Spanish al-Qaeda cell directly involved in US attacks: judge "operating in Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghan"

AFP via Yahoo! News ^ | Monday November 19, 12:42 AM | AFP

[Pericles]

Monday November 19, 12:42 AM

Spanish al-Qaeda cell directly involved in US attacks: judge

A Spanish investigating judge charged eight suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network arrested in Spain with preparing and carrying out the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Judge Baltasar Garzon accused the group of being "directly involved with the preparation and carrying out of the attacks perpetrated by the suicide pilots on September 11".

They were remanded in custody in Madrid charged with offences including "a terrorist attack against people" related to the US incidents.

Garzon said he had based the charges on telephone conversations intercepted by police before the attacks took place.

The eight were part of a group of 11 people arrested on Tuesday in Madrid and the southern city of Granada.

He said the intercepted telephone conversations involved a Spanish Imam, or spiritual leader, of Syrian origin called Abu Dahdah -- whose real name is Imad Eddin Barakat Yarbas -- who headed the group.

One such conversation was on August 26 involving someone called "Shakur", identified as an al-Qaeda activist, Garzon said.

He said this person said to Dahdah in a coded language that "in our lessons, we have entered the field of aviation and we have cut the bird's throat".

Garzon also revealed that Dahdah knew Mohammed Atta, one of the pilots involved in the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Bin Laden and al-Qaeda are the prime suspects for the September 11 plane attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

He said he believed the Spanish al-Qaeda cell was formed between 1994-95 and completely integrated into the organisation's criminal activities.

Garzon questioned the 11 detainees in a overnight interrogation which began on Saturday morning at his offices in the Audencia Nacional, Spain's highest criminal court, before eight of them were remanded in custody on Sunday.

As well as the terrorist attack charge, the eight were also accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation, theft, falsifying documents, and illegal possession of arms.

Apart from Abu Dahdah, the other detainees were named as Luis Jose Galan Gonzalez, also known as Yusuf Galan, Jasem Mahbule, Bassan Dalati Satut, Osama Darra, Mohammed Neetl Acaid, Said Chedadi and Mohammed Zahir Asade.

The remaining three were released on bail but told they were still under investigation. They were named as Mohammed Ghaleb Kalaje, Ahmad Raghad Mardini and Mohammed Arabi Shehimi.

Garzon claimed the dismantled Spanish al-Qaeda cell had been used as a base camp for Islamic fighters operating in Bosnia, Chechnya and Afghanistan.

The judge said it also gave financial support to the main al-Qaeda network through a system of flights and forged credit cards.

According to the Sunday edition of the daily El Pais, Dahdah had met bin Laden on two occasions.

It also reported how investigations by the Spanish authorities into Islamic militant activities had started in 1999.

These had revealed the existence of an al-Qaeda camp in Indonesia which trained between 2,000 and 3,000 Islamic radicals.

[aristeides]

The notes just found in a Kabul al Qaeda safe house on the OKC bombing explosive were written in Serbo-Croatian, by a Bosnian Muslim studying terrorism with al Qaeda there.

[Polybius]

Surprises me, though, that a Basque nationalist should so convert. Aren't the Basques super-Catholic?

No. The Basque nationalists are anti-Castillian (anti-Madrid).

The traditional Spanish central government has always been pro-Church. The Basque terrorists could care less about the Catholic Church.

[Southack]

"does anyone recall the American Media anthrax attack? One man died, and others had the skin anthrax. One of the first suspects was an intern. Most of us dismissed him as being unlikely, because he was not Arab, but in fact, a Spaniard. Maybe we (including the FBI) should re-think that?"

Good point.

[aristeides]

Most of us dismissed him as being unlikely, because he was not Arab, but in fact, a Spaniard. Maybe we (including the FBI) should re-think that?

Actually, he had a Basque name. Arizmendi, or something like that.

[AmericanVictory]

Interesting that they should be based in Granada, which was the last city of the Spanish Caliphate, once the second most powerful and advanced in Islam, to fall -- in 1492, the same year of Columbus' finding the New World.

[MizSterious]

I think you're right about that! I think Spanish Basque. I'll see if I can find the link to that story.

[meenie]

How can the war on terrorism ignore the al-Qaeda in the Balkans? The KLA is a terrorist organization in any form of the word.

[smileee]

You're absolutely right about dash-hole (actually, I like "dueshel", as in duesh bag). We must focus on deposing the D's in the next election. That little $hit must go.

[Great Dane]

There is that Balkan connection again.

[AmericanVictory]

So we have said on this forum over and over. See Admiral Moorer's article on WND "Obeying the Constitution makes sense."

[livius]

No, there's no connection. The young man in Florida was American born, the son of a Spanish father and a Jewish mother. His last name was Basque, but there are Basques all over the place. In some cases, it's because they have fled from ETA; in other cases, it's because the Basque region used to have a strong business tradition and Basques have traditionally emigrated to seek greater opportunities in the New World.

[MizSterious]

Ah, thank you. I just tried to look up the article, but keep reaching "Archives are temporarily unavailable." Oh well!

[B.Bumbleberry]

"These had revealed the existence of an al-Qaeda camp in Indonesia which trained between 2,000 and 3,000 Islamic radicals."

Very bad news. Should, if true, place Indonesia high on the list of countries supporting terrorism, since it is unlikely that kind of an operation could be going on in the country without the I. government knowing about it.

[Blacksheep]

Thank God they are not in an Italian jail. They'd be out by now! Remember the Achilles Lauro. excuse the spelling

[Nita Nupress]

I was thinking that he'd been eliminated as a suspect because he was Jewish.

[sistergoldenhair]

I am reading your links and learning. Thank you.

[Andy from Beaverton]

Keep posting your links. I always try and read them and they are always informative. Maybe you should start adding web page counters if you don't think we look?

[Victoria Delsoul]

A Spanish investigating judge charged eight suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network arrested in Spain with preparing and carrying out the September 11 attacks on the United States. They were remanded in custody in Madrid charged with offences including "a terrorist attack against people" related to the US incidents.

Good show! Let's keep it up.

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