Posted on 09/06/2004 1:04:58 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember
Russian investigators said Arab operatives linked to Al Qaida played a major role in the takeover of a Russian school in which 400 people were killed.
Russian officials said authorities have determined that 10 of the 32 suicide attackers who took over a high school in Beslan in North Ossetia last week were nationals from several Arab countries. Most of the attackers were Chechens and Ingush who had been trained at Al Qaida camps in Afghanistan.
The 10 Arab nationals came from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, officials said. They said security forces seized notebooks in Arabic in the school taken over by insurgents. Officials said survivors told authorities that some of the captors spoke Arabic during the three-day hostage ordeal.
All of the captors were said to have been killed, but three accomplices were arrested, Middle East Newsline reported.
The Arab nationals were said to have been recruited in the Middle East and hosted by Shamil Basayev, head of the Chechen insurgency and aligned with Al Qaida.
"We're hoping to release additional information over the next few days," an official said. "But precise details will require cooperation from our allies."
The officials said the attackers were trained in Al Qaida camps in Afghanistan and financed by Abu Omar Al Seif, regarded as a leading Al Qaida operative and the organization's representative in Chechnya.
Al Seif, identified as the chief Islamic ideologue in the Chechen insurgency, was brought to Chechnya in 1995 by Saudi national Samir Saleh Abdullah Al Suwailem, known as Abu Khattab. Abu Khattab was said to have been killed in 2002.
Officials said Basayev received Saudi financial aid for at least a decade, most of it through Al Seif. They said Basayev and Al Seif employed hundreds of Saudi volunteers for suicide and other mass casualty attacks in Chechnya and other parts of Russia as well as raised funds required for the attack on the school in Beslan.
In December 2003, Federal Security Service spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko said virtually all of the suicide attacks in Russia over the last few years were organized by Al Seif and Abu Al Walid. Ignatchenko identified Al Walid as responsible for the Arab fighters in Chechnya.
"Major financial resources reach Al Walid and Abu Omar from extremist centers in a series of Arab countries," Ignatchenko was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency.
Several Middle East countries planned to increase security cooperation with Russia, officials said. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was scheduled to meet Israeli leaders in an effort to pave the way for expanded security cooperation. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have also agreed to increased security cooperation with Moscow. Victims of the insurgency attack included at least one Turkish national.
"The recent terrorist act in Russia has showed the importance of international cooperation in fight against terrorism," Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said.
The mainstream media is spiking this important story, because al Queda would do this (or worse) in a heartbeat here in the USA
Enter Bush and Cheney. Problems all over again.....The one issue I have with Bush-Cheney is their defiant allegiance to the Saudi royal family and the evil tentacles that go to and fro their house.
Russian intelligence sure works fast.
taking all this with a grain of salt.
utter the magic word Al Qaeda and immediately you get all sorts of support to do all sorts of nasty things to people.
To be sure, the subhuman trash that did this need to be dealt with as one would deal with a rabies outbreak. Kill all the dogs to be sure. Seems like these dogs hide in mountains and regions the Russians don't have direct control. Wouldn't want this to turn into a ethnic war in regions where the people are not directly involved. Seems like Georgia is a problem since the worst of the worst are hiding out in that great gorge there. Does Georgia still have nukes?
Interesting but irrelevant.
What I would like to know is, how many of them were not muslim ?
The day that Fox surpassed CBS, NBC, and CBS in ratings is the day the OLD MEDIA's power died.
Out with the old, in with the new: talk radio, the itnernet, blogs, e-mail, and Fox News.
The one issue I have with Bush-Cheney is their defiant allegiance to the Saudi royal family and the evil tentacles that go to and fro their house.
So, to your way of thinking:
-- America is Socialist because some RATs are?
-- Canada is Socialist because some in their polical party are?
-- Italy is Socialist because some are?
There have been stories for years about AlQueada cooperating with Chechen muslims. They also have 3 live (for now) terrorists to extract information from. I'm guessing that the KGB types are really good at getting people to talk. They don't exactly have a reputation for congeniality.
What "Socialist" are you talking about? Go read that other post again.
I'm not talking about "socialists" per say. It's a playoff of some people lumping all Saudis as terrorist supporters. Not ALL are something. Not all Saudis are terrorist supporters because some are. Not all Canadians are Socialists because some are. Not all Americans are Socialists become some are.
I hate generalizations like you made. That's my point.
placemark
I vote to boycott the mainstream media because they don't even attempt to coverup their political bias anymore. Boycotts work....look what what has happened to France's pocketbook?? BOYCOTT ABC,CBS,NBC,and CNN!!
No. I want to see Saudi Arabia treated like any other nation that harbors terrorists. That's all.
But the old media are still running around like headless chickens.
Let the old RED Army fall upon their heads in a reprise of the Battle for Berlin.
Your right, but it gets tiresome. And the stakes are higher than many realize. So many of my coworkers(UAW) do not believe a terrorist attack can happen here again. It's only a matter of when and where.
...and how big a bomb they bring. And what type. And how many casualties. Their first generation attacks killed 10-30 Americans (USS Cole), the second generation killed 150-250 (Embassies), third generation attacks killed 3000+, so..... 30,000 will probably be their goal, and I think its why they are husbanding their resources. And they do have resources here, wouldn't you guess? I think you are right on, the stakes are huge.
How 'bout "lamestream".
America has terrorists here now too. Are we "harboring" them as you state? No.
I'm thinking Saudi Arabia has done much to root out the same evil that EVERY country allowing Muslims to inhabit have. More so lately with the Paul Johnson episode. Remember that A.Q. hates the monarchy in Saudi Arabia as much as A.Q. hates America and Israel.
The fact is, the Bush team was WRONG on Chechnya. Maybe you can say human rights was the possum they were petting. So be it. Now look at the human rights in Beslan. Reality check. Someone with Bush was listening too intently to Human Rights Watch or whoever was over there watching the Russian army topple the turdpiles. Political correctness cost them in this case, however noble the cause was.
Russian does have a Human Rights problem as does Saudi Arabia. Why do you think that AQ chooses these places. I'll answer for ou...because they know they can get support because of it.
The AQ are very politically astute and media savvy. No doubt about it.
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