The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Feb. 12, 2004 -- — The federal commission investigating the attacks into Sept. 11, 2001 will soon be asking President Bush, former President Bill Clinton and both of their vice presidents to testify in public about possible warnings they had received from intelligence prior to the attacks. The chairman of the panel Thomas Kean, said the panel would issue formal invitations within the next few weeks, although he admitted that all four men would probably decline to be questioned at a public forum. Clinton has previously said that he would be willing to testify, and Bush said in an NBC interview last week that he would "perhaps" submit to questions from the commission.

And British Airways again cancels two London flights over fears of terror threats. British Airways said Flight 223 from Heathrow to Washington's Dulles Airport would not fly on the coming Sunday. Monday's Flight 263 from London to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia also was cancelled. This would mark the eighth time that Flight 223 has been cancelled this year due to security fears.

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

United States

Sept. 11 Panel to Ask for Bush Testimony

The federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks will soon ask President Bush, former President Bill Clinton and their vice presidents to testify in public about possible warnings they might have received from U.S. intelligence sources before the attacks. (AP)

Report Warns of Airline Security ShortcomingsThe General Accounting Office reports that CAPPS II, meant to flag potential terrorists, has problems with privacy and technical reliability. (LA Times)

United KingdomBritish Airways Cancels 2 London Flights

British airways cancels London-Washington, London-Saudi Arabia flights due to security concerns. (AP)

Afghanistan

Afghan Official Killed; Taliban Claim Attack

gunman killed an Afghan intelligence official and then blew himself up in a troubled eastern city Wednesday in the country's third suicide attack this year. (AP)

Saudi Arabia

Report: Two Wanted Al Qaeda Men Killed in Saudi Arabia

Two members of al Qaeda have been killed in Saudi Arabia where they were wanted by the security forces, according to a statement published on Wednesday on the Internet in the name of the terror network's Gulf branch. (AFP)

Pakistan

Boy Wounded in Oct. Waziristan Operations to be Visited by Family

Abdel Kerim Said Al Khedr, who was injured in the operations on the Waziristan area on October 2nd, will be visited by his family soon, his sister told Asharq Al Awsat. Abdel Kerim is the son of Ahmed Said Al Kheder, who was known as al Kanadi and was killed by Pakistani forces during the same operations. Al Kanadi was believed to be an al Qaeda financier. The sister said the Pakistani authorities decided to allow her to see her brother. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Al Qaeda Suspect Arrested

An al Qaeda suspect hailing from Morocco and his Pakistani aide were arrested Thursday in a raid by intelligence operatives in the Khyber tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Senior government officials, requesting anonymity, said the Moroccan had given his name as Abdur Rahman. The Pakistani was identified as Adnan, belonging to the Kukikhel Afridi tribe that resides in the area. The two men were taken to Peshawar for interrogation. (ABCNEWS)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

United States

U.S. to Let Lawyer to See 'Enemy Combatant' Padilla

The Pentagon said on Wednesday it will allow "dirty bomb" suspect Jose Padilla access to a lawyer for the first time since being placed in a military brig in June 2002. (Reuters)

Feds Allege N.Y. Terror Money Scheme

U.S. authorities believe a prominent Yemeni politician roamed the city in late 1999 to secretly raise money for terrorist operations, according to testimony in a federal case. (AP)

Bin Laden's Own Doctor Once Treated Ujaama

During one of James Ujaama's trips to aid the Taliban government in Afghanistan in late 2000, the former Seattle native fell ill and was treated by Ayman al Zawahiri, one of the most-wanted terrorists in the world and Osama bin Laden's adviser, confidant and personal physician. (Seattle Times)

United Kingdom

British Official Defends Anti-Terror Laws

Britain's attorney general defended the government's tough anti-terrorism laws Wednesday, saying it was fair to restrict some legal rights to guard against violent attacks. (AP)

Watchdog Says Terror Suspects Could Be Deported

Urgent steps are needed to see if any of the 14 detainees being held indefinitely in British prisons under anti-terrorist legislation can be deported instead, an official watchdog said yesterday. (The Guardian)

GUANTANAMO

Spain to Bring Back Suspect from Guantanamo Prison

Spanish police will fly to Cuba this week to collect the only Spaniard held prisoner in the U.S. military camp at Guantanamo Bay, Justice Minister Jose Maria Michavila said Wednesday. (Reuters)

Bin Laden's Driver Held in Guantanamo

Osama bin Laden's $200-a-month driver is being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, but the man had no connection to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime or the al Qaeda terror network, his defense attorney said Wednesday. (AP)

THE WAR IN IRAQ

U.S. Mideast Commander Escapes Iraq RPG Attack

The U.S. commander in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, escaped unharmed from a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. army said. (Reuters)

U.N. Agrees Need for Well Prepared Iraq Election

A U.N. envoy said after talks with Iraq's most powerful religious leader on Thursday that the world body backed his call for elections but that both sides agreed any polls must be well prepared. (Reuters)

U.S. May Delay Iraq Power Transfer

Powell is latest official to hint at such a move. He tells House panel that security is still an issue. (LA Times)

24 hours in Iraq: 102 Dead, Al Qaeda Bombers Blamed

U.S. military in Iraq seeks to blame al Qaeda loyalists and foreign militants for series of recent suicide bombings. In Britain, well-placed sources said that recent intelligence, and the interrogation of captured Iraqis, pointed to stronger links between insurgents and the al Qaeda network. But officials said it was too early to conclude definitively that the bombings were linked to al Qaeda. (The Guardian)

Red Cross Confident it Will See Saddam

The Red Cross has visited imprisoned officials of Saddam Hussein's toppled regime and expressed confidence Wednesday that U.S. authorities will allow it to see the former Iraqi dictator "sooner rather than later." (AP)

Regime Thought War Unlikely, Iraqis Tell U.S.

A study of the prewar perspective in Iraq describes a Stalinist, paranoid leadership circle in Baghdad that guaranteed its own destruction. (NY Times)

British Soldier Faces Killing Charge

Briton faces charge of manslaughter after Iraqi prisoner of war is allegedly beaten to death at army base in Basra, defense sources say. (The Guardian)

Senate May Broaden its Iraq InquiryA panel investigating prewar intelligence failures may look at how the White House used spy agencies' data to make its case for war. (LA Times)

Data From Iraqi Exiles Under Scrutiny

In the years before the war in Iraq, an exile group set up a team of analysts in Washington, underwritten by United States government funds, to distribute a steady stream of reports on Saddam Hussein to the government and the news media, according to government officials and a document the group submitted to Congress. (NY Times)

CIA Alters Policy After Iraq Lapses

Analysts to receive details on sources. (Washington Post)

CIA Website Seeks Data On Iraq Weapons

The Central Intelligence Agency, under fire over its intelligence about Iraq's arms programs, has posted a notice on its website offering rewards to Iraqis for information about such weapons. (Reuters)

Iraq Takes Step Towards WTO

The nation is formally approved as an observer to the international trade organization. (AP)

Kurdish Sources: We Lead the Americans to Saddam's Hideout

"Informed" Iraqi Kurdish sources told Asharq Al Awsat newspaper that members of their group were the ones to lead the Americans to Saddam Hussein, who was captured on December 13th. The sources also said they've been following the movements of former Iraqi vice-president Ezzat Ibrahim Al Douri and expected he would be arrested within a few weeks. (Asharq Al Awsat)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Iraq Bombings Seem to Aim at Voting Plan

Back-to-back suicide bombings on Tuesday and Wednesday that killed more than 100 people came as a United Nations delegation was examining whether early elections could be held in Iraq. The message, Iraqi politicians and others here said Wednesday, is unmistakable. (NY Times)

Fearful Iraqis Weigh Working With U.S. Bombings at recruiting sites could hamper security handover. (Washington Post)

IRAQ AND AL-QAEDA: Part 1 — The usual suspects

Nearly 100 Iraqis have been killed in less than 24 hours in two suicide bombings in Iskandariya and Baghdad.These two deadly attacks happened just as the Pentagon and the White house leaked information that allegedly proved the so far elusive link between al Qaeda and terrorism in Iraq. (Asia Times)

Obstacles On road to Iraq elections

What does it take to hold national elections in Iraq? (BBC)

Don't Let Iraq Become a Haiti

To avoid a similar tragedy, the U.S. must this time stay the course after an occupation. (LA Times)

Blair's Claim is Simply Incredible

A former senior intelligence officer challenges Lord Hutton's account. (The Guardian)

Strikes at 'Collaborators' Sow Fear but Not Flight

Campaign to intimidate Iraqis working for the occupation is blunted by economic need. (LA 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.