The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Mar. 31, 2004 -- A Spanish judge issued international arrest warrants on Wednesday for five people in the Madrid train bombings, and re-arrested a released Moroccan suspect, a court official said today. Among the five whose arrest is sought is Abdelkrim Mejjati, a 36-year-old Moroccan who was convicted in absentia after deadly bombings in Casablanca last year and is no longer believed to be in Morocco, the Associated Press reports. Those bombings killed 33 people and 12 suicide bombers. Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes on Tuesday identified the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group as the main focus of investigation in the March 11 bombings in Madrid, which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800 others. Mejjati is wanted by the FBI in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States.

And Canadian press reports that following a raid Tuesday on an Ottawa home, one of its residents was charged with two terrorism-related offences. Mohammad Momim Khawaja, 29, was arrested Monday at his workplace and charged with participating in or contributing to the activities of a terrorist group and facilitating terrorist activity, the RCMP said in a release. The charges fall under Canada's anti-terrorism law.

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

Spain

Spain Issues International Warrants for 5

Spanish judge issues international arrest warrants for five bombing suspects, re-arrests Moroccan. (AP)

Philippines

More Manila Terror Plot Suspects Nabbed

Two more terror suspects have been arrested in the Philippines along with four Muslim militants who were allegedly planning a major attack on trains and shopping malls in Manila. (AP)

Canada

Anti-Terrorism Charges Laid Against Ottawa Man After Raid On Home, Office

An Ottawa man was charged Tuesday with two terrorism-related offences after police raids at his home and office, while shocked family members insisted upon his innocence. (Canadian Press)

9/11 Commission

Commission to Question Rice Publicly

Commission to question Rice Publicly on Bush's pre-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism policies. (AP)

9/11 Commission Examines Clinton Records

Federal commissioners investigating the 2001 terrorist attacks have been poring over some 6,000 documents from former President Bill Clinton's presidential archive. (AP)

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Authorities Arrest 15

Saudi authorities arrested 15 suspects yesterday in Mecca. They were wanted for "security reasons," but it's still unclear if the arrests are related to terrorist activities. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Afghanistan

Marines Sent to Boost Afghan Terror Hunt

The first of 2,000 U.S. Marines sent to intensify the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have arrived, the American military said Wednesday. (Washington Post)

COUNTER-TERRORISM

Canada

Anti-Terror Probe Spots Holes in Canada's Airport, Passport Security

Extremists could exploit gaps in airport and border security which Canada failed to plug in a 7.7 billion dollar anti-terror drive launched after the September 11 attacks, an official report warned. (AFP)

Australia

Govt Pushes Anti-Terrorism Law Amendments in Parliament

The Federal Government has introduced into Parliament legislation to strengthen the nation's counter-terrorism laws. (Abc.net — Australia)

U.S.

Airports' Security Level Lowered

Washington's three major airports, along with a select handful of others, stepped down from "elevated yellow" alert Tuesday, ending more than three months of intense security procedures put in place in December over concerns about a possible terrorist attack during the holidays. (Washington Post)

U.K

Britain Forces Through Demand to Retain EU Airline Passenger Data

France and Germany last night bowed to a British demand that EU governments automatically retain data on airline passenger records to help fight illegal immigration and investigate terrorist networks. (The Guardian)

GUANTANAMO

Guantanamo Briton Alleges Torture

One of the Britons freed from detention at Guantanamo Bay has made allegations of torture against the camp authorities. (The Guardian)

THE WAR IN IRAQ

Bomb Kills Five U.S. Soldiers in Iraq

Road bomb kills five U.S. soldiers West of Baghdad; at least four others killed in separate attack. (AP)

Brutal Attacks in Iraq Kill Civilians, Soldiers Jubilant residents dragged the charred corpses of four foreigners — one a woman, at least one an American — through the streets today and hanged them from the bridge spanning the Euphrates River. Five American troops died in a roadside bombing nearby. (AP)

U.S. Shifts Focus of Iraq Weapons Hunt to Saddam's Intentions

The new leader of the U.S. hunt for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction told Congress he intends to focus on Saddam Hussein's intentions instead of hidden weapons. (AFP)

Iraq Rebuilding Plan Reviewed Authority's Inspector General Cites Initial Oversight Concerns. (Washington Post)

Iraq Faces $310bn Debt Crisis

Iraq is heading for economic meltdown under the weight of its $310 billion international debt and reparations bill. (The Observer)

Saddam's Wife Sajida Moves to Qatar

Saddam's wife Sajida, who was staying in Syria, headed to Doha yesterday, where she will be living, reports al Hayat. (Al Hayat)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Let's Not Forget 9/11 Commission's Main Goal: Preventing Future Attacks

The past is past; terrorism prevention should start now. (CS Monitor)

An Obsession With Secrecy

At the heart of the bipartisan grumbling over the belated agreement to let Condoleezza Rice appear publicly before the independent panel probing the 9/11 attacks is this fundamental principle: The people in a democracy have a right, indeed an obligation, to probe the thought processes that their leaders pursued to arrive at policies; citizens also have a right to reach their own judgments about the soundness of those decisions. (LA Times)

International Relations 101

Security measures that keep out legitimate foreign students only hurt us in the war on terror. (NY Times)

Wartime StressPoor morale and high suicide rates point to big problems for troops in Iraq. (Newsweek)

Terrorism in Tashkent Worries U.S.

Violence in the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan has left nearly 40 dead and many injured putting the capital Tashkent on high alert and causing concern in Washington that the situation could disrupt allied operations in neighboring Afghanistan. (UPI)

Maybe None of Them are Terrorists

Even the U.S. military's own lawyers realize Guantánamo is an own goal. (The Guardian)

The Blame GameWas Iraq a distraction from the war against America's real enemies? And could those enemies have been countered earlier? (Economist)

Clearer Than the Truth Duplicity in foreign affairs has sometimes served the national interest. But the case of Iraq is different. (Atlantic Monthly)

Here's How the U.N. Can Return to Iraq

Ever since U.S. President George W. Bush threatened the U.N. with "irrelevance" in September 2002 for not adopting Washington's hard line on Iraq, trouble has buffeted the world body as never before. (Daily Star — Lebanon)

Terrorism: Questions and AnswersWhat lessons have terror experts drawn from the March 11 bombings in Madrid? (Council on Foreign Relations)

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.