Zarqawi Aides

IRAQ NEWS

Top Zarqawi Lieutenants Netted in Iraq

Iraq announced Monday the arrest of two lieutenants of Islamic extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of whom was said to be plotting election day attacks and was implicated in the 2003 bombing of the UN Baghdad headquarters. (AFP)

Iraqi Interior Minister Refuses To Say Whether Terror Chief Is In Custody

Iraq's interior minister on Saturday refused to comment on rumors that the top terror leader in the country had been taken into custody. (AP)

Official: Millions Transferred to Lebanon

The Iraqi Defense Ministry transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from the Iraqi Central Bank to a financial institution in Beirut to buy weapons but did so legally and with the knowledge of multinational authorities, a ministry official said Saturday. (AP)

'Zarqawi' Vows War On Iraq Poll

Militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has reportedly declared war on next Sunday's election in Iraq. (BBC)

Bomber Strikes Near Iraqi Premier's HQ

A suicide driver detonated a car bomb at a guard post outside the Iraqi prime minister's party headquarters in Baghdad on Monday, injuring at least 10 people a day after the country's most feared terror leader promised an all-out war on democracy. (AP)

Shiites in Iraq Say Government Will Be Secular

The decision appears to formalize the growing dominance of secular figures among the Shiite political leadership. (NY Times)

Iraqi Insurgents Free Chinese Hostages

Iraqi insurgents said they had released eight Chinese hostages yesterday, as a militant group said it had shot dead 15 kidnapped Iraqi soldiers in continued violence ahead of this month's election. (Arab News)

U.K. Army Faces New Claims Over Iraq Brutality

Lawyers weigh charges over nine fresh allegations as government faces demands for full public inquiry. (The Observer)

U.S. Military May Face Shortage of Troops

The strain of fighting a longer, bloodier war in Iraq than U.S. commanders originally foresaw brings forth a question that most would have dismissed only a year ago: Is the military in danger of running out of reserve troops? (AP)

INVESTIGATIONS

U.S.

Secret Unit Expands Rumsfeld's Domain

New espionage branch delving into CIA territory. (Washington Post)

McCain Expects Hearings On Defense Intelligence Unit

Pentagon Disputes Some of Post Report. (Washington Post)

Some Question Background of Unit's Leader

Inexperienced Personnel Cited As a Risk to Espionage Work. (Washington Post)

FBI: Chinese Suspect Not Tied to Terror

Chinese suspect sought for questioning in alleged Boston plot has no terror connection, FBI says. (AP)

Bounty For Bin Laden Might Be Doubled To $50 Million

U.S. State Department will be mounting new publicity blitz in bid to snare al Qaeda mastermind. (Middle East Online)

AP: U.S. Foresaw Terror Threats in 1970s

Nearly three decades before the Sept. 11 attacks, a high-level government panel developed plans to protect the nation against terrorist acts ranging from radiological "dirty bombs" to airline missile attacks, according to declassified documents obtained by The Associated Press. (AP)

Germany

German Officials Arrest Two On Terror Charges

Two suspected al Qaeda members were arrested by German authorities Sunday, federal prosecutors said. (AP)

Kuwait

Kuwait Hunting Up to 10 Suspected Militants — Source

Kuwait, facing an increase in militant violence, is hunting between eight to 10 Saudis and Kuwaitis suspected of links to al Qaeda and a local anti-U.S. network, a security source said on Saturday. (Reuters)

Spain

Fugitive Seen As Link Between 9/11, Madrid

International counterterrorism authorities are looking for a Moroccan fugitive who may have attended a pivotal meeting with the Sept. 11 plotters and is believed to have played a logistical role in the train bombings last year in Madrid, Spain. (AP)

U.K.

Met Chief Will Decide Whether To Free Guantánamo Four

The country's most senior police officer is to decide whether the four British men returning from Guantánamo Bay tomorrow should be arrested, the Guardian has learned. (The Guardian)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

Yemen

Yemen to Try 26 Al Qaeda Suspects, 800 Extremists

Yemen will soon put on trial 826 extremists, including 26 suspected members of the Al-Qaeda terror network, a judicial source said Friday. (AFP)

ON THE WEB

Abu Musaab Al Suri Issues Statement

Al Qaeda leader Omar Abdel Hakim known as Abu Musaab Al Suri posted a statement online claiming he did not take part in the planning for the Sept. 11th attacks. In the statement, al Suri says Osama bin Laden did not consult with him about the plans. Had he asked him for advice, al Suri says he would've suggested using international flights and use weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. is offering $5 million as reward for information about al Suri, who is also known as Mustafa Setmariam Nasser. (Asharq Al Awsat)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Bin Laden Moves Toward Economic Terror

The shootout almost a week ago in Kuwait between the security forces and an Islamist group in the town of Umm al Haiman highlighted an apparent new trend in the behavior of Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in the Arabian Peninsula: the movement of Saudi militants across the border into neighboring countries. (The Daily Star)

Cover the Terror War as a War

So many targets, so little time. I have picked The Times' coverage of the war on terrorism to criticize because that coverage is woefully inadequate, failing to educate the paper's readership on the nature and extent of the threat the country faces. (LA Times)

A Higher Realism

The most significant thing about President Bush's inaugural address was the word he did not utter: terror. (Washington Post)

Al Qaeda Book To Hit Shelves

An English translation of interviews with Osama bin Laden and writings by his second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri will hit the shelves, according to The Wall Street Journal. (CNN)

'Why I'll Refuse to Fight in This Immoral War'

Earlier this week, I came out publicly against the war in Iraq. I'm not the only member of the Labour Party to be opposed to our military participation in this American-led adventure, nor am I the only soldier. (The Independent)

Danger Haunts Iraq's Campaign Trail

With just a week to go before elections, Iraq has seen an upsurge of violence by insurgents determined to drive out the Americans and their allies. How long can the region sustain the fight for what President George W Bush has called the worthy prize of Iraq's liberation? (BBC)

A Fantasy of Freedom

If Bush wanted to tackle tyranny, he could start with regimes under U.S. control. But liberty clearly has limits. (The Guardian)

Where Candidates Hide, One Iraqi Hits the Stump

In a country where some candidates address the electorate only from behind blast-proof walls and others are so stealthy that their names are secret, Sadr City's Fatah al-Sheikh stands out. (CS Monitor)

Can Iraq Rule Itself?

Amid continuing violence, Iraqis prepare for a crucial election. Here's what it will take for the next government to gain legitimacy — and why the new leaders may demand that the U.S. withdraw. (Time)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Brinda Adhikari of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.