The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Oct. 23 -- [[[[Today's report includes Spain's release of an Al Jazeera reporter and more on the Madrid donor conference.]]]]]

EUROPE

Spain

Spain frees on bail Al Jazeera newsman in al Qaeda case

A Spanish judge on Thursday decided to release on bail for medical reasons Tayseer Alouni, a journalist from Arab television network Al Jazeera accused of belonging to an al Qaeda cell in Spain, court sources said. (Reuters)

Casablanca bombers have Al Qaeda links Five people allegedly implicated in the May bomb attacks in Casablanca, Morocco were all members of a Spanish-based Al Qaeda terrorist cell, judicial sources in Madrid said on Monday. (News 24 – South Africa)

Germany

German chancellery reinforces refusal to allow Hamburg court access to U.S.-held Sept. 11 suspect's statements

A German judge said on Monday statements from Ramzi bin al-Shaibah, a suspected September 11 conspirator, could not be used in the trial of a Moroccan accused of helping the suicide hijackers. (Reuters)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20344352.htm

Moroccan calls 9/11 conviction 'unjust'

Mounir el Motassadeq who was found guilty of helping the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers told a court Tuesday that his conviction was "unjust" and denied that an Al Qaeda cell ever existed in Hamburg. (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50993-2003Sep23.html

ASIA

Philippines

Philippines says al-Qaeda suspect and associate of bin Laden's brother-in-law arrested

The Philippines said two Arab al-Qaeda suspects had been captured and that a huge manhunt was under way in the south of the country for dozens of militants from the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group. (AFP)

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/53720/1/.html

The War in Iraq

Bush won't agree to quick Iraq handover

President Bush in his U.N. speech Tuesday will resist French and German pressures for a quick surrender of U.S. authority in Iraq, top aides said. American and European diplomats worked behind the scenes to draft a compromise on the pace of a handover. (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3181132,00.html

Editorial: What the U.S. owes its friends

Now, more than ever, the annual address by the president to the United Nations cannot be a bravura declamation of "our way or the highway." Yet reports from Washington indicate President Bush will rigidly insist in his speech to the world body today that the invasion of Iraq was correct and it's up to nations that opposed the war to get over their distaste and bail the U.S. out of a deadly jam. (LA Times)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-iraq23sep23,1,3877255.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials

Iraq to close down Arab satellite TV offices: spokesman

Iraq's Governing Council has decided to close down the Baghdad offices of the Arab satellite television stations Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, at least temporarily, for allegedly inciting violence, a council spokesman said. (AFP)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030923/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_media_decision_030923113251

Iraqi defense chief argued with Saddam

Former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai, who surrendered to U.S. forces on Friday, had quarreled with Saddam Hussein as American troops prepared to invade Iraq last spring. However, Saddam rejected military plans to defend Baghdad in the belief that a political solution remained possible. (Washington Times)