Spanish Terror Sting Foils Planned Attack

AP via CBS News ^ | Jan. 23, 2008

[james500]

An Islamic militant cell broken up over the weekend in Barcelona was planning a suicide attack on the city's public transport network, a Spanish judge said Wednesday as he ordered 10 suspects jailed pending further investigation and freed two others.

Judge Ismael Moreno, of the National Court, made the announcement after questioning the 12 suspects for seven hours.

He said the attacks had been planned for last weekend. Fourteen suspects were arrested Saturday although two were released by Spanish authorities on Tuesday.

The judge said that of the 10 people he is ordering kept in custody, three were planning to stage a suicide attack. The role of the others was not clear.

Spanish authorities have said of the original 14, 12 were Pakistanis and two Indians but it was not known Wednesday night which four have been released nor the nationality of those sent to jail.

The judge identified the three alleged suicide bombers as Mohamed Shoaib, Mehmooh Khalib and Imran Cheema. He said they had arrived in Barcelona from Pakistan some time between October and mid-January. The judge said it was common for suicide attackers to arrive at their targeted site shortly before a planned attack.

The government has said that police seized bomb-making materials and timers in raids on five homes Saturday and that the attack was in an advanced stage of preparation.

Moreno did not specify what part of Barcelona's public transport network was being targeted.

[Conservative Vet]

I can just see the ACLU and Democrats complaining if it turns out the NSA intercepted calls by the terrorist cell and we helped the Spanish authorities. Heaven forbid if we violate the “privacy” of terrorists as they plan to kill innocent people.

[CarrotAndStick]

Doubts over Indian link in Spain arrests

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080122/jsp/nation/story_8811840.jsp

New Delhi, Jan. 21 (PTI): None of the 14 persons arrested in Spain for allegedly planning terror attacks appears to be from India, according to information reaching official agencies here tonight.

Sources said Indian agencies had approached Spanish authorities for the identification of the 14 arrested in Barcelona on Saturday and taken to Madrid for questioning the next day. Two of them were believed to be Indians.

However, reports reaching here indicated the group had no Indians and mainly comprised Pakistanis and Saudi Arabians, the agencies said.

The foreign ministry had approached the authorities in Madrid for providing immediate consular access in case any of the arrested 14 was Indian.

The Spanish police today linked all the arrested men with the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

“Those who gave the orders are in Pakistan. They were preparing suicide attacks. Those that came here were ready to commit suicide,” a Spanish daily quoted a source as saying.

[RDTF]

good

[CarrotAndStick]

		Lashkar-e-Toiba 'Army of the Pure'     Formation   Formed in 1990 in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (also known as Jama’at-ud-Da’awa) is based in Muridke near Lahore in Pakistan and is headed by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Its first presence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was recorded in 1993 when 12 Pakistani and Afghan mercenaries infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) in tandem with the Islami Inquilabi Mahaz, a terrorist outfit then active in the Poonch district of J&K.   Proscription   The LeT is outlawed in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It was included in the Terrorist Exclusion List by the US Government on December 5, 2001. The US administration designated the Lashkar-e-Toiba as a FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) on December 26, 2001. It is also a banned organization in Britain since March 30, 2001. The group was proscribed by the United Nations in May 2005. The military regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf banned the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan on January 12, 2002.   Objectives/Ideology   The LeT’s professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging India's sovereignty over the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lashkar's ‘agenda’, as outlined in a pamphlet titled Why are we waging jihad includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India. Further, the outfit seeks to bring about a union of all Muslim majority regions in countries that surround Pakistan. Towards that end, it is active in J&K, Chechnya and other parts of Central Asia. Hafiz Saeed, a scholar of Islam, has said that the purpose of Jihad is to carry out a sustained struggle for the dominance of Islam in the entire world and to eliminate the evil forces and the ignorant. He considers India, Israel and US to be his prime enemies and has threatened to launch Fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks on American interests too. The Lashkar-e-Toiba does not believe in democracy and nationalism. According to its ideology, it is the duty of every 'Momin' to protect and defend the interests of Muslims all over the world where Muslims are under the rule of non-Muslim in the democratic system. It has, thus chosen the path of Jihad as the suited means to achieve its goal. Cadres are drawn from the Wahabi school of thought. Jihad, Hafiz Saeed said during the All Pakistan Ulema Convention held on July 17, 2003, at Lahore, is the only way Pakistan can move towards dignity and prosperity. The LeT has consistently advocated the use of force and vowed that it would plant the 'flag of Islam' in Washington, Tel Aviv and New Delhi. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar_e_toiba.htm

[Dog]

Dodged a huge bullet.

[Cindy]

“Good.”

Yep.

#

http://truthusa.com/a/index.php?topic=1599.0

[SaxxonWoods]

But, Spain left Iraq as ordered by AQ. They paid the protection money, in other words. This AQ bunch is not trustworthy like the American Mob was.

[CJ Wolf]

“Pakistanis and Saudi Arabians”

Hey look it’s our old Friends and allies! Let’s give them some more smartbombs.