The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report
June 4, 2004 -- A top aide to Jordanian terror chief Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been captured in Iraq, U.S. military officials announced on Friday. The man, Umar Baziyani, is known to have ties to several extremist groups in Iraq and is wanted in connection with a series of attacks on coalition forces in Iraq. The U.S. military described him as an associate of Zarqawi.
And the FBI said that it has received "credible" reports that suggest some of the seven terror suspects highlighted by the bureau last week have been seen overseas, a top official said on Thursday. Attorney General John Ashcroft described the seven individuals as being associated with al Qaeda.
News from the CIASecond CIA Official Expected to Leave
A second top CIA official is expected to announce his departure today, just a day after the agency's director, George Tenet, resigned amid mounting criticism of the intelligence service. (The Guardian)
THE WAR IN IRAQ
Zarqawi 'Aide' Captured in IraqIraqi police have captured a top aide of al-Qaeda suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the US-led coalition says. (BBC)
Iraq Says It Needs Multinational Force
Iraq says it needs multinational force to stay but wants to ensure more Iraqi control. (AP)
Report Blames Agencies Over Prewar Intelligence
George J. Tenet's resignation may have been hastened by a critical, 400-page report from the Senate Intelligence Committee that was presented to the Central Intelligence Agency for comment last month. (NY Times)
Abu Ghraib Inquiry Is Said to Focus on Head of Its Interrogation Center
The investigation is focusing on the former head of Abu Ghraib's interrogation center, Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan. (NY Times)
2 Marines Guilty of Abusing Prisoner
Two 19-year-old Marines pleaded guilty last month to abusing an Iraqi prisoner under their watch by giving him electric shocks, according to Marine officials. (Washington Post)
Abu Ghraib Intelligence Soldier Describes Iraq Abuse in Detail
U.S. Army Spc. Israel Rivera says he saw abuse of detainees in Abu Ghraib firsthand. (LA Times)
Coded Cable In 1995 Used Chalabi's Name Intercepted Iranian Message Involved Plot to Kill Hussein. (Washington Post)
Transfer Could Include Saddam Handover
Iraq transfer will include control of prisons, could lead to Saddam's handover, diplomat says. (AP)
THE WAR ON TERROR
INVESTIGATIONS
U.S.
FBI: 'Credible' Reports Terror Suspects Seen Overseas
The FBI has received "credible" reports that suggest some of the seven terror suspects highlighted by the bureau last week have been seen overseas, a key official said Thursday. (CNN)
British Muslim Told FBI of Hijack Terror Plans A British Muslim has told how he was trained as a hijacker for Osama bin Laden, and contacted the FBI before the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S. (The Scotsman)
FBI Chief Wants New Intelligence Service
FBI director Robert Mueller proposes creation of new intelligence service within the FBI. (AP)
Japan
Japan Arrests 8th Man Linked To Al Qaeda
Japanese police arrested an eighth foreign national on Thursday in their nationwide crackdown on a suspected al Qaeda network in Japan, officials and news reports said. (AFP)
U.K.
Radical Preacher is An Al Qaeda Hero, Court ToldThe radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza is an "al Qaeda hero" comparable to Osama bin Laden, a lawyer acting for the US in its extradition bid claimed yesterday. (The Guardian)
Philippines
Philippine Separatists Deny Hosting Egyptian Terror Suspect
The separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday vehemently rejected charges that it hosted Hassan Bakre, an Egyptian national who had been arrested in the southern Philippines over alleged links to the al Qaeda network. (Arab News)
Guantanamo
Methods Used on 2 at Guantanamo Intensive interrogation techniques approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld were used to elicit information from two prisoners at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior Army general said yesterday. (Washington Post)
AlgeriaMilitant Group Pays 200 Thousand Euros To Free Its Leader
The Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat paid a rebel group in Chad 200 thousand Euros in return for its leader Amari Saifi, also known as "Abderrazak al Para.'' Saifi was apprehended after a firefight in March with members of the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Morocco
U.S. Rewards Morocco for Terror Aid
Morocco has been designated a major non-Nato U.S. ally by President Bush, in recognition of the country's support in the US-led war on terror. (BBC)
ON THE WEB
Group Leader Says Khobar Attack Was Intended to Be Suicide Operation
In an interview published in the 18th issue of the online magazine Sot Al Jihad, the alleged leader of the group that carried out the Khobar attacks last weekend recounted in details the events of that day. Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Nashmy said he was assigned by al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Al Muqrin to lead a group of four attackers and claims the operation was intended to be a suicide bombing but the plan changed when they entered the compound much easier than expected. He talks in great detail about the preparations, the targets and the actual attacks. He also insists that Nemr Al Bakmy, one of the attackers, was killed and not captured as Saudi authorities had claimed. "We had no doubt he was killed," he says. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)
Saudi Qaeda Leader Praises Attacks for Hiking Oil Price
Al Qaeda's top leader in Saudi Arabia has praised a recent series of militant attacks in the kingdom which helped send oil prices to record highs on fears of instability. (Reuters)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
As a Lightning Rod Departs, a Contentious Issue Remains
George J. Tenet's surprise departure as director of central intelligence removes from President Bush's inner circle one of the lightning rods for the criticism that America went to war based on faulty intelligence. (NY Times)
Sistani's Green Light Should Be Rewarded With Transparency
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has given his seal of approval to the new Iraqi interim government. (Daily Star)
Ibrahimi's Realism
An analyst can doubt this government's legitimacy. (Al Hayat)
Iraq, June 30 and the Debate On Sovereignty
As the debate over a new United Nations' resolution on Iraq gathers momentum one word we are sure to hear often is: Sovereignty. (Arab News)
All-Out War Between Al Qaeda And House of Saud Under Way
The killing of 22 people in the key oil center of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend not only helped push oil prices above $42 a barrel — a 20-year high — but deepened the impression that the country is dealing with a terrorist crisis. (CS Monitor)
A Center of World Worry
With the second terrorist attack in a month on Saudi Arabia's oil industry, it's getting harder for the regime to blame its security problems on a handful of dissidents. For too long, the kingdom has vainly tried to use its oil wealth to paper over severe economic problems that are turning it into a hotbed of support for terrorists. (LA Times)
No Defense Possible
If the government's new spree of allegations this week against Jose Padilla had taken the form of a criminal indictment, it would have been a powerful document. (Washington Post)
The Jose Padilla Dilemma
There is no doubt that Jose Padilla, Chicago gang-banger turned al Qaeda operative, has risen to the level of genuine bad guy. (Boston Herald)
FROM THE THINK TANKS
Saudi Arabia Faces Threat From Within
Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies believe the threat for Saudi Arabia has shifted from external to internal concerns. A recent report published indicates Saudi Arabia is facing a growing battle with Islamic extremists within its own borders and assesses how it will manage that conflict. (CSIS)
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.