Top Saudi Diplomat Frequently Met With Suspected Al Qaeda Cell Leader at Berlin Mosque

Prnewswire ^ | 4/6/03

[Brian Mosely]

Newsweek Periscope: The Saudis: A Missing Diplomat?
Sunday April 6, 10:58 am ET

Top Saudi Diplomat at Berlin Embassy Frequently Met With Suspected Al Qaeda Cell Leader at Berlin Mosque

NEW YORK, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- A top Saudi diplomat at Berlin's Saudi embassy, Muhammad J. Fakihi, chief of the embassy's Islamic-affairs branch, frequently met with a suspected Al Qaeda cell leader, Ihsan Garnoaui, at Berlin's Al Nur mosque -- a notorious haven for Islamic extremists, report Special Correspondent Stefan Theil and Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff in the April 14 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 7).

• (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030406/NYSU008 )

  Last month German police raided a suspected terrorist cell in Berlin, arresting a half-dozen men and seizing bomb-making equipment, flight-simulator software and chemicals. After the arrests, sources say, the Germans confronted the Saudis and declared Fakihi persona non grata. "We don't do that unless the evidence is very grave," says a German official. Four days after the arrests, Fakihi left Germany and was supposed to have returned to Saudi Arabia. But, Newsweek has learned, he never showed up. Now the Saudis want him for questioning, and officials are uncertain of his whereabouts.

  "There is close cooperation between the Saudi and German authorities on this matter, and we intend to get to the bottom of it," says one Saudi official. U.S. officials were already aware of Fakihi: his business card had been found in the apartment of Mounir el-Motassadeq, who was convicted of being an accomplice of the "Hamburg cell" that committed the 9-11 attacks.

[rrrod]

more and more german connections

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Saudi'd better clean up its act.

[JeeperFreeper]

Saudi and its support of wahhabiism is the 800 pound gorilla sitting in the middle of our living room that everyone is studiously ignoring. Until Saudi Arabia is addressed, this islamic terrorism is going to go on for several generations. We are in another "Cold War" of sorts.
Communism was the master political system, now Islam is the master religion. Freedom is at stake. Keep the faith; stay the course.

[Valin]

That's going to be more than a little difficult given that Al Qaeda is Wahhabist, and Wahhabiism is the religion of Saudi Arabia.

[Fresh Wind]

Four days after the arrests, Fakihi left Germany and was supposed to have returned to Saudi Arabia. But, Newsweek has learned, he never showed up.

Perhaps his flight was diverted to Gitmo.

[joesnuffy]

Mosques...the special and tactical operations centers for Islamic terror
so naturally they are off limits to our troop and intel people...
And they are built accross our nation
Not too swift imo

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You've visited Toledo, Ohio, then ?

[Tacis]

The Saudis and Al Qaeda? Next, you'll be trying to tell me that the Pope is Catholic!

Remember in _The Godfather_, when they find out that, while Tataglia (Saddam) is a bad guy, he is merely the tool of the real bad guy, Barzinni (Saudi).

[joesnuffy]

CAIR the Wahhabi Lobby with its tentacles in the hearts (pockets) of our fearless (gutless) politicians..
the sell outs..
Mosques and Islamic "education" centers going up like fast food joints
The Sauds cant be touched...they are the Loas and Cambodia of the war on terror imo