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Top 1645. Apr 24, 2002 10:25 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: OBL's Spain fundraiser

In response to message posted by BPyles:

One more suspected terrorist arrested in Spain....from 4/24 MSNBC.com:

Spain detains al-Qaida suspect

Second arrest of Islamic radical money-man in two days

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADRID, Spain, April 24 — Spanish police on Wednesday arrested a Syrian-born man authorities say was crucial to helping the al-Qaida terrorist network finance operations in several countries. It was the third suspected al-Qaida member arrested in Spain in the last 10 days.

INTERIOR MINISTER Mariano Rajoy told reporters that Ghasoub al-Abrash al-Ghalyoun was detained early Wednesday but he didn’t give details or say exactly where he was arrested.

On Tuesday, police in Madrid arrested another Syrian-born Spaniard, Muhammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi. He was described as a leading figure in financing terrorist operations of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network in various countries including the United States.

Rajoy said al-Ghalyoun and another man, Bassan Dalati Satut, “made up a network of businesses that devoted part of their profits to al-Qaida.” Satut was arrested in Spain in November.

Rajoy said they sent funds to a number of Islamic radicals including Mamoun Darkazanli, described as an associate of Sept. 11 ringleader Mohamed Atta. The minister said they also sent money to a former resident of Spain, Nabil Nanakli Kosaibati, who is currently in prison in Yemen for an alleged attempted attack on that country’s leader.

Rajoy said that “so far we have no evidence” that either al-Ghalyoun or Zouaydi met with Atta during two visits he made to Spain last year before Sept. 11.

Spain has arrested nearly a dozen people over the past six months for their alleged connection to al-Qaida.

On April 14, police in a Barcelona suburb detained a 57-year-old Algerian man, Ahmed Brahim, suspected of being al-Qaida’s chief accountant in Spain.

Brahim, who had several businesses in Barcelona and on the island of Mallorca, is suspected of having financed the August 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

.....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1646. Apr 24, 2002 10:48 PM

» JenL_2 - Re: Philippines Bombing Arrest

Three more arrested in Philippines Bombing attack.... from 4/24 MSNBC.com:

Philippine police arrest 5 in bombings

Attacks that killed 15 may have been linked to al-Qaida

MSNBC NEWS SERVICES

MANILA, Philippines, April 24 — Philippine police on Wednesday arrested three more Muslim suspects for bomb blasts that killed 15 people and said they were investigating possible links to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.

SUNDAY’S ATTACKS in the largely Christian southern city of General Santos came as the United States beefed up its military presence in the Philippines to help train local troops in repelling foreign aggression and combating terror.

The arrests brought to five the number of suspected Muslim militants accused in the blasts in a shopping mall parking garage and in a residential area.

The three were arrested in pre-dawn raids in General Santos where police seized about nine pounds of bomb-making materials, regional police chief Colonel Bartolome Baluyot said, adding he hoped to make more arrests soon.

“We are looking into the possibility that they might have a connection with groups like al-Qaida,” Baluyot said, referring to the network the United States blames for the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The first two suspected militants arrested on Tuesday, Bobby Sabilo and Mulikin Adam Ambi, have been charged with multiple murder and illegal possession of explosives and police are preparing the same charges against the three captured on Wednesday, Baluyot said......

....round 'em up & don't let 'em go!.....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

http://www.bworld.com.ph/current/TheNati...

Top 1647. Apr 25, 2002 6:21 AM

» Rande - Caller ID helps nab three

Caller ID helps nab three more bombing suspects

By ALLEN V. ESTABILLO, Correspondent

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Central Mindanao -- Caller ID led to the arrest of three more suspects believed to be involved in Sunday's bombings, police yesterday said.

....Central Mindanao police director Senior Supt. Bartolome Baluyot said police also recovered a cache of explosive materials during the raid.

....He said they recovered at least four kilograms of metal scrap, improvised blasting caps, copper wires, one live 60mm mortar shell, a hand grenade, one Smith and Wesson .38 caliber pistol and assorted bullets.

....Police officials said they also recovered "folders and folders" of suspected subversive documents said to be from the New People's Army or NPA (military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines), Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

....A manhunt has been also launched against alleged "bomb expert" Commander Benjie Puntuan who eluded lawmen in Monday's raid. The suspect has reportedly trained in Libya and has been linked with a terrorist group in Malaysia.

-- posted by Rande

Top 1648. Apr 25, 2002 6:27 AM

» Rande - China Planning Attack?

Even though we have enough to worry about with the worldwide threat to the West originating in the Middle East and spreading through Southeast Asia, we can't forget about communist Red China...

Los Angeles Times, April 25, 2002

CIA Warns of Chinese Plans for Cyber- Attacks on U.S.
Defense: Analysts fear government and private efforts to sabotage federal Internet sites.

BYLINE: ERIC LICHTBLAU, TIMES STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

U.S. intelligence officials believe the Chinese military is working to launch wide-scale cyber- attacks on American and Taiwanese computer networks, including Internet-linked military systems considered vulnerable to sabotage, according to a classified CIA report.

Moreover, U.S. authorities are bracing for a possible wave of hacking attacks by Chinese students against the United States in coming weeks, according to the analysis. The confidential alert, which was reviewed by The Times, was sent to intelligence officials a week ago.

Although U.S. officials have voiced concerns about individual hackers in China who have defaced federal and private Web sites, the United States has resisted publicly linking the Chinese government to those attacks or to broader cyber-style warfare.

The new CIA report, however, makes clear that U.S. intelligence analysts have become increasingly concerned that authorities in Beijing are actively planning to damage and disrupt U.S. computer systems through the use of Internet hacking and computer viruses.

Although the assessment concludes that China has not yet acquired the technical sophistication to do broad damage to U.S. and Taiwanese systems, it maintains that this is the "intended goal" of the People's Liberation Army in China....

-- posted by Rande

Top 1649. Apr 25, 2002 7:11 AM

» JenL_2 - Re: Caller ID helps nab three

In response to message posted by Rande:

more detail from Rande's link....

A raid on a Moro community yesterday netted Abubakar Amil Hassan, 40, and Jay Jun Makalinsal, 19, both of Kiamba, Sarangani and Arsul Ginta, 31 of barangay Kalipaan, Palembang, Sultan Kudarat....

...Mr. Baluyot said the three suspects were collared at about 4:00 a.m. at the residence of one Hadji Saulda in Purok Lote, Barangay Calumpang. The house is said to be just beside the one where suspected Abu Sayyaf operations chief Nadzmie Saabdulah alias Commander Global was arrested in July last year.

The suspects, said Mr. Baluyot, were traced after someone tried to extort money from the local Bayantel office on Tuesday by threatening to bomb the premises. Bayantel employees and police investigators, he said, traced the number and location of the call through caller ID.

"These suspects made a big mistake when they called up a number that has caller ID features," Mr. Baluyot said, adding that they even confirmed the numbers by calling minutes before the raid.

He said they recovered at least four kilograms of metal scrap, improvised blasting caps, copper wires, one live 60mm mortar shell, a hand grenade, one Smith and Wesson .38 caliber pistol and assorted bullets.

"They assemble these materials into bombs by using tin cans," Mr. Baluyot told reporters....

..."These appears to be coming from various groups like the NPA, MNLF, MILF and Abu Sayyaf and they are now operating here as one group," he said.....

...Meanwhile, Mr. Baluyot said they are carefully evaluating whether the suspects have any links to self-confessed Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Muslim al-Ghazie who has claimed responsibility for Sunday's terrorist attacks.

"Our operations are ongoing and we're hoping to arrest more suspects soon," he said.

Hmmm - the U.S. operations are supposed to be confined to eliminating the Abu Sayyaf....but if the NPA, MNLF, MILF and Abu Sayyaf are now operating as one group maybe we'll get the go ahead to go after them all? Also read that some Israeli police experts are in the Phillippines participating in anti-terrorist training for members of the Philippine National Police....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1650. Apr 25, 2002 7:37 AM

» Rande - Re: Re: Caller ID helps nab three

In response to message posted by JenL_2:

Makes sense to utilize Israeli intelligence. Follow the money behind the militant Muslim groups in SE Asia and you'll likely end up back in Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, etc. Not unlikely some Peoples Republic of China money going to the communist groups too.

-- posted by Rande

Top 1651. Apr 25, 2002 8:04 AM

» JenL_2 - Philippines Front

More from the Philippines Front. Looks like U.S. troops are in the Philippines to train, support & aid the Philippines military in eliminating the Abu Sayyaf....but also we're there helping to sell U.S. made Cobra & Black Hawk helicopters and F-18 Hornet fighter jets to Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Australia, Brunei, Japan, Singapore and South Korea! This from 4/24 The Philippine Star:

Filipino pilots to fly Cobras, Black Hawks

By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 04/24/2002

Clark Field, Pampanga – For the first time, this year’s Balikatan joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States will have the Americans taking the back seat — literally.

Philippine Air Force pilots from the 5th Strike Wing, based at Maj.Danilo Atienza Air Force Base at Sangley Point in Cavite, will be given a chance today to fly the US military’s Cobra and Black Hawk helicopters. Their American counterparts will act as co-pilots and assist them.

Armed with a nose-mounted Gatling gun and rockets on both sides, Cobras are attack helicopters designed to take out tanks and other ground targets. Black Hawks, on the other hand, are mainly used for ferrying troops.

Col. Danilo Ferrer, chief of the PAF Balikatan events planning, said the exercise will enable Filipino pilots to try their hand at flying US aircraft and improve their skills.

"Before, they were just mere observers," Ferrer said. "The experience would at least give our pilots the skills to fly Cobras and Blackhawks, which would be helpful in case our government decides to purchase such aircraft."

Donated by the US, the Vietnam War-vintage Huey gunship, which can be fitted with machineguns and rockets, has been the workhorse of the Philippine military for decades. Though dependable, they are now obsolete.

Ferrer said Filipino pilots will fly the US choppers from the former Clark US military base to Sangley early today. At Sangley, pilots from the 15th Strike Wing will be given the chance to fly them and become familiar with the aircraft.

The US military has flown in over 30 aircraft – including two Cobras, two Black Hawks, and five F-18 Hornet fighter jets – for the exercises to be held at Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac, at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, and at Ternate, Cavite.

Nationalist groups staged a peaceful rally outside Fort Magsaysay protesting the exercises.

Meanwhile, a US navy ship arrived yesterday at Pier 13 in Manila’s South Harbor to join several US Navy vessels already in the country for the Balikatan.

The USS Fort McHenry, a dock landing ship based in Japan, will be here for a week-long visit.

Among the world’s top-of-the-line combat aircraft, F-18s are designed to perform different kinds of missions such as bombing targets on the ground in an offensive or providing troops air support.

There are no plans to allow Filipino pilots to fly F-18s because they don’t have the necessary prior training. The Philippine military’s most modern fighter jets consist of only a few F-5 Freedom Fighters, also obsolete.

Ferrer said the F-18s are expected to hold target practice at Crow Valley in Tarlac using practice bullets and rockets. No live ammunition would be used.

The US air force used to practice bombing runs at Crow Valley until 1992, when the US shut down the former Clark air base and Subic Bay naval base in , Zambales, after the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty extending their existence.

Two military representatives each from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and Thailand are expected to arrive to observe the exercises, according to spokeswoman Navy Lt. Mary Nancy Pastor. Australia, Brunei, Japan, Singapore and South Korea were also invited to send observers.

(clip)

Meanwhile, as part of the US war against terrorism worldwide, small teams of US special forces troops will train local police on counter-terrorism in select regions across the country.

In Basilan, hundreds of US troops are training Philippine soldiers and assisting them in hunting down the Abu Sayyaf.

The other day, a team of Israeli commandos began training members of the PNP’s elite Special Action Force on anti-terrorist tactics in Clark.

— With reports from Bebot Sison Jr., Jaime Laude

Good to see that the $$$$ spent in our war on terrorism isn't all going down a rat-hole but is also drumming up business for U.S. companies!....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 1652. Apr 25, 2002 8:26 AM

» BPyles - Nabbed by caller ID!

Now that doesn't say a lot for the IQ of the people who are trying to accomplish whatever it is they are trying to do....

-- posted by BPyles

Top 1653. Apr 25, 2002 8:45 AM

» JenL_2 - War on Terrorism or The New Great Game?

More on our War on Terrorism turning into an arena for selling U.S. Weapons from 4/24 MSNBC.com:

<img src="http://a799.ms.akamai.net/3/799/388/c5db..." width=310 height=221 align="right">U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Bruce Scott, second from left, and U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill, right, visit a Raytheon Corp. military hardware exhibition in New Dehli, India, in February.

U.S. arms once-forbidden Eurasia

U.S. weapons export bans fall
in South and Central Asia

By Kari Huus
MSNBC

In an effort to win new friends, reward old ones and prepare others to fight a war on terrorism, the United States has loosened export restrictions on arms sales, while boosting military aid to many countries and increasing financing for their purchase of U.S. weapons. Some fear the policy shift could fuel conflict in South and Central Asia — areas known for their instability.

ONE SIGN of things to come was the announcement on Friday by Raytheon Corp. that Washington and New Delhi were finalizing the first U.S. foreign military sale to India in more than a decade — eight Thales Raytheon Firefinder Weapon Locater Radar systems worth about $140 million.

The Pentagon called it “a historic move that further signals improving relations between India and the United States.”

Before the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, U.S. fears about growing tensions between India and Pakistan — punctuated by nuclear weapons testing on both sides in 1998 — led Washington to impose sanctions prohibiting U.S. arms sales and military ties with the two countries.

But following the attacks, most sanctions were waived for both countries after they demonstrated support for the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. Now the radar system is one of about 20 Indian military purchases in the works, and U.S. officials are on record promising to push them through licensing procedures.

The sales are part of a stark shift in U.S. military and foreign policy in South and Central Asia, a region to which the United States once was reluctant to provide military support. The Bush administration justifies the shift by arguing that it is crucial to the U.S. war on terrorism, the president’s highest priority.

But critics argue that the White House is losing sight of other priorities, including earlier U.S. efforts to defuse regional conflicts and discourage governments known for human rights abuses.

FEARS OF DESTABILIZATION

The Firefinder radar systems — designed to instantaneously spot incoming rounds fired by artillery and allow speedy retaliation — could give India an edge over Pakistan, or at least the perception of an edge, and critics argue that will only increase Pakistan’s sense of insecurity.

“My concern is that Pakistan will turn to nuclear weapons or a pre-emptive strike,” says Tamar Gabelnick, director of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project at the Federation of American Scientists. “Of all the tinderboxes in the world, this is the most dangerous one.”

Pakistan responded swiftly to the Firefinder announcement. “It will encourage India to more belligerence,” Aziz Ahmed Khan, a foreign office spokesman, told a press briefing on Monday.

Amid renewed tensions in recent months, hundreds of thousands of Indian and Pakistani troops are faced off at the line of demarcation in the disputed territory of Kashmir, which has been the site of four Indian-Pakistani battles.

“As it is, they have deployed their troops along the border. We think that anything more that adds to India’s arsenal is only used in prompting it to intimidating postures,” Khan said.

But Pakistan is also in line for weapons purchases from the United States and has been promised a whopping $600 million in security assistance, though its larger weapons requests — particularly for F-16 fighter jets — remain stalled.

During a visit to Washington by President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan and the United States set up a Joint Defense Cooperation Group to examine Pakistan’s defense needs, including the F-16 deal. Since news of the sale to India, Pakistan has renewed pressure for the group to convene as early as May.

FOCUS ON UZBEKISTAN

As a result of the war on terrorism, the United States has also become far more entrenched in Central Asia, using air bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and gaining explicit support for its campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaida from all of the governments that border Afghanistan.

Washington had imposed limits on military aid and weapons sales to these countries out of concern for their weak democratic institutions and poor human rights records. But now, out of gratitude and necessity, Washington has lifted those restrictions.

It is unclear how additional arms will affect local rivalries, but there are many disputes in the region — divided by Stalin to intentionally pit the Muslim-dominated states against one another — over borders, and resources such as water and oil.

Of greatest concern is Uzbekistan, already the strongest state in Central Asia, both economically and militarily.

Uzbekistan has been singled out as one of the biggest recipients of U.S. assistance in its fight against terrorism, after restrictions based on human rights concerns were lifted.

A rising extremist group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, was chosen for special mention in President Bush’s State of the Union address as one of the most notable terrorist groups in the world.

President Islom Karimov has warmly welcomed the U.S. presence, and has not placed any time limitation on the use of the country’s bases. In Kyrgyzstan, by contrast, where public debate is allowed, the government offered a three-year lease on its facilities.

Karimov’s government is due to receive about $100 million in various kinds of U.S. assistance, the vast majority of it for military aid and training, and border security. He is the only leader of the Central Asian states to pay an official visit to Washington since Sept. 11.

While Uzbekistan is arguably critical in the war on terrorism, there are hazards to supporting it. “My fear is that the United States will prop up Uzbekistan as a regional hegemon,” says Pauline Jones Luong, assistant professor and Central Asia specialist at Yale University.

“Domestically it could increase the hostility towards the Uzbek government because the government could use its strength as a stamp of approval to crackdown even harder, causing resentment not just at home but from other groups in the region and in the long run, encourage more terrorism.”

Karimov has the worst human rights records in the region. His efforts to crush the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have extended to silencing voices of Islamists in general, alienating even moderate critics.

Uzbekistan’s military has also pursued the Islamic militants into Kyrgyzstan’s territory, raising sovereignty issues. Moreover, the Karimov government has leaned on Kyrgyzstan to roll back some of its more liberal policies, arguing that freedoms in the neighboring state are causing problems for Uzbekistan.

THE COMPLEX NEW GREAT GAME

At least in part, recent U.S. moves to extend military aid throughout the region are part of a new Great Game, vying with Russia, China and others for influence in the wake of the Soviet collapse. The war on terrorism has given Washington a new reason to pursue a foothold.

As a result of recent U.S. policy changes, Russia is worried that it will lose India — long one of its best weapons customers — to the United States. A commentator in the Vremya Novostei newspaper even suggested that the United States, by taking over markets the Russian military desperately needs in South and Central Asia, could drive Russia to export more to the countries on the American official list of rogue states — Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Libya, Syria and Sudan.

For the behemoth U.S. defense industry, which exports about half of the world’s weapons, Central Asia and South Asia are for now customers of modest means and heavily dependent on U.S. military aid.

“We see opportunities, but at this point they are difficult to quantify,” says Dave Shea, a spokesman for Raytheon, a $40 billion-a-year defense contractor. “Money is tough over there. Desires are long and money is short.”

STRATEGIC REGION

U.S. concerns about terrorism have become entangled with other objectives in the region, including securing energy resources.

In testimony to Congress in October, Gen. Joseph Ralston, commander in chief of the U.S. European Command, known by the acronym USEUCOM, argued for lifting restrictions on Azerbaijan for receiving U.S. military due to its aggression against Armenia.

Azerbaijan’s “geo-strategic position; pro-Western economic, political and military orientation; and its abundant energy resources, have already proven to be high priorities for USEUCOM security cooperation efforts,” he said. “A stable Azerbaijan is necessary not only because of its vast energy deposits, but also because it can help forestall terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

MSNBC.com’s Kari Huus is an international editor and reporter.

The New Great Game indeed!!....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2