The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report
Dec. 8, 2003 -- — The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is on high alert again as recent events continue to indicate that al Qaeda is targeting the kingdom. U.S. and British embassy officials in Saudi Arabia keep in effect a warning restricting the movements of embassy personnel, for fear they may be targets of terror. This weekend, Saudi security forces shot dead a wanted militant at a gas station in Riyadh. The incident comes after Saudi authorities released a list of the 26 most wanted terror suspects in Saudi Arabia, offering a $1.9 million reward to anyone who can provide information to prevent another attack. The most wanted list includes 26 Saudis, two Yemenis and one Moroccan.
THE WAR ON TERROR
INVESTIGATIONS/ARRESTS/THREAT ALERTS
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Security Kills Wanted Militant in ShootoutSaudi security forces shot dead a wanted militant in a shootout at a Riyadh gas station on Monday, the interior ministry said in a statement. Eye witnesses and a security source had told Elaph, an Arab news website, earlier that two terror suspects and arrested a third was arrested. (Reuters, Elaph)
Saudi Hunt for 26 Terror Suspects Saudi Arabia has published the names and pictures of 26 men it suspects of involvement in terror attacks within the country. The Saudi authorities have also offered rewards for information leading to the men's capture. (BBC)
Saudi List of Names (AP)
U.S. Security Alert in Saudi ArabiaThe U.S. has put its diplomats in Saudi Arabia on a raised state of alert due to security concerns there. (BBC)
Sources Say Al Maqran is Al Qaeda's Leader in Saudi ArabiaAccording to several security sources, Abdel Aziz Issa Al Maqran, who is number one on the Saudi suspect list, is considered the current leader of al Qaeda in the Kingdom. Number three, Khaled Haj, is also believed to be an important operative, according to Asharq Al Awsat. The list also contained the name of the brother of a Guantanamo Bay detainee and the relative of a suicide bomber, reports the paper. On Sunday, Asharq Al Awsat had reported that Abdullah Ahmed Al Rashud, another one of the 26 suspects, is believed to be responsible for inciting and encouraging terrorists. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Several Terror Suspects Acquired Weapons in IraqInformed Saudi sources believe that a number of the terror suspects being hunted by Saudi authorities had returned recently from Iraq, where they allegedly acquired weapons and arms that were used by the former Iraq army. Sources also say that most of the suspects wanted had fought during the U.S. war on Afghanistan and were considered the second generation of al Qaeda. (Al Hayat)
Briton Held in Saudi Al Qaeda CrackdownA British teacher at an English language school in Jeddah has been arrested by Saudi Arabian security police. (The Telegraph - London)
One of the Suspects Claims in a Letter That He's Going to IraqIn a handwritten letter to his father, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Saqr Al Fadly, one of the 26 wanted suspects, allegedly claimed that he was going to Iraq for 'jihad.' Informed sources however believe he is probably just trying to mislead the security forces. (Asharq Al Awsat)
A Moroccan on the Saudi Suspects List is Also Wanted in MorroccoMoroccan security sources were not surprised to find the name of two Moroccans on the Saudi suspect list, reports Asharq Al Awsat. They recognized the name of one of the suspects, Karim Al Tohamy Al Majati, who is considered one of the most wanted in Morocco and whose name has repeatedly been mentioned in terror trials. Al Majati had entered the U.S. between 1997 and 1999. There was however no not comment on the other Moroccan, Hussein Mohammed Al Hesky. (Asharq Al Awsat)
UAE Businessmen Arrested in Saudi Arabia, Say SourcesFundamentalist sources in London say that a fundamentalist from the United Arab Emirates called Salem Al Balushi was arrested in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, around two months ago. Al Balushi is a known businessman in the UAE according to his brother. He's also one of the oldest Afghan Arabs, who fought in Afghanistan during the war with the Soviets. He was imprisoned in the UAE for six years in the 1980s after he returned from Afghanistan. In a previous interview with Asharq Al Awsat, Al Balushi admitted that he got to know Saif Al Adl, the current al Qaeda chief of military operations, during his years in Afghanistan. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Turkey Mullah Named As Suspect For Turkey BlastsA Syrian-based mullah already wanted in Germany and Italy has emerged as a leading suspect behind the Istanbul bombings that killed 61 people, including the British consul general. (The Telegraph - London)
Turkish Court Charges 3 More People in Bomb ProbeA Turkish court charged three Turkish men on Sunday in connection with last month's suicide truck bomb attacks in Istanbul that killed 61 people and wounded hundreds more. (Reuters)
JordanJordan Promoting U.S.-Iran Contacts Jordan's King Abdullah is quietly trying to broker a deal that would lead Tehran to surrender about 70 al Qaeda operatives, including the son of Osama bin Laden, in exchange for U.S. action on the largest Iranian opposition group now based in Iraq, according to U.S. and Middle East officials. (Washington Post)
AfghanistanAfghan Village Angry After Gunship AttackShoes and woven hats littered a bloodstained field in this desolate Afghan village Sunday, a day after a U.S. warplane targeting a terror suspect mistakenly killed nine children. (AP)
Mullah Omar May Be In Pakistan: KarzaiMullah Mohammed Omar, the elusive leader of Afghanistan's ousted fundamentalist Taliban, may be operating from Pakistan, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has said. (Hindustan Times)
SwitzerlandBin Laden, No. 2 Linked to Swiss Accounts Swiss authorities involved in the global hunt for terror money have established that both Osama bin Laden and suspected al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri had access to Swiss bank accounts in the period before they were known terrorists. (AP)
United States U.S. Seeks Access to Al Qaeda SuspectMalaysian man's possible release adds to urgency. (Chicago Tribune)
Stocking StuffersU.S. officials fear socks represent new way to smuggle bombs aboard planes (ABCNEWS)
IndonesiaMinister Says Indonesia Braces for More Terror AttacksFearing that militant cells are preparing fresh attacks, Indonesian security forces are preparing "for the worst" as the New Year approaches in the world's most populous Muslim nation, a senior minister said on Sunday. (Reuters)
BoliviaBolivia Finds No Evidence Behind Terror Tip-Off Bolivia's government said on Friday it released "about 20" Bangladeshis after finding no evidence to support a tip that they were planning to hijack a plane and attack U.S. interests. (Reuters)
ON THE WEBNew Al Qaeda Tapes Released on the WebA new video called "The Confrontations of Martyrs" was released by Al Sahab Production Company, which has in the past produced several al Qaeda videos. The new tapes were posted online, but could not be accessed as the sites were apparently quickly blocked. It's still unclear what the video contains, but for the past weeks al Qaeda-sympathetic sites had been talking about the release of this video, which is believed to be related to suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)
Pro-Al Qaeda Website Calls for Attacks on Crusader A crusader-bases network posted on a website Friday called for attacks on U.S. military bases in the Gulf region. An "urgent message" posted on the militant Islamic Balsam Al-Iman website urged the "youth of the Arabian Peninsula who are eager to fight the holy war in Iraq to begin the jihad right at home, where the bases of the crusaders are located and from which fighter planes are sent to Iraq." (Arab Times)
Al Qaeda's Media Production Company: New Bin Laden Tape SoonThe media coordinator of Al Sahab Media Production Company, which has in the past produced several al Qaeda videos, allegedly said that a new Osama Bin Laden tape will be released before the next Muslim feast (in about two months). In an interview with the coordinator on the internet, he said the tape comes on the occasion of a "huge event which will rock the region." He refused to say if he already has the tape, but said people will see it on Al Jazeera. The coordinator identified himself just as Abu Osama. The story was posted on the site of the Center for the Defense of Legal Rights. The authenticity of the story however cannot be determined. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
Guantanamo BayDeals Reported Afoot for Detainees But lawyers question pacts for clients without access to counsel. (Washington Post)
United KingdomU.K. Drops Terror Charges on Six Suspects Six people arrested under Britain's anti-terrorism laws in a series of raids over the past two weeks have been released and re-arrested on other charges, police said Friday. (AP)
United StatesNew York Settles Dispute Over Access to Sept. 11 RecordingsFacing a subpoena, New York City's administration has agreed to give the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks unrestricted access to audio tapes of 911 emergency phone calls — as long as the commission comes to the city to listen. (New York Law Journal)
Study: Terror-Related Cases Often FizzleThe Justice Department has sharply increased prosecution of terrorism-related cases since the Sept. 11 attacks but many fizzled and few produced significant prison time, a new study finds. (AP)
OTHER COUNTER-TERRORISM STORIES
North AfricaEurope to Help North Africa Fight Roots of Terror European countries pledged on Saturday to help North Africa overcome poverty and inequality to help crush the seeds of Islamic extremism. (Reuters)
THE WAR ON TERROR — ANALYSIS & OPINION
26 Fugitives Have Common ExperienceTwenty-six fugitives being hunted by Saudi authorities share a common background — from attending militant training camps in Afghanistan to being relatively fresh recruits in Saudi Arabia's terrorist network, a Saudi official said Sunday. (Miami Herald)
The Istanbul Bombs: Challenging the Turkish Model? (Center for Strategic and Intl Studies)
Dirty Bomb Warheads Disappear Stocks of Soviet-era arms for sale on black market. (Washington Post)
THE WAR IN IRAQ
Bin Laden's Iraq PlansAt a secret meeting, bin Laden's reps give bad news to the Taliban: Qaeda fighters are shifting to a new front. (Newsweek)
Trail of Anti-U.S. Fighters Said to Cross Europe to IraqA string of recent arrests of terror suspects has shown that al Qaeda and groups linked to it have established a network across Europe that is moving recruits into Iraq to join the insurgency against American and allied forces, European intelligence and law enforcement officials said this week. (NY Times)
Loyalist Says Saddam Leading Resistance As Rumsfeld Vows to Finish Him Off U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld promised Iraqis that U.S. troops would stay on until they have eliminated all vestiges of Saddam's regime, as a diehard supporter of the ousted strongman told AFP that loyalists were still fighting across one third of Iraq. (AFP)
Iraq Prepares to Create Tribunal to Prosecute War Crimes Under HusseinThe special court would try members of Saddam Hussein's government on charges varying from genocide to squandering the nation's wealth. (NY Times)
Some Iraqis Get New Freedom After Saddam The Musawis are grateful to the Americans for getting rid of Saddam Hussein. It's meant higher wages, a new car and more freedom. (AP)
U.S. Needs to Put the Iraqis in Charge, Gingrich SaysFormer House Speaker Newt Gingrich blasted U.S. policy in Iraq on Sunday, saying it has gone "off a cliff" by failing to put Iraqis in charge of governing and policing their own country. (LA Times)
THE WAR IN IRAQ — ANALYSIS & OPINION
Moving Targets by Seymour HershWill the counter-insurgency plan in Iraq repeat the mistakes of Vietnam? (New Yorker)
Life Behind Enemy Lines By Brian Bennett and Michael WareAn inside look at the Baathists, terrorists, Islamists and disaffected Iraqis fighting U.S. troops. (Time)
Rebels Without a Cause or a Web Site by Edward WongThey are highly organized and well financed. They lack coordination and are low on funds. They dress in paramilitary uniforms. They blend in with Iraqi civilians. They take orders from al Qaeda. They have no ties to al Qaeda. Many of them are streaming across Iraq's borders from countries like Syria and Iran. Few have come from outside the country. They are driven by religious ideology. They could care less about the Koran. (NY Times)
History in the Remaking by John DowerBush's comparison of Iraq with postwar Japan ignores the facts. (LA Times)
A War of Choice or of Necessity? By Lawrence Korb (Washington Post)
Who is the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani? (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.