washington Post)
Insurgents in Iraq Continue to Press With Spate of Attacks
More than 100 Iraqis have been killed and 200 wounded since Friday, as insurgents try to undermine and intimidate the new government. (NY Times)
Tape Shows Iraq Militants Holding Hostage
Iraq militants shown to kidnap Australia man; hostage pleads for coalition forces to exit nation. (AP)
Mass Grave Is Uncovered In Iraq Victims Believed To Be 1,500 Kurds
Investigators have uncovered a large grave in Iraq that may contain the bodies of 1,500 Kurds killed in the 1980s. It could produce evidence needed to prosecute ousted leader Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants for mass killings during his regime. (AP)
England to Plead Guilty in Abu Ghraib Case
Defense attorneys are hoping a plea deal by Pfc. Lynndie England will be accepted by an Army judge as the reservist whose image became synonymous with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal heads to court. (AP)
Group 'Confess To Hassan Killing'
Iraqi police say a number of people have confessed to the kidnap and killing of British aid worker Margaret Hassan. (AP)
Shias 'Infiltrated By Iran' To Control Iraqi Police Force
Control of Iraq's police force was handed to a Shia Arab party with historic links to Iran yesterday despite warnings by American intelligence that Iranian agents have infiltrated the group's paramilitary wing. (The Telegraph)
Al Zarqawi's U.S. Agent?
Intelligence officials say search is on for an an American citizen with al Qaeda connections who is also aligned with the insurgency leader. (Newsday)
Zarqawi Aide Calls For Attacks On White House, Vatican: Audiotape
The deputy to al Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has asked for orders to attack the White House and the Vatican, according to an audiotape posted on the Internet Saturday. We are determined to fight the infidels," said Abdulrahman al Iraqi in the tape, whose authenticity could not be verified. "If you point at the White House or the Vatican, we would make every effort so that you reach your target," he added, in the online statement broadcast a day after a call by Zarqawi to his followers to intensify their fight against the Americans in Iraq. (AFP)
England Pleads Guilty to Abuse Charges
Pfc. Lynndie England, who appeared in some of the most graphic photographs depicting physical mistreatment and sexual humiliation of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, pleaded guilty Monday to charges arising from her role in the abuse scandal. (AP)
Power Grid In Iraq Far From Fixed
After two years and $1.2 billion, U.S. effort to resuscitate electrical system is wide of its mark. (Washington Post)
Ex-Hostage's Italian Driver Ignored Warning, U.S. Says
The car carrying the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena that was struck with a deadly hail of gunfire ignored warnings from American soldiers, a report states. (NY Times)
Is Democracy Possible in the Middle East?
Amid the first signs of change, longing competes with mistrust of Western democracy. (ABCNEWS)
Remote Targets, And Near Ones Too
The trajectory is becoming clear: as Al Qaeda spreads outwards, Arab regimes are increasingly likely to share the brunt of its violence. (Al Ahram Weekly)
Odyssey of an Al Qaeda Operative
Moroccan's trail of terror illustrates ongoing ability to organize attacks. (Washington Post)
Losing The War On Terror?
The U.S. government has just released its annual report on terrorism, and it makes for grim reading. Equally troubling is the report's omissions: This year it does not give the specific number of terrorist attacks last year. Yet serious terrorist incidents are increasing, a finding that is even more worrisome. The report raises troubling questions about the war against terrorism. (The Japan Times)
Listen to the Iraqis, Not British Attorney General
There are days I feel like I have been a cheerleader for mass murder. More than 150,000 Iraqis have died in the war I supported. (The Independent)
An Independent Judiciary Will Ensure the Success of Any Future Iraqi Government
After days of haggling over the formation of an Iraqi government, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's first public statement after the announcement of a partial Cabinet line-up was almost an apology to the Iraqi people. It was as if he were saying he was sorry that realpolitik dictated the allocation of government posts. (The Daily Star)
A Promise Unfulfilled: Iraq's Oil Output Is Lagging
With vast reservoirs of oil and the potential to rival Saudi Arabia as a megaproducer, Iraq has long tantalized the world's energy industry, as well as economists and political leaders worried about the impact of high oil prices. (NY Times)
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