Summary and Chronology of EmergencyNet News Articles and ERRI Analysis Concerning Usama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda - 2001

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Friday, December 28, 2001-Vol. 7, NO. 364

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS

Intelligence Analysts Study Latest Bin Laden Video

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

More questions than answers are being raised by Usama bin Laden's latest video. The release of the video has triggered a lot of speculation about whether the master terrorist is having some sort of problem with his left hand, about the state of his health and/or even if he is still alive.

In the video that was first broadcast by Qatar-based al-Jazeera news network on Wednesday, bin Laden looks like he has turned much greyer in a very short time and very gaunt. He also appears much more subdued without much of the same old fire that we, in the United States, have come to hate. But then again, how should we expect someone to be when the world's mightiest military comes gunning for you? You probably wouldn't eat very well. It's probably cold at night in those caves and the racket made by planes dropping 15,000-pound "Daisy Cutter" bombs at your doorstep can make it difficult to sleep at night.

There has been much speculation whether or not bin Laden is suffering kidney problems. Not that we feel a bit of sympathy for him, but the months of living a fugitive's life on the run evading US special forces, and warplanes may have taken its toll on him.

With unconfirmed reports that bin Laden may have been killed by US bombing raids, some analysts say the tape should at least prove when he was last alive. The tape seemed to have been recorded at the end of November or beginning of December. Bin Laden refers to a US air strike on a mosque in the Afghan town of Khost as happening "a few days ago." The most likely date for that attack was 16 November, when a US laser- guided bomb missed its target in Khost and damaged a mosque. Bin Laden also said he was speaking three months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US, and two months on from the start of US air strikes.

Also noticeable on the video, bin Laden appears to wet his lips several times while speaking. His every gesture is being studied by intelligence analysts for a meaning, and some analysts say his lips would be dry during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ended on 15 December.

If the tape was recorded early in December, it would have coincided with the Taliban's surrender of their stronghold Kandahar, and bin Laden's reported flight to the eastern Tora Bora mountains.

There have been almost daily unconfirmed reports that bin Laden is dead, alive, still in Afghanistan or escaped to Pakistan. Pakistan's leader General Pervez Musharraf was the latest to add to the speculation when he said he was "reasonably sure" Bin Laden was killed by US bombing at Tora Bora. That has prompted some US officials to ask if the latest video is a may contain coded messages to his followers that he has been killed, and/or providing them with "go messages" that could prompt yet another terrorist attack.

ERRI analysts said that if Bin laden really wanted to prove that he is alive that he should broadcast a tape with some sort of visual or other reference that proved when the tape was recorded. For instance, he could display the frontpage of a major newspaper from the day that the recording was made. Otherwise, it is certain that the speculation, official and otherwise, will continue about whether or not he is even alive.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Thursday, December 20, 2001-Vol. 7 - 356

Profile of Bin Laden's New Security Chief

Terror Group Reference: al-Qaida and Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Following the reported death of Muhammed Atef, Saif al-Adel, a high-ranking member of the al-Qaida terror network, is believed to have taken over as security chief of the organization. A former colonel in the Egyptian army special forces, Adel is on the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list, with a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to his capture.

The United States accuses Adel of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people and wounded thousands. He is also suspected of teaching militants to use explosives, and training some of the 11 September hijackers.

In 1987, Egypt accused Adel - whose real name is Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi - of trying to establish a military wing of the militant Islamic group al-Jihad, and of trying to overthrow the government. Adel fled Egypt in 1988. Little personal information about Adel is available, but he is believed to be associated with Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the group that assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 as retribution for making peace with Israel.

Adel, born in either 1960 or 1963, is believed to have been head of al-Qaida's "media committee." He is thought to have arranged the filming of videos by bin Laden that have been broadcast internationally.

19 Dec 2001 - From http://www.emergency.com/ennday.htm

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS

Any Country Harboring Bin Laden "Would Be Out Of Their Minds"

List of Senior Al-Qaeda Operatives

Terror Group Reference: al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON: While declaring that the fate of the Taliban in Afghanistan was a "good lesson" to anyone considering helping the wanted fugitive leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz warned any countries against offering refuge to Usama bin Laden. During a press briefing at the Pentagon, Wolfowitz, known for his blunt talk, said: "I just think any country in the world that would knowingly harbor bin Laden would be out of their minds. I think they've seen what happened to the Taliban and I think that's probably a pretty good lesson for people not to do that. The campaign began in Afghanistan, but it doesn't end there."

Wolfowitz said the United States does not know where the criminal bin Laden is, but added: "It's possible he could be dead in the bottom of" a cave. Afghan fighters, assisted by U.S. special forces, have been searching some of the hundreds of caves in Tora Bora. The process could be exhaustive, especially since some of the caves have been sealed off by heavy bombing.

U.S. Marine Corps General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there are now 18 prisoners in U.S. custody. Five of them are aboard the USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship off the coast of Pakistan. Two are identified as John Walker and David Hicks, respectively an American and an Australian who both crazily joined the Taliban. The other three prisoners have ties to the al-Qaeda network. Wolfowitz said: "If they're who we think they are, they're fairly important people." One of the prisoners aboard the ship is believed to be one Abdul Aziz, an official with the Wafa Humanitarian Organization. The United States has frozen Wafa's assets, alleging that the Saudi-based charity has funneled money to al-Qaeda.

In other intelligence-related news, Saudi officials say that the man co-starring with Usama bin Laden about the attacks against the United States on the infamous videotape that was released last week is now said not to be a religious scholar, as originally thought, but a dangerous former anti-Soviet guerrilla in Afghanistan and a longtime acquaintance of bin Laden.

U.S. and Saudi officials initially identified the manas Suleiman al-Ghamdi, the head of a small insignificant mosque who was once imprisoned by Saudi authorities for his radical views. However, ranking Saudi authorities now say the man is actually Khaled al-Harbi, who met bin Laden during the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and later fought on behalf of Muslims in Bosnia and Chechnya. Encouraged by their government, an estimated 15,000 Saudis joined the Afghan war against the Soviets.

Harbi, who lost both his legs in combat, reportedly left Saudi Arabia ten days after the 11 September attacks to travel to Afghanistan in what a Saudi official called a sign of his support for the jihad. Harbi likely hoped to support bin Laden "psychologically," or perhaps anticipated the war with the United States and wanted to die taking part in it, according to a Saudi official said.

The United States on Tuesday released a list of what it believes to be the highest-ranking members of the al-Qaeda terror organization. The list, which includes, of course, bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri -- who some say is the "real brains" behind the group -- contains names that already appear on the FBI's list of most-wanted terror suspects. Officials say that capturing or eliminating those on the list is the best way to damage al-Qaeda's command structure by disrupting channels of communication.

Three senior al-Qaeda figures are reportedly dead, including military commander Mohammed Atef, whose butt got wasted in a US air strike in mid-November.

However Stan Bedlington, a retired senior CIA analyst, believes that even if the leadership is removed, smaller al-Qaeda cells would almost certainly survive. He explained: "The cells on the ground are allowed a certain freedom to operate ... we can expect some of the cells will continue."

Details of other key al-Qaeda fugitives are known only to US military and intelligence officials. Some of those who appear on the list are thought to be using aliases. Here is a brief rundown on some of those being sought:

Ayman al-Zawahri: A big fish of Egyptian origin. Al-Zawahri is believed to serve as bin Laden's "spiritual adviser," and doctor. He is also the architect of the al-Qaeda ideology. In 1998, he was the second of five signatories to bin Laden's notorious "fatwa" calling for attacks against US civilians. He is thought to have joined the group at the same time as the recently "departed" Atef.  Both men were key figures in the Eygptian Islamic Jihad group, which merged with al-Qaeda nearly four years ago. Al-Zawahri has appeared alongside bin Laden in al-Qaeda videotapes released since 11 September. His wife and children were reported killed in a US air strike in late November or early December. He has been indicted in the US for his role in the bombings of two US embassies in Africa and spent three years in prison for a background role in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Shaihk Saiid: A Saudi national, Saiid is said to be one of bin Laden's many brothers-in-law and al-Qaeda's financial controller. He first linked up with bin Laden in Sudan during the late 1990s. US investigators believe he is the one who wired money to Mohammed Atta, alleged ringleader of the hijackers, shortly before the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.

Abu Zubaydah: Also Known As Zain al-Abidin Muhammad Husain and Abd Al-Hadi Al-Wahab, Zubaydah now serves as bin Laden's senior field commander. He is thought to have been born in Saudi Arabia, but has strong connections with Palestinians and Jordan. He has been sentenced to death in Jordan, and is believed to have links to many of al-Qaeda's anti-US operations.

Saif al-Adel: Al-Adel is bin Laden's security chief. He is an Egyptian national in his late 30s. He is believed to have assumed many of the late Mohammed Atef's duties in al-Qaeda. He has been linked to the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

Abu Mohammed al-Masri: Also an Egyptian national (Are we starting to see a pattern here?), he is believed to also use the name Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah. He's bin Laden's training officer who ran al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, including the infamous al-Farooq camp near Kandahar. He is also believed to have been involved in the embassy bombings.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith: Here's a nasty guy who has acted as al-Qaeda spokesman. Abu Ghaith is a Kuwaiti and believed to be in his mid-30s. A former religious studies teacher, he left Kuwait in 2000. He was stripped of his citizenship in October after an appearance on Qatar-based al-Jazeera television in which he vowed retaliation for US airstrikes against Afghanistan. Bin Laden, the comedian, can be seen poking fun at him in the videotape released last week.

Thirwat Salah Shirhata: Another Egyptian national, Shirhata is al-Zawahri's deputy in Egyptian Islamic Jihad group. He has received not one, but two death sentences in absentia in Egypt for terrorist activities.

14 Dec 2001

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:

Bin Laden Shows His Calculated, Cold-Blooded Side To The World On Videotape

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

The United States on Thursday released a video that it says implicates master terrorist Usama bin Laden in the 11 September attacks on New York and the Pentagon, in which more than 3,000 people lost their lives.

In the video, the diabolical madman suggests that some of the hijackers did not even know that their mission was a one-way ride to end in their own deaths for bin Laden's supposed cause. Bin Laden said on the video: "They were trained and we did not reveal the operation to them until they are there and just before they boarded the plane." Before releasing the tape, the Pentagon asked four non-government Arabic-speakers to listen to the remarks and agree on a uniform translation.

The 40-minute recording is of very poor audio and visual quality and US officials said that translators worked long to ensure the utmost accuracy before the tape was released.

The criminal bin Laden is seen in the video with the number two in the al-Qaeda terror network, Ayman al-Zawahri, and spokesman, Abu Ghaith, in what the Pentagon says is a guest house in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden appears to be having a "grand ol' time," happy, comfortable and joyous with the fact that he was able to take lives.

Speaking about the men who carried out the 11 September attack, bin Laden said: "The brothers who conducted the operation, all they knew was that they have a martyrdom operation and we asked each of them to go to America, but they didn't know anything about the operation, not even one letter." He added that before the attacks on the World Trade Center, he and his minions were estimating how many people would be killed. He said: "We calculated that the floors that would be hit would be three or four floors. I was the most optimistic of them all."

While laughing, the evil genius described his listening to news reports on the fatal day. He said, without any remorse: "We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day. We had finished our work that day and had the radio on. It was 5:30 pm our time. I was sitting with Dr Ahmad Abu-al-Khair. Immediately, we heard the news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We turned the radio station to the news from Washington. The news continued and no mention of the attack until the end. At the end of the newscast they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center."

Thinking that what he heard was funny, bin Laden said on the tape that he told his followers that there would be more destruction after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. With a sick smile, he added: "They were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building, so I said to them: be patient."

Here are some other bin Laden soundbites from the video (Bin Laden is identified by his "UBL" initials.):

UBL: "We calculated in advance the number of casualties from the enemy, who would be killed based on the position of the tower. We calculated that the floors that would be hit would be three or four floors. I was the most optimistic of them all ... Due to my experience in this field, I was thinking that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron structure of the building and collapse the area where the plane hit and all the floors above it only. This is all that we had hoped for."

Unidentified Sheikh: "Allah be praised."

Bin Laden identifies Mohamed Atta, suspected of hijacking the first plane, as the group's leader.

UBL: "... Muhammad (Atta) from the Egyptian family (meaning the al-Qaeda Egyptian group) was in charge of the group.

Sheikh: "A plane crashing into a tall building was out of anyone's imagination. This was a great job. He was one of the pious men in the organization. He became a martyr. Allah bless his soul." The United States hopes the video will bolster international support for the war on terrorism.

POTUS said: "For those who see this tape, they'll realize that not only is he guilty of incredible murder, he has no conscience and no soul, that he represents the worst of civilization."

ERRI senior analyst Clark Staten impressions of the video were: "The bin Laden tape further confirms what some of us have known and said for a long time...namely that bin Laden and 'his brothers' from Al-Qaeda are stone-cold blooded murderers. Not only does Mr. bin Laden admit knowledge of forethought about the WTC and Pentagon attacks, but he laughs as congratulates himself and the other terrorists for being more destructive and taking more lives than even he anticipated."

Staten added: "The tapes are bin Laden in his own voice, his own words, callously admitting that even some the suicide hijackers that he dispatched did not know what was going to happen to them...what kind of commander sends his men to die and then laughs at the fact that they were being set up to die at his bidding? All in all, it was a picture of an arrogant man perverting the Islamic religion for his own twisted ends...there should no longer be any doubt about the clearly evil intent of bin Laden and others like him...only a realization that he must be stopped at the earliest possible opportunity, before he has a chance to carry out another horrendous attack."

Vice President Dick Cheney and other US officials who have seen the video - believed to have been filmed at a dinner last month - describe it as a "smoking gun" that leaves "no doubt" about the al-Qaeda leader's guilt.

US Senator Ron Wyden said he hopes the video will remove suspicions in countries such as Pakistan that the 11 September attacks were an Israeli plot aimed at drawing the United States into a war with Islamic countries. Wyden said: "This video will open a lot of eyes. The world will see that you are dealing with a level of pathology...that is very, very twisted and sick."

The English translation is on the Web at: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2001/d20011213ubl.pdf

[Web version: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2001/b12132001_bt630-01.html]

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Sunday, December 16, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 352-10:00CST

TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:

Bin Laden Tape Provides U.S. With Useful Intelligence

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

After getting past the initial disgust of watching the evil Usama bin Laden on video gloating about the 11 September attacks, U.S. intelligence officials and other counterterrorism experts say the video provides a great deal of intelligence to be analyzed. Several officials said bin Laden's claims that most of the hijackers didn't know one another or even know the "game plan" until the final hours indicates al-Qaeda enforces strict need-to-know operational security. That, however, makes early detection extremely difficult counterterrorism officials.

One U.S. unnamed intelligence official explained: "It shows that unless you get to the right people at the right time, it's tough to get at these guys and prevent an attack. We could have captured some of the hijackers on September 9, gotten them to tell us everything, and we still wouldn't know what they were going to do."

But analysts also say bin Laden's detailed foreknowledge of the plot -- assuming he spoke truthfully during what appeared to be an off-the-cuff dinner nearly two months after the attack -- suggests he and a few key aides maintained some degree of direct operational command. That means their capture or death in the Afghan war could significantly undercut al-Qaeda's ability to launch major new terrorist attacks in the near future.

Another unnamed intelligence official noted: "This was centrally dominated and controlled, which means the guidance, inspiration and resources won't be there anymore once we get the top guys." Other officials added, however, that al-Qaeda already had trained hundreds of terrorists, and that an unknown number of "sleeper cells" may already be in place or in the process of plotting future attacks even without the diabolical madman bin Laden at the helm.

The 40-minute portion of the tape that features bin Laden and his buddies apparently was recorded on 9 November in a guest house near Kandahar, the southern Afghan city then controlled by the now defunct Taliban. The CIA obtained the tape in late November from a Pushtun source who apparently recovered it near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.

A government analyst who has studied bin Laden and his network for years was struck by his relaxed demeanor, noting that the video offers a rare unscripted view of the Saudi-born millionaire turned global terrorist leader.

Most known bin Laden tapes are more formal, showing him delivering brimstone and fire Islamic sermons, ranting crazily at the United States and its allies, or firing weapons in outdoor settings. The grainy, homemade video -- shot in a brightly painted room with plush cushions on the floor, travel posters on the wall and rifle-toting guards at the ready -- shows him sitting on the floor and boasting and laughing about the casualties and destruction at the World Trade Center. He also appeared to had put on weight and didn't look like some frail, sick man, as had been reported earlier in the year.

Bin Laden in the past, has always claimed that he was not directly responsible for terrorists attacks and said that others were only acting on his rhetoric. But many U.S. intelligence officials called the tape a "smoking gun" that proves bin Laden's clear responsibility. James Steinberg, former deputy national security advisor in the previous White House administration, said bin Laden's degree of direct command of the 11 September attacks is no longer at issue. Steinberg said: "Whether he was the actual planner of this, he was clearly, completely and fully in the loop."

New York City mayor Rudolph Guiliani, a former long-time U.S. Attorney, said that what he saw on the tape was "the most complete confession" of a crime that he had ever seen in his experience.

The evidence on the tape, the mayor said, was more than enough to gain a conviction in a court trial. U.S. Justice Department and FBI officials said it wasn't clear if the tape could be used in criminal prosecutions or even in the presentation of evidence to federal grand juries overseeing an ongoing terrorism investigation.

But one former CIA officer with long experience running covert operations noted that bin Laden didn't say he had directed the attack, simply that he was told the details and warned five days before it occurred.

The former officer warned that U.S. intelligence has erred in the past. At one point last year, he said, an intercepted communication in Afghanistan indicated that "the engineer" was arriving that night. A terrorist bomber known as "the Engineer" recently had been targeted and killed in the Middle East. He said: "Everyone went to general quarters. They thought, 'Great, the big bomber is coming.' I had to tell them that in Afghanistan, if you're not a mullah, you're an engineer. Otherwise you can't get a job. Every commander there is called an engineer. The whole thing fizzled out."

What would had been interesting to learn from bin Laden on the tape was what were the real targets of the planes that crashed into the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. U.S. officials said it is still unclear precisely who made the tape or why. The tape appeared to be shot over an earlier video made of Afghan men and children examining the remains of a U.S. Air Force helicopter that crashed in central Afghanistan due to bad weather. After the crew was rescued, U.S. F-14 jets destroyed the helicopter.

Whoever filmed the dinner with bin Laden hit the start button on the video camera after filming the aircraft wreckage. Thus the bin Laden meeting begins in the middle of the tape. When the tape ran out, the cameraman apparently rewound the tape to the beginning and started again, so the end of the meeting is at the start of the tape. That, combined with the often inaudible soundtrack and the shaky camera, suggests an amateur or homemade video by one of bin Laden's minions.

One intelligence official said: "It doesn't appear to be designed for recruitment, or to show the troops to bolster morale. If they had, they would have used a fresh tape and put a microphone on the guy."

Bin Laden mostly spoke in a corner with a who has now been identified as Ali Saeed al-Ghamdi, a former assistant professor of theology at a seminary in Mecca. Saudis who watched the tape said the interviewer's accent betrayed roots in the southwest of their country, either the lower Hejaz or Asir province, where most of the 15 Saudi hijackers were from.

Al-Ghamdi, who is known to Saudi intelligence services, is a marginal figure who tried to make a name for himself through inflammatory anti-Western speeches before being banned from preaching in 1994. In the late Nineties he preached in obscure mosques along the highway leading from the port city of Jedda -- where bin Laden grew up -- to the holy city of Mecca, but his firebrand oratory drew only small audiences.

Al-Ghamdi appeared to be paralyzed from the waist down, according to intelligence officials, since his legs were covered throughout by a blanket and bin Laden went over to kiss him in greeting.

10 Dec 2001

Report Says Al-Qaeda Planned New Attack on Washington

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

Newsweek magazine is reporting in its latest edition (print edition) that a U.S.-based cell of terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network nearly launched a post- September 11 attack on a major target in Washington before fleeing the country. The news magazine cited intelligence sources as saying an al-Qaeda "sleeper cell" in the United States was poised to launch the attack -- perhaps against the U.S. Capitol.

Newsweek said the intelligence sources believed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its sweep against visa violators and other suspects of Middle Eastern backgrounds picked up members of a "support cell" assigned to provide logistics help to the people actually carrying out the mission. Investigators have thus far not been able to identify the plotters from among the hundreds of people detained by the FBI and were not even sure they were still in custody...

09 Dec 2001

New Bin Laden; Additional Video Tape Found

WASHINGTON: According to a published report, a video-tape shows terror supect Usama bin Laden talking about the 11 September World Trade Center attack. The Washington Post was reporting on Sunday that in the 40-minute videotape, bin Laden described the damage around the fallen twin towers in New York as greater than expected and praised Allah for greater success than anticipated. The 40-minute tape was said to have been found in a private home in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, and U.S. officials are debating whether and how to make it public.

04 Dec 2001: Al-Qaida Says Jihad Will Continue Even If Bin Laden Killed; Concerns Again Raised About Improvised Nuclear Device

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Thursday, November 29, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 335

INTELLIGENCE

U.S. Says Top Al-Qaida Leaders Believed Dead

U.S. officials said more than a half-dozen senior leaders of terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and several hundred of his most loyal minions have been killed so far in the war in Afghanistan. The U.S. military's focus on its leaders has severely hurt bin Laden's ability to communicate both in Afghanistan and with terrorists overseas.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday night that anti-Taliban forces are believed to have captured a top al-Qaida operative who is the son of a sheik convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, age 35, ran a key terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. He reportedly is being held in an undisclosed location.

Daniel Benjamin, a former National Security Council staffer and terrorism expert now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, asked: "The question is, 'What's the depth of their (al-Qaida's) bench?' and that we don't know."

The U.S. military is aiming strikes at top leaders. On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a compound near the Kandahar believed used by senior Taliban or al-Qaida figures. The Pentagon said it was unclear if any were killed. Between 4,000 and 5,000 foreign fighters with ties to bin Laden's al-Qaida network were believed to have been in Afghanistan when the United States began bombing on 7 October.

So far, the most significant member of bin Laden's group killed has been Mohammed Atef, one of the top two advisers to the bearded cave-dweller. Atef was killed in a U.S. airstrike around 14 November. Atef was bin Laden's operational planner and believed to have a role in several attacks, including the 11 September attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Two other bin Laden lieutenants, security chief Sayf al-Adl and aide Abd al-Aziz al-Jamal, are believed to be taking over Atef's duties.

Two others considered in al-Qaida's "top 20" - Egyptians Mohammed Salah and Tariq Anwar al-Sayyid Ahmad - are believed dead after U.S. bombing in early November near Khowst in eastern Afghanistan.

11 Nov 2001

Nuclear Bin Laden?

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

The apparent claims by terrorist mastermind Usama Bin Laden that he has nuclear weapons have been played down by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf, at the United Nations on Saturday, said that he could "not imagine" that the al-Qaida leader had the capability to either produce or store nuclear weapons.

Putin also said he thought it was "unlikely" that bin Laden possessed weapons of mass destruction, but added that such threats could not be ignored. Bin Laden is reported to have claimed in an interview with a leading Pakistani newspaper that he has nuclear and chemical weapons and might use them in response to US attacks on Afghanistan.

Musharraf said that sophisticated engineering was needed to produce nuclear weapons, to keep them stable and to deliver them. He could not believe that bin Laden had such expertise at his disposal. But he said it was a "possibility" that he had been able to produce chemical weapons.

Putin, who will attending a summit with POTUS in Washington next week, said he was confident that no weapons of mass destruction could have reached bin Laden via Russia or the former Soviet Union. But he said such threat should not be ignored and added: "We know about bin Laden's links with certain radical circles in Pakistan and Pakistan is a nuclear power." Musharraf has insisted that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is well protected.

In related WMD news, the New York Times was reporting on Sunday that two Afghan sites suspected of involvement in efforts by bin Laden and his al-Qaida followers to produce deadly chemicals have been identified by the U.S. The newspaper said: "The American bombing has spared the sites, even though American intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida may already have produced cyanide gas at one of them, a crude chemical weapons research laboratory in Derunta, a small village near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad."

The second site was a fertilizer plant in Mazar-e-Sharif, captured by the opposition Northern Alliance on Friday. The Times said: "American officials say the intelligence reports showing the possible production of small quantities of cyanide gas provide the strongest indication they have received of al-Qaida's success in its efforts to develop chemical weapons."

A US Defense Department official was quoted as saying that al-Qaida had a primitive capacity in the chemical and biological areas and might have experimented with chlorine and phosgene as well as cyanide. The intelligence officials' assessment is that "cyanide gas would be very difficult to turn into an effective large-scale terrorist weapon, since it is hard to transport and would dissipate rapidly in a large open space."

10 Nov 2001

Bin Laden Claims Possession of Chemical & Nuclear Weapons

PAKISTAN: According to an interview published on Saturday in one of Pakistan's largest newspapers, indicted terrorist master- mind, Usama bin Laden claims he has nuclear and chemical weapons and will unleash them if the United States uses similar weapons against him. The Dawn newspaper quoted the criminal bin Laden as saying: "I wish to declare that if America used chemical and nuclear weapons against us, then we may retort with chemical and nuclear weapons. We have the weapons as a deterrent."

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, however, told the Associated Press that the United States had "no credible evidence at this point of a specific threat of that kind." In London, a anonymous spokesman for the British Foreign Office said "we know that he was looking for that capability" but added "we believe he does not have it."

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Monday, November 12, 2001-Veteran's Day Observed-Vol. 7, No. 318- 08:00CST

Bin Laden Reportedly Confesses He's A Terrorist

By Paul Anderson, ERRI Analyst

According to British news reports, Usama bin Laden has said the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York were "legitimate targets." London's Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that bin Laden made a video in which he said: "history should be a witness that we are terrorists." The paper claims to have seen a previously undisclosed video which has been circulating among his supporters. The Sunday Telegraph says the video was believed to be intended as a rallying call to al-Qaida members.

The terrorist mastermind is said to claim that the pilots who hijacked the planes in the United States were "blessed by Allah to destroy America's economic and military landmarks." In the video, that was seen by The Sunday Telegraph in the Middle East on Saturday, bin Laden is reported as saying: "The Twin Towers were legitimate targets -- they were supporting US economic power.

Bin Laden reportedly says on the video: "These events were great by all measurement. What was destroyed were not only the towers, but the towers of morale in that country. If avenging the killing of our people is terrorism then history should be a witness that we are terrorists. Yes, we kill their innocents and this is legal religiously and logically."

The Sunday Telegraph reports bin Laden as arguing: "The towers were supposed to be filled with supporters of the economical powers of the United States who are abusing the world. Those who talk about civilians should change their stand and reconsider their position. We are treating them like they treated us."

On the video, bin Laden reportedly claims that his group were practicing "good terror." He said: "There are two types of terror, good and bad. What we are practicing is good terror. We will not stop killing them and whoever supports them."

Bin Laden warned other nations such as Australia, Germany and Japan to stay out of the conflict. In regards to POTUS and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, bin Laden said: "Bush and Blair don't under- stand anything but the power of force. Every time they kill us, we kill them, so the balance of terror can be achieved."

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Saturday, November 10, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 316

in Laden And Al-Qaida Make More Threats

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

In a statement aired on Saturday, Ayman Zawahri, a top lieutenant in Usama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist net- work, said that the jihad would not stop until all "American Jewish" troops had been expelled from Muslim states. Speaking in defiant language with an AK-47 rifle by his side, Zawahri said in the televised statement that the United States wanted to break al-Qaida and the ruling Afghan Taliban but its raids on Afghanistan were only killing innocent Afghans.

The alleged criminal Zawahri said: "The Palestinian cause, or more precisely the Israeli-American crime in Palestine, will remain the axis of the main struggle in the heart of the Islamic world and the main motive for Muslims' jihad against America. We assure it (the U.S.) that we will continue our Jihad, God willing, until we free our holy places from American Jewish aggression and until the last American Jewish soldier leaves Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula and the rest of the Muslim countries."

Zawahri, an Egyptian terrorist who also heads the militant Islamic group Jihad which is vehemently opposed to Israel, said he was responding to a recent speech by POTUS. The terrorist said: "Bush, while lying to his people defending this campaign, claims that he demolished the Qaeda organization and divided the ranks of the Taliban, but the whole world ridicules these lies."

U.S. officials have said the Taliban are no longer functioning as a proper government, but have also said al-Qaida remains a threat. Zawahri's statement again appeared aimed at inciting popular anger among many Arabs and Muslims toward a perceived U.S. bias toward Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.

Not to be outdone on Saturday, terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden got into the act and told the
mass-circulation Dawn newspaper in Pakistan that his group possesses chemical and nuclear weapons. Bin Laden described his supposed arsenal "as a deterrent," but said he might use it if the United States deployed similar weaponry against him.

The interview with bin Laden was conducted by Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, who said he was wrapped in a blanket and taken by jeep to meet the al-Qaida leader at a location about five hours drive from the capital, Kabul. He said bin Laden was in high spirits and apparently healthy, but was surrounded by tight security. Mir is the editor of another newspaper, Ausaf, who is known to have met bin Laden in the past.

In the interview, bin Laden said his group had chemical and nuclear weapons, but he refused to say where it had obtained them. The bearded terrorist told Mir: "I am ready to die. I know that they can bomb this place also. They are not aware that I am present here. But they are dropping bombs blindly everywhere. So I may get killed even with you. But my cause will continue after my death. They think they will solve this problem by killing me. It's not easy to solve this problem. This war has been spread all over the world."

Bin Laden refused to say whether or not he was behind the US attacks, describing the targets as the American icons of military and economic power. He accused the US and its allies of massacring Muslims in Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir and Iraq and said they had the right to attack America in reprisal.

He said the whole of America was responsible for what he called the atrocities perpetrated against Muslims. When asked about Pakistan's role, he said his group was disappointed by President Musharraf and the majority of Pakistan was against him.

Bin Laden A Nuclear Threat?

According to the Western intelligence sources, master terrorist Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network may have acquired nuclear materials. Although it is widely believed that al-Qaeda does not have the capability to build a conventional nuclear bomb, experts fear that the radioactive material could be used in a so-called "dirty bomb" - a device to spread radioactive material (Radiation Dispersal Device). The so-called dirty weapons have never been used before. Radiation could be scattered from the top of a building by detonating explosives wrapped with the radioactive material or by piloting an aircraft into a nuclear reactor.

While the situation did make news on Tuesday, bin Laden and his associates have long been accused of trying to acquire nuclear material. A close bin Laden associate was charged by the US of trying to buy a cylinder of South African uranium in Sudan.

A letter alleged to have been written by bin Laden and seized in London three years ago, called on Muslim nations to acquire nuclear weapons. In a letter dated in May of 1998, bin Laden said: "We call for the Muslim brothers to imitate Pakistan as to the possession of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons."

It is not known where bin Laden may have got his nuclear materials - if he has them - is not known, but fingers are pointing to ex-Soviet republics or Pakistan. Both Russia and Pakistan have denied the accusations and insists that its nuclear assets are safely secured.

Some experts think that bin Laden probably does have enriched uranium bought in a former Soviet republic, possibly Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. Other experts insist that al-Qaeda does not have the technical competence to build any sort nuclear weapon.

Excerpt from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Sunday, November 4, 2001-Vol. 7-310-10:00CST

U.S. Says Bin Laden Video "Shows Desperation"

The United States government has dismissed the latest video message from master terrorist Usama bin Laden as an "act of desperation" which would isolate him from moderate Muslims. The terrorist leader accused Muslims supporting the US-led "anti-terror" campaign of betraying their faith and called for a holy war to defend the Afghan people. A White House spokeswoman said: "This is more propaganda that shows how isolated Bin Laden is from the rest of the world."

In his statement address, broadcast by al-Jazeera news, bin Laden said the conflict in Afghanistan was "primarily a religious war" between Christianity and Islam. Condemning what he called a US "crusade," bin Laden said "it is a certain fact that Bush carried the cross high...Whoever stands behind Bush has committed an act that stands as annulment of their Islam."

Saturday's video is the fifth statement received from bin Laden's al-Qaida organization since the beginning of October - most of them in the form of pre-recorded videotapes - but only the second featuring bin Laden himself.

Tuesday 09 October 2001
 
Text of Al-Qaida's Statement

Translation By The Associated Press,

Translation of the statement in Arabic Tuesday by Osama bin Laden spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith. Abu Ghaith opened with a verse from the Quran instructing Muslims not to take Jews and Christians as their leaders, saying that would make them part of them:

"Peace be upon Mohammad our prophet and those who follow him.

"I direct this message to the entire Islamic nation, and I say to them that all sides today have come together against the nation of Islam and the Muslims.

"This is the crusade that (President) Bush has promised us, coming toward Afghanistan against the Islamic nation and the Afghan people. We are living under this bombardment from the crusade, which is also targeting the whole Islamic community.

"We have a fair and just case.

"The Islamic nation, for more than 80 years, has been suffering. The Palestinian people have been living under the Jewish and Zionist occupation; nobody moves to help them. Here we are, this is an Arab land, this is a land that is being desecrated, people have come to take its wealth.

"The nation must know that terror and the terror of the United States is only a trick. Is it possible that America and its allies would kill and that would not be called terrorism?

"And when the victim comes out to take revenge, it is called terrorism. This must not be acceptable.

"America must know that the nation will not keep quiet any more and will not allow what happens against it. Jihad today is a religious duty of every Muslim if they haven't got an excuse. God says fight, for the sake of God and to uphold the name of God.

"The American interests are everywhere all over the world. Every Muslim has to play his real and true role to uphold his religion and his nation in fighting, and jihad is a duty.

(A second Quran verse, saying Muslims should fight those who oppress them.)

"I want to talk on another point, that those youths who did what they did and destroyed America with their airplanes did a good deed. They have moved the battle into the heart of America. America must know that the battle will not leave its land, God willing, until America leaves our land, until it stops supporting Israel, until it stops the blockade against Iraq.

"The Americans must know that the storm of airplanes will not stop, God willing, and there are thousands of young people who are as keen about death as Americans are about life.

"The Americans must know that by invading the land of Afghanistan they have opened a new page of enmity and struggle between us and the forces of the unbelievers. We will fight them with the material and the spiritual strength that we have, and our faith in God. We shall be victorious.

"The Americans have opened a door that will never be closed.

"At the end, I address the sons and the young Muslims, the men and women, for them to take their responsibility. The land of Afghanistan and the mujahedin are being subjected to a full crusade with the objective of getting rid of the Islamic nation. The nation must take up its response and in the end I thank God for allowing us to start this jihad. This battle is a decisive battle between faithlessness and faith. And I ask God to give us victory in the face of our enemy and return them defeated."

Text: Osama Bin Laden Statement

Sunday, October 7, 2001

Following is the transcript of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a taped statement that aired on Al-Jazeera, the Arabic satellite station, and appears to have been recorded before the U.S. strikes.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BIN LADEN (through translator): "Let the whole world know that we shall never accept that the tragedy of Andalucia (ph) would be repeated in Palestine. We cannot accept that Palestine will become Jewish.

And with regard to you, Muslims, this is the day of question. This is a new (inaudible) against you, all against the Muslims and Medina. So be like the followers of the prophet, peace be upon him, and all countrymen (ph), lovers of God and the prophet within, and a new battle, great battle, similar to the great battles of Islam, like the conqueror of Jerusalem. So, hurry up to the dignity of life and the eternity of death.

Thanks to God, he who God guides will never lose. And I believe that there's only one God. And I declare I believe there's no prophet but Mohammed. This is America, God has sent one of the attacks by God and has attacked one of its best buildings. And this is America filled with fear from the north, south, east and west, thank God.

And what America is facing today is something very little of what we have tasted for decades. Our nation, since nearly 80 years is tasting this humility. Sons are killed, and nobody answers the call.

And when God has guided a bunch of Muslims to be at the forefront and destroyed America, a big destruction, I wish God would lift their position. And when those people have defended and retaliated to what their brothers and sisters have suffered in Palestine and Lebanon, the whole world has been shouting.

And there are civilians, innocent children being killed every day in Iraq without any guilt, and we never hear anybody. We never hear any (inaudible) from the clergymen of the government.

And every day we see the Israeli tanks going to Jeanine (ph), Ramallah, Beit Jalla and other lands of Islam. And, no, we never hear anybody objecting to that.

So when the swords came after eight years to America, then the whole world has been crying for those criminals who attacked. This is the least which could be said about them. They are people. They supported the murder against the victim, so God has given them back what they deserve.

I say the matter is very clear, so every Muslim after this, and after the officials in America, starting with the head of the infidels, Bush. And they came out with their men and equipment and they even encouraged even countries claiming to be Muslims against us. So, we run with our religion. They came out to fight Islam with the name of fighting terrorism.

People--event of the world--in Japan, hundreds of thousands of people got killed. This is not a war crime. Or in Iraq, what our--who are being killed in Iraq. This is not a crime. And those, when they were attacked in my Nairobi, and Dar Es Salaam, Afghanistan, and Sudan were attacked. I say these events have split the whole world into two camps: the camp of belief and the disbelief. So every Muslim shall take--shall support his religion.

And now with the winds of change has blown up now, has come to the Arabian Peninsula.

And to America, I stay to it and to its people this: I swear by God the Great, America will never dream nor those who live in America will never taste security and safety unless we feel security and safety in our land and in Palestine."

Source: eMediaMillWorks

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/binladen_100801.htm

24 Sep 2001

Alleged Text Of Statement From Usama bin Laden

The following is the text of master terrorist Usama bin Laden's statement as provided on Monday by the Al-Jazeera television news network, based in Qatar. Some sections of the faxed statement were reportedly illegible:

"In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful 

Sunday, 6 Rajab 1422 (Sept. 23, 2001)

And for martyrs from their God their reward and light To our Muslim brothers in Pakistan Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and his blessings; I received with great sorrow the news of the murder of some of our Muslim brothers in Karachi while they were expressing their opposition to the American crusade forces and their allies on the lands of Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

We ask Allah to accept them as martyrs and include them with prophets, their followers, martyrs, good doers and the like and ask that their families be gifted with patience and consolation, and bless their children and money, and reward well for their Islam.

Whoever of them left children behind, they are my children, and I am their caretaker, Allah willing. It is no wonder that the Muslim nation in Pakistan would rush to defend its Islam, since it is considered the first line of defense for Islam in this area, just like Afghanistan was the first line of defense for itself and for Pakistan before the Russian invasion more than 20 years ago.

We hope that these brothers are among the first martyrs in Islam's battle in this era against the new Christian-Jewish crusade led by the big crusader Bush under the flag of the Cross; this battle is considered one of Islam's battles ... (text illegible)

We incite our Muslim brothers in Pakistan to give everything they own and are capable of to push the American crusade forces from invading Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, said: Whoever didn't fight, or prepare a fighter, or take good care of a fighter's family, Allah will strike him with a catastrophe before Judgment Day.

I announce to you the good news my loved brothers that we are steadfast on the path of Jihad for the sake of Allah, following the example of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), with the heroic, faithful Afghan people, under the leadership of our fighter emir, who is proud of his religion, the prince of the faithful, Mullah Mohammed Omar.

We ask Allah to make him victorious over the forces of infidels and tyranny, and to crush the new Christian- Jewish crusade on the land of Pakistan and Afghanistan. If Allah makes you victorious, none will defeat you and if He fails you, who after Him will make you victorious and on Allah the faithful shall trust.

Your brother in Islam

Osama bin Mohammed bin Laden"

(It should be noted that the authenticity of this document can not be independently verified by ERRI or the news agency (ies) to whom it was sent. A signature attached to the document does appear similar to that on another document that has received further verification.)

Text Of Taliban Leader Mohammad Omar's Statement

The following is the text of a statement by the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar from the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency:

"America shouldn't be mistaken. My death or the death of Osama (Bin Laden) will not bring America out of this crisis. If America wants to root out terrorism and intimidation, then it should withdraw its forces from the Gulf and demonstrate neutrality over the issue of Palestine. It should release Islam, which it has taken hostage in a spiritual form and should stop further interference. A good example of Islam as a hostage is the present situation which they (the Americans) have created in Afghanistan. They want the end of the Islamic order; they want to create disorder, and they want a pro-American government. In this case, where will the taste of Islam be for Muslims, and how angry and in what poor conditions will Muslims be? They (the Americans) have done this in many Islamic countries.

America has no alternative in these affairs to locking itself in a bloody war in which it will burn itself and others, and which will have no result. The American people and the government should consider this oppressive and ugly policy, which tells each Muslim: Accept my words; if not I will throw an atomic bomb on you and will close off the holes through which sustenance can reach you. These are all facts. The distance traveled by a lie is short."

20 Sep 2001: ERRI/EmergencyNet News Reflects on It's Past Coverage of Usama Bin Laden

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Sunday, September-09, 200-Vol. 7 - 252

INDONESIA:

Usama Allegedly "Eyeing Indonesia as a Terrorist Launching Pad"

He may target US interests in the country or use it as a base for terrorist activities elsewhere, say officials...

JAKARTA - There is increasing concern that Saudi billionaire Usama bin Laden and his terrorist organization are looking to Indonesia as a potential springboard for their operations.

Indonesian and foreign military and government officials were concerned that such operations could include targeting foreign, particularly US, interests in Indonesia or using it as a launching pad for activities elsewhere, said The Australian yesterday.

Quoting Indonesian officials, the newspaper said concerns over terrorism and the activities of Usama's organization were raised during talks between Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, who was in Jakarta early last month.

The Australian said the issue could also be on the agenda during talks in Washington between Ms. Megawati and her US counterpart, President George W. Bush, later this month.

A top Indonesian military officer has also warned that the country could expect an increase in foreign terrorist activities over the next three years. It could involve attempts to recruit Indonesian militants into international terrorism, he added.

"The chances are very high that in the next three years, we will fight terrorism, specifically international terrorism that enters Indonesia," said deputy chief of the army, Lieutenant-General Kiki Syahnakri.

"We also received information from America, as well as other parties, of Usama bin Laden's presence in Indonesia," he told The Australian in an interview. Usama has been accused of masterminding a string of attacks against US targets around the world.

Lt-Gen. Syahnakri's warning was endorsed at the weekend by the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs James Kelly. He said he would 'certainly share the caution' of the Indonesian authorities over the potential terrorist threat.

The Indonesian military has also disclosed that it was planning to step up counter-terrorist training. Lt-Gen. Syahnakri said Indonesia was hoping to strengthen co-operation with US agencies, including the FBI and the CIA.

There have been several bomb blasts in Indonesia in recent months and all of them have been attributed to home-grown groups. Last month, the US embassy in Jakarta fuelled concerns about terrorist activity in Indonesia when it said that extremist elements might be planning to target US interests in the country, including tourists. The State Department has advised American citizens to defer all non-essential travel to the country.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Saturday, September 08, 2001-Vol. 7 - 251

AFGHANISTAN:

Bin Laden "Building a Foreign Legion"??

KABUL -- Arab fighters, funded by alleged Saudi terrorist Usama bin Laden, have become increasingly influential within Afghanistan's Taliban movement and are building a "foreign legion" to extend and export the regime's hard-line vision of Islam, aid workers and analysts say.

Rising numbers of Arab mercenaries have reportedly flooded into the country this year, allegedly taking part in civilian massacres against minority Shia Muslim communities in Hazarajat, central Afghanistan, in the first months of the year. Analysts believe there are up to 12,000 foreigners - a quarter of the Taliban's military force - fighting in Afghanistan.

At least some analysts said the development of this so-called "foreign legion" may be the source of reports, issued on 30 August 2001 by the Russian Foreign Ministry, that Bin Laden was named the "commander-in-chief" of the armed forces of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime. Although unconfirmed by Western intelligence sources, the allegations are certainly indicative of Bin Laden's financial support for and "clout" with the Taliban.

"Clearly there is a long-term project to build a political and military movement that is seriously expansionist," a senior aid worker in Kabul said.

"Usama bin Laden and his faction are one of the guiding influences in the Taliban movement. They want Afghanistan to be a sanctuary to all those Muslims who reject 'false' notions of sovereignty and want to revive the Khilafah." Since seizing Kabul five years ago the Taliban have imposed a brutal police state in their effort to build the Khilafah, the ultimate Sharia government for the Islamic world.

The Taliban are believed to run camps where they train Chechen fighters, Pakistani sectarian extremists and soldiers from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. At least some counter-terrorism experts believe that Bin Laden and his supporters are the power behind the Taliban throne.

Summary Sources: EmergencyNet News & The Australian.com

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-Saturday, September 01, 2001-Vol. 7, No. 244

RUSSIA/AFGHANISTAN:

Russia Alleges Bin Laden New Taliban Military Commander

MOSCOW -- Although the reports are so far unsubstantiated by Western intelligence sources, Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday reportedly condemned the appointment of Saudi dissident and alleged terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime, the official RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Bin Laden's appointment confirmed that "a center of international terrorism is being set up in Taliban-controlled territory," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

"Pseudo-religious values are being used as a cover to prepare a bridgehead for expansion of militant extremism and separatism far beyond the region's borders," added the statement.

This month, Russian media quoted Pakistan's Nation daily as saying that the Taliban had named bin Laden commander of their troops. The report could not be independently verified by Western sources. Afghanistan's civil war concerns the Kremlin as hundreds of Russian border guards monitor the Afghan-Tajik border and a potential spill-over of violence that could destabilize the entire region.

More troubling to Russian officials is the Taliban's aim to build an orthodox Islamic state in the region. That intention has given rise to many Islamic extremist movements in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. In recent years, Islamic insurgents from Afghanistan launched raids on Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, as well as engaging in contracted guerilla warfare in Chechnya.

24 August 2001

INDIA:

Indian Police Charge Bin laden, 5 Others

NEW DELHI -- The Times of India is reporting that Indian investigators have reportedly charged suspected terrorist leader Usama bin Laden and five others with planning to bomb the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, senior police officials said on Friday.

The charges, filed in a city court on Aug. 14 and reported Friday in The Times of India newspaper, are based on statements by two of the men who were arrested June 14 on charges of possessing explosives, Assistant Police Commissioner Rajbir Singh said.

U.S. Embassy officials in New Delhi declined to comment Friday, as they have done since the arrests were first reported in June.

Four of the five suspected conspirators were being held in the capital's Tihar Jail. The fifth man, alleged mastermind Abdul Rehman Al Safani of Yemen, has fled India, Singh said. Bin Laden lives in Afghanistan under the protection of the ruling Taliban militia.

At the time of the arrests, Deputy Police Commissioner Ashok Chand told Indian news media that the group had been planning for two years to park a car bomb close to the visa section of the embassy. It is considered the most vulnerable part of the high-security building because hundreds of Indians seeking entry to the United States stand in line there for hours each day.

The police said Hawas told them that Safani was working for bin Laden, accused by the United States of planning the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. Singh said police were trying to gather more evidence in the case and may file additional charges.

21 August 2001

YEMEN:

FBI Investigation Into Cole Bombing Faltering

SANA -- The New York Times reported yesterday that an FBI investigation has virtually ground to a halt because Yemen has refused repeated American requests to widen the inquiry to include Islamic militant groups in Yemen. The effect of the Yemeni decision has been to frustrate efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to link the bombing conclusively to Usama bin Laden, the fugitive Saudi dissident, who has declared a worldwide "holy war" on the United States...

05 July 2001

Court Records: Ressam and al-'Owhali Both Trained in Afghan Camps Denied By Taliban

The Cable News Network (CNN) is today reporting that both Ahmed Ressam and Mohamed al-'Owhali, alleged to have been engaged in a millennium bomb plot, were trained at the Khaldan camp in Afghanistan, one of several Islamic militant camps believed to be financed by Saudi exile Usama bin Laden. On Tuesday, Ressam testified that that he spent six months in the Afghanistan training camp starting in March 1998. Al-'Owhali has testified that he spent time there a year later. Yesterday, as is frequently the case, the Taliban issued a statement denying that they have anything to do with terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. 

29 June 2001

AFGHANISTAN:

U.S. Reportedly Tells Taliban To Maintain Control Over Bin Laden

A Taliban official said that the United States warned Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement on Friday they would bear responsibility for any attack on U.S. interests by alleged master terrorist Usama bin Laden. U.S. Ambassador William Milam reportedly delivered the warning about bin Laden -- who has been given refuge by the Taliban -- during an hour-long meeting at the Taliban embassy in Islamabad. Islamabad is one of the few places where U.S. diplomats have contact with Taliban officials because Pakistan is one of only three countries to recognize them as the government of Afghanistan.

28 June 2001

MIDDLE EAST:

Bin Laden Reportedly Sets Up New Terror Group

It was being reported on Tuesday, that according to Arab sources, alleged master terrorist Usama bin Laden has set up a new militant group comprised of his own minions and those from the Egyptian Jamaat-ul-Jihad group. The new group is known as "Quaidatul Jihad." An Egyptian doctor turned terrorist, 48-year-old Aiman Al-Zawahiri led Jamaat-ul-Jihad, said to be a long-time associate of bin Laden, is said to be in charge of the new group. Al-Zawahiri is also one of the prime suspects in the 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in East Africa.

20:30CDT - 23 June 2001

Terrorist Indicators and Warnings (I&W) Continue To Come In

Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- Indicators and warnings continue to come in with regard to a possible terrorist threats directed against the U.S. and her allies. The latest report comes from Pakistan, where the Arabic satellite television channel MBC says that they interviewed Usama Bin Laden and members of his staff.

During that interview an MBC correspondent was quoted by the Reuters news service as saying, "All of them affirm that the next two weeks will witness a big surprise. A severe blow is expected against U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide."

"There is a major state of mobilization among the Usama bin Laden forces. It seems that there is a race of who will strike first. Will it be the United States or Usama bin Laden?'' the correspondent said. The correspondent is apparently refering to a belief on the part of some of those close to Bin Laden that an airstrike on his camp in Afghanistan is imminent. This theory has reportedly caused Bin Laden and his entourage to flee Kandahar for the countryside in recent days. U.S. officials tell EmergencyNet News that they have no information concerning any military strike on Bin Laden.

In apparent contradiction to all of the threat reports of the past several days, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Osman Sheryar on Sunday called the MBC TV coverage "fake" and said that "Usama's [Bin Laden's] activities are 'under control' and that Bin Laden would never be allowed to use Afghan soil against any country."

22 June 2001

INDIA:

Fourth Man Arrested In Plot To Bomb U.S. Missions

According to Indian police on Friday, a fourth man has been arrested on suspicion of involvement with a group linked to master terrorist Usama bin Laden and suspected of plotting to bomb U.S. embassies in India and Bangladesh. Three men were arrested last week following information received two months ago about a possible attack on the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. The fourth man was arrested on Thursday in the eastern city of Patna and was being brought to New Delhi for questioning.

Officials alleged the fourth suspect was to have been the driver of "an explosive-laden car to the American embassy in Delhi." The three men arrested last week included a Sudanese citizen and an Indian associate. Police did not disclose the nationality of the other two suspects.

Police said the group was plotting to place a bomb in a car and leave it near the crowded visa section of the U.S. embassy outside the tightly guarded mission compound in Chanakyapuri, the diplomatic enclave in the Indian capital. Security has been tightened around the U.S. embassy. Police said the group was also suspected of plotting an attack on the U.S. mission in Dhaka.

Despite these continuing reports from Indian government sources, it should be noted that several U.S. government officials, and private consulting agencies closely associated with the U.S. government, have publicly denied that they are aware of any "credible" threat (see below - 09:00CDT - 19 June 2001) to the U.S. embassy in New Delhi...particularly any threats associated with Usama Bin Laden.

09:00CDT - 20 June 2001

Videotape Allegedly Shows Links Between Bin Laden Group and Attack on U.S.S. Cole

Kuwait (EmergencyNet News) -- A videotape, allegedly used for recrutiment of extremists, has surfaced in Kuwait and was released to the media on Tuesday. Reportedly, the video tape draws several very graphic references to the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole and may be the closest thing yet to an admission of responsibility by Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization. The release of the tape comes amidst the release of several other stories by international news organizations concerning Bin Laden and connections to past, previous, and potential terrorist incidents.

ERRI's Clark Staten, who has been studying Bin Laden for several years, today said that he believes that the tape was produced to bolster Bin Laden's popularity in the Mid-East and Asia and to motivate loosely organized radical groups to undertake new terror acts against the United States. "With several intended terrorist acts recently thwarted by intelligence and law enforcement authorities and a number of his followers now convicted in U.S. courts, we believe Bin Laden is feeling 'frustrated' and under some pressure to make his presence felt," Staten said. Click here to review the ERRI  Bin Laden page.

06/19/2001 13:01CDT

From EmergencyNet News Mid-Day Intelligence Summary

RUSSIA:

The Russian president's chief bodyguard said on Tuesday that master terrorist Usama Bin Laden might want to use a July G-8 summit in Italy to attack POTUS and other world leaders. Yevgeny Murov, whose official title is head of the Russian Federal Bodyguard Service, was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying: "Bin Laden is threatening the American president, but we know what international terrorism is today and therefore all the bodyguard units concerned are preparing for this..."

INSTANT 09:00CDT - 19 June 2001

Yemen and U.S. Government Deny Bin Laden Groups' Involvement in Yemen and India Threats

YEMEN:

Confusion Surrounds Reported Arrest Of Alleged Bin Laden Suspects

According to the Washington Post, a group of suspects has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack on the US Embassy in Sanaa. The suspects are alleged to have been targeting FBI and US Navy personnel who have been investigating the attack on the warship USS Cole in Yemen last October. The US withdrew the investigators over the weekend following what it called a "specific and credible" threat against them. The nine suspects - reportedly captured by police in possession of grenades, small arms, and a map of the US Embassy - are believed to belong to a group associated with master terrorist Usama bin Laden.

However, later on Tuesday, Yemeni officials denied the U.S. newspaper report that authorities had arrested nine men. Yemeni security officials said the report was inaccurate. An Interior Ministry official said: "The only people we have arrested recently have been members of a gang that was terrorizing villages. We have not detained anyone on the reported charges."

INDIA:

US DoS Says Not Aware Of Any Terrorist Threat To U.S. Embassy in New Delhi

The United States Department of State said on Monday it was not aware of any current threat to the US embassy in New Delhi after several arrests by Indian authorities of people suspected of plotting to bomb the mission. The statement was issued by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. Indian police arrested three people by late Saturday in connection with the alleged plan, which they said were linked to terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden.

17 June 2001

INDIA:

India Officials Identify Bin Laden Associates in Bomb Plot

NEW DELHI -- Indian authorities have identified Abdel Raouf Hawas, and an Indian associate, Shamim Sarwar, as those charged with allegedly plotting to attack U.S. embassies in New Delhi, India and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Hawas, a Sudanese national, has been linked to Usama Bin Laden through his previous association with him in Sudan. It is also believed that Hawas was a "sleeper agent," who was participating in recruiting and surveillence missions for Bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization. When arrested, the two men were allegedly in possession of a small quantity of high explosives. A third man, identified only as Abbas, was also arrested on Sunday. Indian intelligence and police sources are said to be examining the possibility of additional accomplices.

16 June 2001

INDIA:

Police Arrest Sudanese National With Bin Laden Links

According to police in New Delhi on Saturday, a Sudanese national was arrested for planning to attack the U.S. embassy. The suspect has told authorities that he has links with master terrorist Usama bin Laden. Arrested was one Abdel Raouf Hawas. Hawas was picked up along with an Indian associate in New Delhi on Friday.

The two men, who were now in police custody, were carrying high explosives at the time of arrest which came after a tip about a possible attack on the U.S.embassy two months ago. Hawas told the police he had visited the heavily-guarded U.S embassy several times to prepare for an attack. He said he disguised himself as a student many times to survey the area. Security has since been tightened around the U.S. embassy. The Hindu newspaper quoted unnamed police officers as saying that the Sudanese national had planned a car-bomb explosion at the U.S. embassy in the Indian capital.

25 Apr 2001

Bin Laden Organization Allegedly Trying To Establish Presence in Palestinian Territories

Israeli authorities said on Tuesday that they captured a man suspected of having been in a training camp run by master terrorist Usama bin Laden as he was trying to enter the Gaza Strip at the Rafiah border crossing point with Egypt. An arrested HAMAS activist had previously confessed that he was sent to the Gaza Strip to set up a bin Laden base. There is serious concern that the establishment of a bin Laden financed organization in the territories will erode Yasser Arafat's control over the Palestinian political scene. The presence of a bin Laden organization could increase the possibility of continued violence while complicating attempts to arrive at a long-lasting solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

ERRI analysts said that they suspect that "non-state actors," possibly with links to Afghanistan, are using Kosovo, Kashmir and Israel/Gaza as "terrorist training grounds," where terror-bombers can learn to ply their trade. Analysts say it is a "win-win" situation for Bin Laden minions, as they can both undermine Arafat and tout their participation and contribution to the PLO intifada.

07 Apr 2001

SOUTH AMERICA:

Embassies Said Closed Because Of Bin Laden Threats

According to U.S. intelligence officials on Friday, the threat of attack by militants linked to terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden caused the United States to close three of its embassies in South America. The embassies closed were in the capitals of Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador. One U.S. government official reportedly told the United Press International (UPI): "There was a certain level of huffing and puffing" being intercepted between cells of known and suspected bin Laden operatives, and U.S. security specialists had the "feeling we should take certain precautions."

According to another  source, the information on bin Laden came from Argentine intelligence. He added that bin Laden operatives had been arriving "over a period of time," apparently for the purpose of carrying out "special missions." Local Shiite Muslims in the tri-border area between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, have allegedly put up these operatives in their homes, helped them move around, furnished them with maps and diagrams of various target areas...

05 Apr 2001

ITALY:

Five People Connected To Bin Laden Arrested

News reports said on Thursday that police arrested five people suspected of belonging to an Islamic terrorist group with ties to terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden. Citing police sources, news reports said that the men were also believed to be part of the same group that had planned an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Rome in January. The five were arrested on charges of belonging to a criminal organization, arms trafficking and falsifying documents.

The arrests occurred in Milan and in a nearby town, Busto Arsizio. Police were also looking for five other people believed to belong to the same group. Nationalities of the five suspects were not clear, but news reports said they were all North Africans. Milan prosecutor Stefano Dambruoso told the ANSA news agency that the group was connected to bin Laden and were preparing a big attack in Europe, but not in Italy. He said that a downtown square in Strasbourg, France, appeared to be the target of the attack.

25 Mar 2001

UNITED STATES:

Report Says Bin Laden Associate Held In Secret

The New York Times was reporting that a Sudanese man US authorities believe to be part of a global conspiracy to kill Americans has been held in secret in New York for more than four months. Mohamed Suleiman al-Nalfi, who was arrested in Kenya last fall, has been indicted as an associate of master terrorist Usama bin Laden's militant network. The suspect has denied the charge.

Al-Nalfi is charged with forming a Sudanese branch of bin Laden's organization at the request of bin Laden's military commander. The  US alleges that al-Nalfi was ordered in 1992 or 1993 to have his group ready to travel to Somalia to assist with the expulsion of US and United Nations forces. Appearing in court last Friday, al-Nalfi pleaded not guilty to the charges. Al-Nalfi was reportedly arrested by the FBI while he was traveling from Sudan to Amsterdam, where he was offered a job, in a U.S. "sting operation" to facilitate his arrest.

20 Mar 2001 

YEMEN/U.S.A.:

Bin Laden Advisor Reportedly Connected To USS Cole Bombing

According to a report in this week's Newsweek magazine, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has found a possible link between the main suspect in last year's bombing of the USS Cole and master terrorist Usama bin Laden. FBI documents are said to show a link between Jamal al-Badawi, the key Yemeni suspect in custody, and a top security adviser to bin Laden,  Tawfiq al-Atash. Al-Badawi allegedly helped buy the boat used by two suicide bombers. He has reportedly told investigators that he was led to believe - but never directly told - that bin Laden was giving the orders.

WORLD-WIDE:

An International Terrorist Alliance; Exploring the "Republic of Jihadistan"

While putting together his organization of crazed extremist fighters, master terrorist Usama bin Laden in the 1990s decided that Al Qaeda (The base) needed something more -- like foreign allies. Federal prosecutors allege that throughout the decade, Al Qaeda leaders worked on a three-way alliance with the Islamic Front of Sudan and elements of the Iranian government. 

US officials say this terrorist version of NATO may have never really solidified. But the mere fact that bin Laden planned it shows the breadth of his ambition. In his quest to wage jihad, or holy war, against the United States, bin Laden may have constructed something that is bigger than a guerrilla group and more complex than a multi-national corporation. Call it a "virtual country" - the Republic of Jihadistan. Richard Rosecrance, an expert on terrorism at the University of California at Berkeley, describes it: "It has state-like aspects, but without state borders."

Gideon Rose, deputy director of national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, notes that a century ago, a dedicated transnational terrorist group - anarchists - wreaked havoc around the globe. Between 1894 and 1901, anarchists assassinated the president of France, the prime minister of Spain, the empress of Austria, the king of Italy, and William McKinley, president of the United States. Rose said: "We've all forgotten just how successful they were. Imagine how worked up we'd be if some group knocked off so many heads of state today."

But bin Laden's network appears to represent the coming thing in the age of modern terrorism. The sponsorship of terror groups by geographical states such as Syria and Libya appears to be on the decline. Their place is being taken by virtual states such as Al Qaeda, which have little physical infrastructure to attack and less in the way of safe harbors against which economic sanctions can be effective.

Recently, the director of the US National Security Agency publicly complained that Al Qaeda's sophisticated use of the Internet and encryption techniques have defied Western eavesdropping attempts. Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet told Congress this month that bin Laden and his network are the nation's most immediate and serious transnational threat.

Officials remain worried that bin Laden's network will link with other networks to become a terrorist Warsaw Pact. A recent CIA study of the world of 2015 concluded that while it is not the most likely future, it is possible that "the trend towards more diverse, free-wheeling transnational terrorist networks will lead to the formation of an international terrorist coalition with diverse anti-Western objectives and access to Weapons of Mass Destruction."

Bin Laden's Jihadistan has been under particular scrutiny in recent days due to the ongoing trial in New York City of four of his alleged followers on charges that they conspired to bomb the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. The government's first witness in the trial, a man named Jamal Ahmed Al-Fadl, who describes himself as a former Al Qaeda paymaster, has painted a vivid and detailed picture of bin Laden's organization. He has described the organization's former headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, where bin Laden had an office in which work went on like anyplace in the world - except it dealt with such things as the purchase of clandestine passports and the purchase of uranium and elements of chemical weapons.

The alleged bin Laden insider also described the organization's "foreign policy." Al Qaeda had relations with a number of different terrorist organizations, he said, including some in Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Syria, the Philippines, and Chechnya. Other counter-terrorist analysts say that Bin Laden and al-Qaeda may have contacts in as many as 22 nations...

08 Feb 2001

WORLD-WIDE/CIA ASSESSEMENT:

DCI Tenet Says Usama Bin Laden Biggest Threat To US

Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet said on Wednesday that the biggest threat to U.S. national security is the Muslim extremist network of Usama bin Laden. In his annual detailed assessment of global threats facing the United States, Tenet told the Senate Intelligence Committee that international terrorists are becoming more technologically sophisticated and difficult to combat.

Tenet told the senators: "Usama bin Laden and his global network of lieutenants and associates remain the most immediate and serious threat." The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) makes annual public presentations to Congress on the most acute threats to U.S. security.

The Director said the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which harbors bin Laden on its territory, "encourages and profits from the drug trade." He said opium production in Afghanistan has been "exploding," accounting for 72 percent of the world's illicit opium production last year.

A major theme of Tenet's presentation to Congress was the risk of sudden surprise and the growing importance of transnational threats -- those that cross national borders. He cited a "growing risk of surprise" as a result of gaps in intelligence analysis into the efforts of certain countries and groups to obtain or produce weapons of mass destruction.

According to the CIA, terrorist groups are becoming more decentralized, which makes them harder to identify. Tenet explained: "Terrorists are also becoming more operationally adept and more technically sophisticated in order to defeat counter-terrorism measures." As the United States has strengthened security around government buildings and fixed military facilities, terrorists appear to be seeking out "softer" targets.

Tenet said that the most dramatic example of this is the 12 October attack on the USS Cole, which killed 17 sailors. Two men in a small boat sidled up to the $1 billion destroyer in Aden harbor in Yemen and, without warning, detonated explosives that ripped a huge hole in the ship and nearly sank it. The FBI has yet to determine who was behind the bombing, but a cell of bin Laden's network remains a "prime suspect." 

On the subject of the bearded bin Laden, Tenet said: "His organization is continuing to place emphasis on developing surrogates to carry out attacks in an effort to avoid detection, blame and retaliation." 

The entire report can be accessed at: http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/
UNCLASWWT_02072001.html

07 Feb 2001: Click here for the first in a series of ERRI/EmergencyNet News articles concerning the trial of four alleged Al-Qaeda terrorists in NYC.

INSTANT 08:00CST - 06 Feb 2001

AFGHANISTAN:

Taliban Reportedly Offers US Deal To Deport Bin Laden

London's Times newspaper reported on Monday that the Taliban say they will consider exiling master terrorist Usama bin Laden to a third country if they receive assurances that the West will recognize them as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. Senior Taliban leaders said their main fear was that the US and other Western countries would continue to ostracize their administration even if bin Laden left Afghanistan.

Taliban Foreign Minister Abdul Wakil Muttawakil reportedly told the Times: "We hope the new American Administration will be more flexible and engage with us." The rigid Islamic rulers of Afghanistan are said to be squeezed hard by United Nations sanctions that were recently imposed. It is not clear which country might actually provide sanctuary to the bearded terrorist, or how the alleged master-terrorist and his followers and body-guards might make a move to a new country. U.S. officials told EmergencyNet News this morning that they had no immediate response to the purported offer to deport Bin Laden or the Times article.

Apparently, at least some of the Taliban leadership also does not agree with a deal to hand over Bin Laden. Today, the Reuters news service is quoting Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, as saying, "We have not given shelter to Usama bin Laden so that we can make a deal to hand him over," Zaeef told a news conference. "Our policy is clear from the beginning and this policy still prevails."

05 Feb 2001

AFGHANISTAN:

Russians Charge That Taliban Support 30 Guerrilla Camps

Russian security council secretary Sergei Ivanov told a conference of defense officials in Munich, Germany, on Sunday that the Taliban movement in Afghanistan was supporting about 30 terrorist camps aimed at training fighters as well as smuggling drugs and arms. Ivanov said: "According to our information, the Taliban fighters, supported by Pakistan, have set up in Afghanistan approximately 30 training camps for terrorist commandos from Central Asian, Arab and European countries."

Last month the United Nations imposed new sanctions because of the Taliban's refusal to hand over terrorism suspect Usama bin Laden. The sanctions are sponsored by the United States and Russia, which accuse him of training and supporting radical Islamic groups in Afghanistan where he lives under Taliban protection. Russia and Central Asian states have also expressed concern that Afghanistan has increasingly become a source of drug trafficking and a training base for radical Islamic fighters.

20 Jan 2001

LOS ANGELES/CANADA/ALGERIA:

LAX Was Possible Target Of Terrorist Bomb

U.S. federal prosecutors say that an alleged Algerian terrorist accused of assembling a powerful bomb in Vancouver, British Columbia, and trying to smuggle it into the United States may have been plotting to blow up the Los Angeles International Airport. According to the Canadian newspaper National Post, court documents filed in U.S. district court in Seattle claim RCMP officers searching the Montreal apartment of Ahmed Ressam following his arrest found a map of southern California with three airports circled in pen.

The documents also reveal that when he was arrested on 14 December 1999, trying to cross into Washington State from Victoria, British Columbia, Ressam was carrying a French-language guidebook of California. The court documents said: "It is quite possible a reasonable person would conclude that one or more of these airports may have been an ultimate target of this conspiracy." The other circled airports on the map were at Long Beach and Ontario County.

Ressam's arrest just over a year ago set off an international terrorism investigation that uncovered what prosecutors allege was a plot by a Montreal-based Islamic militant cell to "punish America" on the eve of the new millennium. The terrorist cell was said to be associated with the "Afghan Alumni," veterans of the war in Afghanistan who turned their attention to fostering an international Islamic movement, headed by Usama bin Laden and using violence to fight Americans and Jews.

The intended target of the alleged millennial bombing conspiracy has so far remained a mystery. Initially, authorities feared it might have been meant for the Seattle Space Needle. The document is the first suggestion that the plot may have targeted one of the largest airports in the United States. Ressam, an alleged member of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), is scheduled to go on trial in Los Angeles on 12 March.

Using a fake French passport, the 33-year-old Ressam came to Canada in 1993 claiming to be a refugee. He later obtained a fraudulent Canadian passport using a false name. According to police, he and another Algerian extremist, Abdelmajid Dahoumane, checked into a motel in Vancouver, British Columbia. There they assembled a bomb which Ressam tried to bring into the United States in the trunk of a rented car. Dahoumane disappeared and is the subject of a US$5 million reward. He has reportedly been arrested in Algeria and is being held for questioning.

19 Jan 2001

SOUTHERN ASIA:

Al Qaeda Said To Be Messing Around With Chemical Weapons

Citing intelligence sources, the New York Times recently reported that Al Qaeda, the umbrella terrorist organization led by Usama bin Laden, is experimenting with chemical weapons in one of its camps in Afghanistan. The sources told the newspaper that Mohdiuh Mahmud Salim, an Iraqi member of the organization, even tried to buy enriched uranium in Europe. The group, according to the newspaper, has become a beacon for Muslim Malaysians, Algerians, Filipinos, Palestinians, Egyptians and even Americans who have come to view the U.S. as their enemy.

In a story that traced the growth of jihad against Soviets in Afghanistan, which was encouraged by the U.S. and other Western powers, to include American interests and moderate Islamic governments across the world, the newspaper said Al Qaeda has now expanded its war to include Israel which, until recently, considered it to be Washington's problem. U.S. and West Asian officials were quoted as saying that Al Qaeda had financed and trained an anti-Israeli group, Asbat Al Ansar, that operates in the Palestinian camps.

The story quoted a French scholar Olivier Roy, who follows Islamic activities, as saying that Al Qaeda's biggest asset is thousands of jihadis around the world who no longer see their struggle in strictly local or even national terms. The group, investigators say, plans attacks months or even years in advance. They say internal crackdown on Muslim militants in different countries fuel the international jihad... 

10 Jan 2001

AFGHANISTAN:

Usama Bin Laden Reportedly Wants To Leave Afghanistan

A newspaper reported on Tuesday that alleged international terrorist Usama bin Laden wants to leave Afghanistan and has sought permission of Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Omar to allow him and his minions to shift their operational headquarters somewhere else. The request was made a few days ago after which Omar started consultations with his cabinet to reach a consensus on whether to allow bin Laden to migrate or ask him to stay in Afghanistan.

Omar had earlier requested bin Laden to continue his Afghan stay. Omar believes bin Laden's departure would demoralize Afghans and holy war forces for whom his presence is a source of inspiration. [Editor's Note: and money to support the Taliban]  Bin Laden, on the other hand, believes his presence in Afghanistan would multiply the hardship for Afghans and impede the Taliban against adversaries of Islam.

Bin Laden is said to be convinced that it is time he entered the anti-Israel war. He believes his migration would enhance his operational capability and enable him to consolidate his forces active against the US and its allies. Bin Laden has also reportedly recorded a message for Palestinian forces active against Israel. It is not known if the message has been distributed yet.

Though bin Laden's next destination is yet to be confirmed, sources indicate Yemen could be his next station. Yemen has gained significance as bin Laden recently married in an influential Yemeni Syed family. Moreover, his family has also reportedly acquired a few islands near Yemen...

06 Jan 2001

PHILIPPINES:

Muslim Rebels Linked To Holiday Bombings

Police in the Philippines and Indonesia say that Muslim extremists suspected in holiday bombings in both countries may all have learned their deadly skills in Afghanistan. In the Philippines, the national police chief said Afghan-trained Muslim separatists were responsible for five New Year's holiday bombs that killed 22 people and injured more than 120 in metropolitan Manila.

In Indonesia, meanwhile, bombing suspect Dedi Mulyadi - being held for a string of deadly church bombings on Christmas Eve - told investigators that he and two accomplices learned bomb-making at an Afghan mujahedeen camp in the early 1990s. Eighteen people were killed and 84 badly injured in the blasts in nine Indonesian cities and towns on Christmas Eve.

Authorities said they were still unsure if the two Muslim groups are related, or the bombings were -- in anyway -- linked. On Friday, Philippine police charged the chairman of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Salamat Hashim, and six other rebels with murder for allegedly masterminding the bombings of a commuter train, a bus, the airport, a park and an abandoned gasoline station.

The director general of the Philippine police, Panfilo Lacson, said government soldiers who overran a rebel camp in November found plans for December bombings in Manila. Police said on Saturday they found and defused another powerful bomb in a shopping mall in the southern city of Davao.

On 29 Dec 2000, EmergencyNet News reported; "Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) analysts hypothesize that attacks in Manila may have been scheduled to coincide with other Christmas [holiday] terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Kashmir, and Indonesia. It is not currently known if the various attacks were somehow "coordinated" by any sort of controlling authority, although at least one ERRI analyst is looking to Afghanistan for additional answers." 

Reference: http://www.emergency.com/philwarn.htm

Return to the Main Bin Laden Archive page