Shoe Bomber Had Support Across Europe

AFP via Bloomberg, no url | 1/19/02

[NativeNewYorker]

Paris, Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Reid, the man accused of trying to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes on an American Airlines Inc. flight last month, had support across Europe, Agence France-Presse said, citing a source close to the investigation.

Investigators found emails sent by Reid to various European destinations, the news agency reported. French police seized hard drives from the Happy Call Internet cafe in Paris, which Reid visited before boarding a Paris-Miami flight on Dec. 22, AFP said.

In several emails, Reid called himself a ``martyr for the Islamic cause,'' AFP said, citing French regional newspaper La Provence. He also left an electronic last will, the paper said.

The emails persuaded French police that Reid was not acting alone and received orders over the Internet, according to another French daily, Le Parisien.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said this week that Reid was trained to be a terrorist by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan. He declined to say whether prosecutors believe he was acting on orders from the network.

Yesterday, 28-year-old Reid pleaded innocent to nine separate charges in a U.S. court. He faces life in prison if convicted. The charges include attempted murder, placing an explosive device aboard a plane and attempted destruction of an aircraft.

[Dialup Llama]

Cool I'm going to start a jihad website. Spread around a bit of cash to make it look real and then order the shetheeds to do stuff like: stand on the corner of such and such a street at 12:00 noon and then have the cops pick em up.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I like the way your mind works, DL! LOL.

[aristeides]

Any more word on cybercafes in Amsterdam Shoe Boy Reid may have used?

[Dialup Llama]

I think the jihad internet could use some subtle hacking. I'd like to make it so that every time some wannabe shetheed gets on the net, he thinks the CIA is on the other end. Since its apparently easier to be an imam than become a minister in the Church of the Subgenius, why not take advantage of that?

[ken21]

he's jet-setting about the world with no means of support, he'd hafta be getting money from some place.

[Dialup Llama]

I wonder if Shoe Boy also indulged in any of the other activities common to the 'holy' warriors (lap dances, prostitutes, etc...)?

[aristeides]

I think they trained these guys in credit-card fraud. I'm not sure how much financial support they'd need from headquarters.

[knighthawk]

Yes, it is called 'Easy Everyting', located in the Damrak (a street in Amsterdam). The police tracked the IP-adresses back to this place. Reid used to the cafe to send and recieve e-mial.

[Dialup Llama]

>I think they trained these guys in credit-card fraud.

Exactly. Plus cupon fraud and identity theft. It seems to be an ME migrant pastime. As long as these crimes are regarded as minor by the credit card companies, terrorist support cells will continue. A number of the detainees who were released due to a lack of Al-Queda connections were suspected because of id and credit card fraud. Its a very common 'tell' among these 'holy and religious' people.