The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

June 8, 2004 -- Police in Milan arrested Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed on Tuesday, known as ``Mohamed the Egyptian,'' and another man as part of cross-border raids into the March 11 bombings that killed 191 people in the Spanish capital, news wires report. Mohamed the Egyptian, whom Spanish officials say allegedly "masterminded" the attacks, was staying in an apartment in the Bovisasca district on the northern outskirts of Milan, guest of another Islamic man who was also arrested. Aside from these detentions, Milan police have also searched 5 other apartments around Milan. The Italian Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said militants had been planning more attacks as police swooped as part of an operation across Europe.

And an American was gunned down on Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital. The American worked for a U.S. contracting company, according to U.S. officials. His assailants have not been captured. The attack was the second this week against Westerners in Saudi Arabia. Sunday, Irish cameraman Simon Cumbers, 36, was killed and BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, 42 was critically wounded in Riyadh. The violence has elevated security fears among the many expatriates living in Saudi Arabia.

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

ItalyItaly Arrests Suspected Madrid Bombing 'Mastermind'Italy arrested an Egyptian man suspected of helping to plan the Madrid train bombings as police across Europe swooped on Islamic militants in coordinated anti-terror raids, officials said Tuesday. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Gunmen Kill American in Riyadh

Unidentified gunmen shot dead an American in the Saudi capital of Riyadh Tuesday in the second attack on a foreigner this week, security sources and a Western diplomat said. (Reuters)

Attack On BBC Crew 'Not A Random Shooting'

A senior Saudi journalist who spoke to Frank Gardner shortly before the BBC security correspondent was critically wounded in a shooting on Sunday has said the attack was probably pre-planned. (The Guardian)

Philippine Embassy Receives Threats Against Nationals

Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom Bahnarim Guinomla confirmed yesterday in a telephone interview from Riyadh, that the Philippine Embassy had received anonymous threats against Filipinos in the Kingdom. (Arab News)

Question Marks Hang Over Suwaidi

Two question marks hang over Suwaidi, the southern district of Riyadh where the BBC's cameraman Simon Cumbers was shot dead and its security correspondent Frank Gardner critically injured on Sunday. (Arab News)

Guns Seized Near Yemen Border

Saudi border guards have seized 42 Kalashnikov assault rifles and more than 221,000 bullets destined for terrorists in the Kingdom, Okaz newspaper reported yesterday. (Arab News)

U.S.

Memo Suggested Legal Base for Torture TacticsIn 2002, Justice Dept. said the need to prevent terror may justify methods. (Washington Post)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

Yemen

Defense Lawyers Withdraw From Yemen Terror Trial

The defense team representing 14 suspects charged with terror acts in Yemen withdrew from the case yesterday, saying the defendants are being denied a fair trial. (Arab News)

Spain

Spanish Judge Indicts Two More Algerians

A Spanish judge indicted two Algerians on Monday, bringing to six the number accused of collaborating with an extremist organization believed to be connected with al Qaeda. (AP)

Indonesia

Indonesian Terror Suspect Bashir Takes Police to Court Over Arrest

Lawyers for Indonesian Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has gone to court to challenge his arrest as a top terror suspect, saying the decision followed pressure from the United States. (AFP)

ON THE WEB

Website Threatens Attacks by Saudi Cell On WesternersA statement posted on the Internet and signed by an Al Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia threatened Monday that the terrorist network would target Western airlines, military bases and residential compounds. (AP)

THE WAR IN IRAQ

Iraq Hostages Freed in Military Operation

Coalition forces freed Italian and Polish hostages in military operation south of Baghdad on Tuesday, the top U.S. general in Iraq said. (AP)

Car Bombs in Two Iraqi Cities Kill 14

Car bombs shake two Iraqi cities; six European soldiers die in blast south of Baghdad. (AP)

France Pledges to Back U.N. Resolution On Iraq

France pledged on Tuesday to back a United Nations resolution on the transfer of power in Iraq after the United States and Britain made changes that addressed its concerns. (Reuters)

U.S. Bans Cleric From Iraq Elections Bremer vetoes radical Shia leader in order barring militia members from politics. (The Guardian)

U.S. Expert Slams WMD 'Delusions'

Weapons of mass destruction do not exist in Iraq and it is "delusional" to think they will be found, says former chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay. (BBC)

U.N. Arms Inspectors Say Iraq Sites Were Cleaned Out

A number of sites in Iraq known to have contained equipment and material that could have been used to produce banned weapons and long-range missiles have been either cleaned out or destroyed, U.N. weapons inspectors said Monday. (Washington Post)

Forced Nudity of Iraqi Prisoners Is Seen as a Pervasive Pattern, Not Isolated Incidents

In the weeks since photographs of naked detainees set off the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, military officials have portrayed the sexual humiliation captured in the images as the isolated acts of a rogue night shift. (NY Times)

Senior Kurdish Official: Baziyani Was Ansar Al Islam's "Mastermind"

Umar Baziani, an alleged aide of Abu Musaab Al Zarqawi who arrested last week, was "the mastermind" of the Kurdish Ansar Al Islam group, according to a security official in Suleimaneya. The official, who is a member of Jalal Talbani's party, claimed that Baziyani split from Ansar Al Islam to work with al Zarqawi before he was arrested. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Mullah Krekar Not Returned to Iraq Without a Guarantee Mullah Krekar will not be returned to Iraq if he risks a death sentence there, says Municipal Minister Erna Solberg. (Norway Post)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Enemies of Truth

With each new attack, the al Qaeda further defines the nature of its evil. The murder of Simon Cumbers and wounding of Frank Gardner on Sunday demonstrate clearly that these assassins are also dedicated enemies of the truth. (Arab News)

For Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda Threat is Now Hitting Home Kingdom itself seen as a target. (Washington Post)

Fresh Failures in Iraq

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Our allegiances to our allies and friends change constantly. For a decade, exiled Iraqi Ahmed Chalabi was our chosen leader-to-be in a new Iraq. Championed by Pentagon neocons and objected to by the State Department, Mr. Chalabi received more than 100 million U.S. taxpayer dollars as our man designated to be leader of a new Iraqi government. (Daily Star)

Military Arithmetic

The most appropriate solution to the shortage of soldiers in Iraq would be to increase recruitment while repairing our military alliances. (NY Times)

The Insider Daily Terrorism Report (DTR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to international terrorism and the war in Iraq. The DTR is edited from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman, and Brinda Adhikari of the ABCNEWS Investigative Unit. The outside views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.