Qaeda eyed chemical hit on U.S. base in Spain

swissinfo.org ^ | May 3, 2005 | Reuters

[jmc1969]

MADRID (Reuters) - An al Qaeda cell based in France planned a chemical attack on a U.S. naval base in Rota, Spain, newspaper ABC reported on Tuesday.

Algerian Said Arif, extradited to France from Syria last year, has admitted his cell was plotting a chemical attack on the southern Spanish base controlled by the United States since 1953, the Spanish daily reported.

The paper said Arif was considered a lieutenant of Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq.

Zarqawi himself was accused of planning a chemical attack last year in his native Jordan, which authorities thwarted.

Arif was extradited to France last June from Syria, where he had fled after escaping French police raids in December 2002, the Spanish daily said.

He was linked to a group of suspected Islamists arrested in Barcelona in January 2003, the paper said. The government said at the time those suspected al Qaeda members were planning a chemical attack.

[livius]

These folks seem to have gotten to Europe from the Pankisi Gorge area, where they trained, although many of them were Algerians.

It appears that they were planning an attack with Colombian-style propane-tank bombs and homemade napalm. The base is heavily fortified, of course, so I doubt that they would have gotten very far. Still, it's better that they didn't even get a chance to try it.

[Americanexpat]

I wonder what kind of chemical weapons they were planning to use? Ricin maybe?

I always thought the base water plants should be given the same protection as airfields, ports and ammunition storage areas.

[livius]

According to the Spanish press, the chemicals were for use in producing something similar to napalm, rather than for a chemical attack, strictly speaking.

[Americanexpat]

Thanks, I didn't see tht in this article.

[Dr Snide]

remember this is the same outfit that attempted a major chemical attack in Jordan (including the U.S. Embassy). If I rember right it involved leaving Iraq going through Syria and picking up some nerve gas (hmmm wonder where that came from) and unleasing an attack greater than 9/11 on Jordan's capital.

[Braak]

Man, I used to live there 1981-83..This boils me and good. OK< Al-Q attacks my city, kills my stepfather and now they want to slime somewhere where I had some really great childhood memories? Sheesh! I really hate these guys!

[nw_arizona_granny]

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