ON THE NET:
THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS AN EXACT QUOTE. Click on the url to view the graphic.
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http://internet-haganah.us/harchives/002409.html
July 30, 2004
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan claims Tashkent blasts
The Statement:
www.islamic-minbar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=338
DUBAI, July 30 (AFP):
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) Friday claimed responsibility for suicide bombings against the US and Israeli embassies, as well as Uzbekistan's prosecutor general's office in Tashkent, according to a statement posted on an Islamist website.
"A group of young Muslims from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan carried out martyrdom operations today against the embassies of America and Israel and the office of the prosecutor general, which started a few days ago to try several brethren from the group," the statement said.
The claim was posted on (http://www.islamic-minbar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=338) but its authenticity could not be confirmed.
At least two people were killed and nine injured in Friday's attacks in the volatile Central Asian state.
The IMU is a radical group that aimed to establish an Islamic state in the Ferghana Valley, which straddles Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and was driven to Afghanistan by the regime of Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
Most of the IMU was thought to have been decimated during the US campaign in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and after the death of its charismatic leader Djuma Namangani, reportedly a close associate of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Posted by aaron at July 30, 2004 01:57 PM
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http://internet-haganah.us/harchives/002413.html
July 31, 2004
"Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: a primer"
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The following will get you up to speed in a hurry regarding the group that carried out three suicide bombings in Tashkent yesterday..."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=3&u=/ap/20040731/ap_on_re_us/subway_explosion
NEW YORK - The former police officer who said he found a flaming backpack that exploded in a Times Square subway station was arrested Saturday in connection with the incident.
Joseph Rodriguez faces charges of arson, weapons possession and reckless endangerment, police said.
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association attorney Stuart London has said the officer denies he was responsible for the July 19 subway incident. London did not immediately return a call for comment Saturday.
Rodriguez, 27, was involved in rescue efforts following the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 and said he was traumatized by it, officials said.
At some point, the NYPD sought to remove Rodriguez from the force because of unspecified psychological problems. The officer resisted, but agreed to retire after being awarded a disability pension two weeks ago based on a claim that his problems stemmed from Sept. 11.
Rodriguez had worked a final shift at a transit station when the explosion occurred, leaving him with minor injuries, disrupting subway service and drawing a huge response by police on alert for terrorist attacks.
The officer later told police that he saw the blue and black nylon backpack on fire on a mezzanine staircase at 43rd Street and Eighth Avenue, and was warning commuters to stay away and calling for backup when it exploded. At first, investigators believed fireworks caused the blast, but they later found pieces of plastic pipe, traces of black powder and BB's — evidence of a pipe bomb.
Investigators soon focused on Rodriguez as a possible suspect based largely on his psychological history, sources have told The Associated Press. He also raised suspicion by wasting several minutes trying to report the bomb to his partner, rather than calling 911, they said.
Rodriguez was briefly hospitalized after the explosion. He was arrested Saturday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Columbia-Presbyterian Center.