First Attack by Al Qaeda in Japan?

ABC News via Drudge ^ | 2/12/07 | Alexis Debat and Maddy Sauer

[texas_mrs]

There was a scare today at a U.S. military base outside Tokyo when two small explosions occurred shortly after 11 p.m. there. While no one was injured, investigators are looking at the possibility that it was an attempted terrorist attack.

Intelligence reports in Japan and Pakistan suggest al Qaeda has established a small but powerful presence in Japan, which leads some wondering whether or not today's events are the first attempt at an attack by al Qaeda in Japan.

Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News they have had several reports that Pakistani militant organizations working with al Qaeda had established networks in Japan as far back as 1999.

[Calpernia]

ping

[txhurl]

bump?

[Calpernia]

I think this is relevant. Attention to Yakuza:

http://www.oja.moj.go.th/data/document/download/THAI%20PRESENTATION%2012-2-05.ppt

Terrorism in the Middle East

Law Enforcement Sensitive

New Trends in Financing (continued)

* Human trafficking
o Middle East (Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics)
+ Linked with organized crime—Russian Vory
o Cambodia, and Philippines
+ Linked with madrasas in Southeast Asia (children)
+ Linked with organized crime—Yakuza
+ A word about Abu Sayyaf
* Kidnapping and extortion
o Links to Hezb’Allah
o Links to FARC and ELN

[Calpernia]

ping

[Oct1967]

"'Intelligence reports in Japan and Pakistan suggest al Qaeda has established a small but powerful presence in Japan""


Someone please explain what exactly they are talking about "small but powerful" This is the same media that called the Council of Islamic Courts that was routed by a 1960s Ethopian army "powerful"

[nuconvert]

Someone please inform the MSM, Democrats, Liberals and Left >>>This is a GLOBAL War on Terrorism and Iraq is ONE front.

[thinkthenpost]

These rocket attacks have happened before in Japan, near base housing at Yokota AFB and Camp Zuma (Army base) IIRC. I remember a couple of such attacks when I was stationed at Yokosuka in the early 90's, basically they launch a couple of unguided rockets, generally with pretty small payloads, because the rockets are pretty small, and skedaddle. Again IIRC they were protesting US service members being in Japan.

[Calpernia]

Re: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1783617/posts?page=4#4

Yakuza and Al Qaeda:

RISE IN COUNTERFEIT MARKET LINKED

TO TERRORIST FUNDING

Consumers are being warned that the innocent purchases of counterfeit products from Internet sites and markets are funding terrorist and criminal organizations, including Al-Qaeda, the Mafia and the IRA.

 

LONDON, Consumers are being warned that the innocent purchases of counterfeit products from Internet sites and markets are funding terrorist and criminal organizations, including Al-Qaeda, the Mafia and the IRA. The sale of these fake goods, ranging from "designer" clothes to power tools to pharmaceutical products are directly linked to international terrorism and organized crime, according to Carratu International PLC, a leading investigator of intellectual property abuse.

Carratu International estimates that the global counterfeit market, which already accounts for 9% of world trade, will double in size over the next two years. Much of the increase will be due to sales from unregulated internet sites advertising fake goods.

"It does not have to be involve the sale of anything sinister," said Spencer Burgess, director of Carratu International's Intellectual Property Investigations division. "It's easy to make money from something as bland as a T-shirt. The perception many people have that counterfeiting is run by small groups that are just trying to make a few dollars on the side is completely misplaced. It is very much more organized and malicious."

Extensive enquiries by Carratu International have unearthed links between counterfeiting and Al-Qaeda, Hizbollah, the IRA, ETA, the Mafia, Chinese Triad gangs, the Japanese Yakuza crime syndicate, the Russian Mafia and drug cartels. Indeed, the recovery of Al-Qaeda training manuals had shown that the organization recommends the sale of counterfeit products to raise funds.

(snip)

[DTogo]

More likely militant Leftists in Japan, or some otaku (loner/nerd) with a fetish more things military (like rockets/explosives, etc).

Japan * ping * (kono risuto ni hairitai ka detai wo shirasete kudasai : let me know if you want on or off this list)

[elmer fudd]

That's not really the Yakuza's style. They're basically a bunch of criminal ultranationalists. Of course if there's an economic angle they'll exploit it, but in general I think they have nothing but contempt for Al Qaeda and Arabs in general and I suspect Al Qaeda probably feels the same way about them. They'd probably provide Al Qaeda operatives with fake papers and guns for the right price, but I don't think they'd want anything to do with an actual terrorist operation. It would be bad for business.

[GATOR NAVY]

From Stars and Stripes:

"Two small metal pipes, believed to be used as launchers, were found at a park near the U.S. Army base south of Tokyo by police officers who were searching the area after receiving a phone call around 11 p.m. Monday from a local resident who heard two explosions, a Zama Police spokesman said."

Sounds like the MO of Japanese leftists groups. They've done things like this many times in the past.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43524

[Calpernia]

Style or not, post 4 is an intelligence report.

[elmer fudd]

Post #4 says, " + Linked with organized crime—Yakuza", and then provides a dead link. Your followup post, (#9), does not even link the two organizations. Yes, they are mentioned in the same sentence, but only as examples of organizations dealing in counterfeit products.

BTW, Carratu International isn't exactly an intelligence agency. It's a private investigative service that caters to corporations. They'll check out your business rivals for you, but they're not the CIA, the Mossad or MI5.

[Calpernia]

This link, http://www.oja.moj.go.th/data/document/download/THAI%20PRESENTATION%2012-2-05.ppt

Still opens for me. Maybe it is cached? Maybe you don't have power point?

It is backed up here in Net archives if it isn't working:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.oja.moj.go.th/data/document/download/THAI%20PRESENTATION%2012-2-05.ppt

I don't know why you are so defensive about the financial network between Al Aqaeda and Yakuza. ICE has been chasing the links for the last few years in the laundering and counterfeiting department. And it is already know that Adnan Khashoggi did business with Yakuza in the Phillipines. We have threads here at FR on that.

[Ciexyz]

btt

[nw_arizona_granny]

Bump............

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping.

[Ronin]

I agree. Probably Chukakuha or some other leftist-geezer 60s leftover group.

[AmericanInTokyo]

you know folks, we (have) had such small, minor "attacks" all the time in Japan near Yokota, Yokosuka, the Imperial Palace, including two or three years ago. After 9-11, everyone (including many on FR) got trigger happy and immediately assumed it was AQ in these cases....

When it is more than like homegrown "kageki-ha" small-scale nutcakes, and/or some "otaku" types who got shunned at a "maid cafe" in akihabara recently and have turned to minor pyrotechnics to let off some steam....i doubt the turban-ed one is directing these from caves in Waziristan.