The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report
Nov. 17, 2003 -- — The investigation into bomb attacks at the two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey over the weekend focused on two Islamic extremist groups and possible links to al Qaeda. One group that has been tied to al Qaeda in the past claimed responsibility for the attacks in letters to two London-based newspapers … The U.K. heightened its terror alert in response to credible intelligence that al Qaeda cells were planning attacks against British targets — with conventional or unconventional means … and two Yemenis, charged with supporting and financing terrorist organizations including al Qaeda and Hamas, were extradited to the U.S. from Germany.
THE WAR ON TERROR
MIDDLE EAST
Turkey
Two Unidentified Bodies Claimed to Have Belonged to Members of Terrorist Organizations One of two unidentified bodies, which were brought to the Forensic Medicine Institute following Saturday's bomb attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul, was claimed to have belonged to Mesut Cabuk, a member of the illegal organization of Islamic Movement, and the other to Azad Ekinci, a member of the terrorist organization of Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front. (Anatolia News Agency)
Five Held over Istanbul Attack PlotTurkish police said today they have arrested five people suspected of plotting a suicide attack against a police station in Istanbul, where 23 people were killed in weekend bombings at two synagogues, the Anatolia new agency reported. (AFP)
Alleged Al Qaeda Statement Claims Turkey BombingsIn a statement sent to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, a group thought to be linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings near two Istanbul synagogues that killed 23 people and injured 303. Abu Hafs Al Mastry Brigades had previously claimed responsibility for the blackout in the U.S., a plane crash in Kenya, the bombing of a Jakarta hotel and the bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. The statement, which AP reports was also sent to another London-based newspaper Al Majalla, warned against attacks inside the U.S. (ABCNEWS, Al Quds Al Arabi, AP)
Turkey Probes Al Qaeda Claim for Blasts As Suicide Bomber Caught On Camera Turkey said it had caught on camera one of the suicide bombers in weekend attacks on Istanbul synagogues as the government looked into reported claims that the al Qaeda terror network was to blame. (AFP)
Saudi ArabiaAlleged Qaeda Statement Denies Link to Saudi Blast A purported statement by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network denied it was behind last Sunday's deadly bombing in Saudi Arabia and warned it would carry out a new attack on a major U.S. city within two years. (Reuters)
AfghanistanU.N. Worker Slain in AfghanistanA French woman was killed Sunday in a drive-by shooting in an Afghan bazaar, becoming the first U.N. foreign aid worker to be slain in the country since the fall of the Taliban regime two years ago. (AP)
Stronger And More Deadly, the Terror of the Taliban is Back Close to Kandahar is a little village they call the cradle of the Taliban. Now, two years after the collapse of Mullah Omar's feared regime, the fundamentalist movement is once again on the march. In this disturbing report, Jason Burke in Sangesar tracks a resurgent menace. (The Observer)
YemenYemeni Court Frees 92 MilitantsA court in Yemen has freed 92 Muslim militants, including some suspected of having links with al Qaeda. (BBC)
PakistanPakistan Extends Militant Crackdown Amid Skepticism Pakistan said Monday it plans to extend a new crackdown on Islamic militants but analysts questioned whether the drive would be sustained and why one of the most feared groups had only been put under surveillance. (Reuters)
EUROPE
United KingdomBritain on Heightened Terror Alert, Government Confirms Britain's security services are on heightened terrorism alert, the government said ahead of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to London this week. ABCNEWS had learned Friday that the British government received credible intelligence that al Qaeda cells from North Africa were planning attacks against British citizens using conventional or toxic materials. The information indicated that possible targets include London's Heathrow Airport and British forces serving in Southern Iraq. The intelligence is based on interrogations of detainees who were recently arrested, sources told ABCNEWS. (AFP, ABCNEWS)
AMERICA
United StatesAl Qaeda Would Use Unconventional Arms If It Could, Report SaysAl Qaeda would like to use chemical and biological weapons but does not have the technological expertise to do so, a new U.N. report concludes. (Reuters)
Yemeni Suspects Face Trial in U.S.Germany has extradited two Yemenis to the United States on charges that they supported the al-Qaeda network. (BBC)
Court to Hear Case of Sept. 11 SuspectAppeals court to rule on 'enemy combatant' label for U.S. citizen in Sept. 11 investigation. (AP)
Case Closed The U.S. government's secret memo detailing cooperation between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. (The Weekly Standard)
Saudi Cash Scrutinized by U.S. for Terror TiesEven as they nurture a partnership with Saudi Arabia to smash Al Qaeda, U.S. officials are quietly investigating whether funds disbursed by the Riyadh government have helped finance the spread of international terrorism. (LA Times)
U.S. Germ Detection System Active in 31 CitiesThe U.S. government has set up a $60 million network to help detect a biological attack in 31 cities across the country, Homeland Security officials said on Friday. (Reuters)
Terror Groups Looking for Suicide Bombers on the InternetTerrorist groups have been trying to attract visitors of a number of websites to participate in suicide operations against what they called 'infidel targets.' Asharq Al Awsat says the move indicates the terror groups' shortage of people who would carry out suicide attacks. The paper also comments that this may be an attempt to counter the recent popular discontent amongst previous sympathizers with terror groups. (Asharq Al Awsat)
3 Muslim Charities Lose Tax-Exempt StatusThe Treasury Department announced Friday that it has revoked the tax-exempt status of three Muslim charities that the U.S. government has accused of diverting contributions to help bankroll terrorist activities. (AP)
Charities Deny Bankrolling TerrorThe leaders of an intricate web of nonprofit groups and companies in this quiet suburb in Virginia allegedly have conspired to support several Islamic terrorist groups, says an affidavit filed in federal court. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Tracking Terrorism in Texas PrisonsFBI translating letters to look for terrorist ties. (Austin American-Statesman)
ASIA
JapanJapan Investigating Warning of Al Qaeda Attack on TokyoJapan is investigating a report that al Qaeda has warned of an attack in Tokyo if the country sends troops to Iraq, a foreign ministry official said. (AFP)
Philippines Al Qaeda Affiliate Training Indonesians on Philippine Island A regional terrorist network linked to al Qaeda has continued to train its militants in the southern Philippines, aided by local Muslim separatists, police and intelligence sources said. (Washington Post)
AUSTRALIA
Revealed: Sydney Terror Suspect Linked To Al Qaeda Bombers The deported French terrorist suspect Willie Brigitte has been linked to the most senior echelons of al Qaeda. One of his associates counts Osama bin Laden and September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed as confidants, a French terrorism expert close the investigation told the Herald. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Taliban Links Spark ArrestA man with suspected links to the Taliban was arrested last week by police in Sydney. The Pakistani national, Muhammad Shahbaz, is being detained at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre in the same maximum security unit where French terror suspect Willie Brigitte was held before he was deported last month. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
THE WAR IN IRAQ
Saddam Tape Follows 17 Dead in Black Hawk Loss The U.S. army was trying to establish yesterday whether hostile fire brought down two Black Hawk helicopters in the northern city of Mosul on Saturday evening, causing the heaviest loss of American life in one day in the entire Iraq campaign. (The Guardian)
CIA Unable to Determine if Latest Tape Is SaddamA CIA technical analysis of an audio tape broadcast this weekend was "inconclusive" as to whether it was Saddam Hussein's voice, an agency spokesman said on Monday. (Reuters)
Full text of Saddam Tape: (BBC)
Faster TransitionU.S. Administrator presents new transfer of power plan to Iraqis. (ABCNEWS)
CIA Finds No Evidence Hussein Sought to Arm Terrorists The CIA's search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has found no evidence that former president Saddam Hussein tried to transfer chemical or biological technology or weapons to terrorists, according to a military and intelligence expert. (Washington Post)
Force FireU.S. troops are taking the battle for Iraq to Saddam Hussein's hometown. (AP)
U.S. Changes Helicopter Routes in IraqArmy changes helicopter flight routes after series of deadly crashes, most due to hostile fire. (AP)
British Olympic Hope 'Was Iraq Suicide Bomber' A 22-year-old martial arts expert from Sheffield who was hoping to fight with the British Olympic tae kwon do team is suspected of being one of the suicide bombers behind the recent spate of attacks in Iraq. (The Observer)
Former Iraqi FM Appears in Qatar"Informed Iraqi sources" confirmed to Al-Quds Al-Arabi that former Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabry is now staying at a hotel in Doha after having spent the past six months in Vienna. Sabry is not on any U.S. wanted lists. (Al-Quds Al-Arabi)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Who are the Insurgents? (Time)
Istanbul Bombings Spark Widespread Condemnation A selection of views from the Middle East and North Africa, compiled and translated by The Daily Star. (The Daily Star)
Istanbul Lapses into Disbelieving Silence The two bombings left people with many unanswered questions such as why in Turkey (Turkish Daily News)
Turkey, Israel Say Blasts Haven't Shaken TiesThe bombing of two synagogues here, purportedly claimed by Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, focuses attention on Turkey's deep, lucrative relationship with Israel and raises questions whether Turkey is now paying the price for that friendship. (LA Times)
Let Us Be Clear on Al Qaeda's Goals (Arab News)
The New Iraq Is Grim, Hopeful and Still ScaryTo return to Baghdad after six months is to encounter a country at once dispiriting and yet, in spite of all, still hopeful, if flaggingly so. (NY Times)
The Lessons of a QuagmireSending more soldiers could even be counterproductive if it results in more civilian casualties, as it did in Vietnam, complicating our effort to win over the population. (NY Times)
Ending Terrorism by Investing in Youth and Making the People Partners in ReformSix months ago, it seemed that the Arab governments had realized that in order to defeat terrorism, a strategic decision was needed, which would be based on reforming relations with the people and qualitative reforms involving both the authorities and the society. This is what appeared on the surface. (Al Hayat)
Adequate AccessThe accord announced last week between the White House and the national commission charged with investigating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is not a model of simplicity or openness. (Washington Post)
High Risks in AfghanistanLess than two years after President Bush's first military victory, Afghanistan is in danger of reverting to a deadly combination of rule by warlords and the Taliban. (NY Times)
Suspicious SugarcoatingLast Thursday, as the death toll in the bombing of the Italian police station in Nasiriyah stood at 29, a senior administration official was telling me and a few colleagues about the "good things" taking place in Iraq. (Washington Post)
The Court and GuantánamoThe Supreme Court should hold that the Guantánamo detainees have a right to a legal proceeding to challenge their confinement. (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.