CIA warn 'hijacker' could signal new wave of terror

Sunday Hearld ^ | 1 Sept 2002 | Neil Mackay, Home Affairs Editor

[maquiladora]

THE CIA believes the Islamic hijacker who was allegedly planning to crash a plane bound for Britain into a US embassy in Europe may have been part of a new wave of terrorists ready to attack American targets in the run-up to the anniversary of the September 11 atrocities.

Kerim Chatty, a Swedish man of Tunisian origin, had taken flying lessons in the US state of South Carolina, according to Swedish police. He was arrested late on Thursday night at VŠsterŒs Airport near Stockholm on suspicion of planning a hijacking when he was found with a 6.5mm pistol in his carry-on luggage loaded with at least three rounds of ammunition. The Ryanair flight was destined for Birmingham.

A CIA official told the Sunday Herald: 'We're working with our fellow intelligence agencies in the US, such as the FBI, and our intelligence counterparts in the UK and elsewhere in Europe to try and run down what was happening. We're exploring the possibility that this incident was part of a vanguard of another wave of terror attacks planned against US targets -- this time in Europe.'

There is confusion between police and intelligence agencies in the US, Britain and Sweden over Chatty's alleged intention. A highly placed source within Sapo -- the Swedish equivalent of MI5 -- said they were hunting for four more men, including an explosives expert, who were believed to be part of a terror cell.

Swedish intelligence sources also claimed: 'We know for sure that the plan was to crash the plane into a US embassy in Europe.' Sapo sources said they had been instructed by the government to play the incident down due to approaching elections.

However, Margareta Linderoth, a Sapo director responsible for international terrorism, denied the man was planning an attack on a US embassy or that four more terrorists were being sought.

She did confirm that the suspect had taken flying lessons in the US. Swedish police do not believe Chatty was part of al-Qaeda.

Sapo sources also say officers from the CIA, MI5 and Scotland Yard flew to Sweden to assist the inquiry. Linderoth also denied this claim.

Abu Khadeejah, an organiser of the Islamic conference in Birmingham which Chatty was to attend, said no conference official knew Chatty, who has convictions for theft and assault.

The conference he was attending was on Salafi Islam. Several terrorists linked to al-Qaeda were devout followers, including Mohammed Atta, who led the September 11 attacks.

Richard Reid, the so-called Shoe-bomber, is also linked to the Salafi faith. Leaders of the sect have consistently denounced acts of terror.

Chatty's lawyer, Nils Uggla, said his 29-year-old client denied links to terrorism or hijacking and could explain why he had a gun in his soap bag.

John Trautman, of the North American Institute of Aviation in South Carolina, said Chatty studied at the school, but may not have sat exams.

Sapo officers were on board the Boeing 737 before Chatty's arrest, tracking suspected Islamic terrorists.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed an RAF Tornado F3 fighter would have been scrambled if the plane had been hijacked. Defence staff would not confirm if the jet would have been shot down.

[Steve Eisenberg]

The headline is not really supported by this story. The CIA is investigating possibilities, not "warning."

The bad news seems to be that our side isn't well informed concerning the terrorists' plans. The good news is that most of their attacks are foiled anyway. Of course, this is not to argue for complacency.

[dgallo51]

Man I love the crisp fall air, contrasting colors…must be getting close to "Bug-Eye" season!

[cardinal4]

Islam sucks.

[Delmarksman]

"SOP"

Nothing to see here, please move along.......

[TomGuy]

Chatty's lawyer, Nils Uggla, said his 29-year-old client denied links to terrorism or hijacking and could explain why he had a gun in his soap bag.

Hmmmmm....Uggla was saying yesterday in published reports that the gun didn't belong to Chatty and Chatty did not know where it came from.

Next, Chatty will be explaining that he intended to just borrow the airliner so he could visit his ill mother in Tunisia for the weekend.

[Lion's Cub]

There is a lot of info in this Reuter's piece http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1396157

According to that article, he studied in Saudi and was there on 9/11. He had already been questioned by the Swedes and (my guess)- was already under surveillance. Looks like the international services are cooperating to clip these guys' wings. (Though no one wants to mention the Saudi connections too loudly...)

[meenie]

Sound business sense should dictate that we should establish Wahibi Islam centers at our flight training schools and eliminate the necessity of students having to travel to Saudi to finish their education. Eliminate the middle man and pocket the profit.

[blam]

"Sound business sense should dictate that we should establish Wahibi Islam centers at our flight training schools and eliminate the necessity of students having to travel to Saudi to finish their education. "(To pick up his pay and next assignment)

Good. You made that connection too. (ever notice how these guys never have a substancial job but are able to fly around like 'jet-setters.')

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Hmmmmmmmm....Uggla was saying yesterday in published reports that the gun didn't belong to Chatty and Chatty did not know where it came from.

I hate it when that happens! A gun just appears in your carry on bag. Whatever hs is paying this stooge of an attorney, it is too much.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

. (Though no one wants to mention the Saudi connections too loudly...)

Like when that 750 lb Gorilla shows up at the cocktail party and no-one wants to notice that it's in the room.

[Dengar01]

could explain why he had a gun in his soap bag.

When did arabs start using soap? That would be the first place I would check we all know our friends from the religion of peace don't bathe.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

"(To pick up his pay and next assignment)"

Until the complicity of Saudi Arabia is acknowledged and the proper steps are taken to deal with them, the "War on Terrorism" will continue to be a cynical joke.

[henbane]

The bad news seems to be that our side isn't well informed concerning the terrorists' plans.

We can only hope that our side has probed a lot deeper into the Britsh--and American--mosque environment and its connection to these terrorist plans than is revealed in this report.

Here's a few salient points from another thread:

Man Accused of Planning to Hijack Plane in Sweden Attended a U.S. Flight School, Officials Say

Police said he had been on his way to an Islamic conference in Birmingham, England.

He is Muslim, he is flying and he has a gun and it's close to 11 of September," Uggla [Chatty's lawyer] said. "That makes people draw quick conclusions."

Chatty, a recent convert to Islam, has previously been convicted on theft and assault charges, including one from a 1997 brawl with a group of U.S. Marines at a gym in Stockholm.

The fight followed an earlier scuffle with the Marines at a bar, Uggla said.

James Lamb, assistant flight instructor at the school, said he can neither confirm nor deny Chatty was ever a student at the school because those records were destroyed in a fire at the school in May

Abu Hamza al-Marsi, founder of the Supporters of Shariah

"The suspected terrorists who have used Britain as a transition point include the French national Zacarias Moussaoui and the Franco-Algerian Djamel Beghal.

Moussaoui, who was arrested in the U.S. before the Sept. 11 attacks, lived undisturbed for years in south London despite French warnings that he had strong links with bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization.

And Beghal, the admitted leader of a bin Laden European network, lived in Finsbury Park in the late l990s. Extradited from the United Arab Emirates, where he detailed his operation to investigators, Beghal now awaits trial in France.

"The hub of Islamic extremism in Britain is the Finsbury Park mosque Beghal frequented, located in a shabby neighborhood of north London. From here, cleric Abu Hamza al-Marsi, who lost both hands and an eye in Afghanistan, runs Supporters of Shariah, a group that promotes "military training for brothers" and whose website last week suddenly disappeared from the Internet. Hamza, an Egyptian who came to Britain in 1981 and is wanted in Yemen for terrorism, welcomed the Sept. 11 attacks as "justified."

Since then, police have been guarding the mosque — they say for the Muslims’ protection, but this also makes monitoring visitors easy."

--from Apostles of Anger October 15, 2001

[texasbluebell]

Swedish police do not believe Chatty was part of al-Qaeda.

It doesn't matter that he may not be part of al Qaeda. Osama and his group are all apparently members of this sect of Islam, Salafi, which is the conference this Chatty was going to.

The conference he was attending was on Salafi Islam. Several terrorists linked to al-Qaeda were devout followers, including Mohammed Atta, who led the September 11 attacks.

Not only Atta, according to this article, but Osama, belonged to Salafi Islam, so it's really irrelevant whether any of them belong to al Qaeda or not.

What's more important is their ties to Salafi Islam, in spite of the continual denials from the imams. Of course they're going to say they don't approve of the actions of their members to us. But that's their standard way of dealing with the West, to lie to us. Someday maybe we'll catch on.

This linked article has some interesting information on Salafism, which is closely linked to Wahhabism.

See link.

[texasbluebell]

Another quote from the article linked in #15:

While the Salafi extremist groups have sources of income throughout the Islamic world, their chief financial support has hitherto come from wealthy and influential members of the Saudi elite.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Leaders of the [Salafi] sect have consistently denounced acts of terror.

< /wink>< /wink>< /nudge>< /nudge>

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I agree, it is dangerously myopic to focus only on al-queda. The well-spring(s) must be dried up: Wahhabism, Salafism, however many there are. Any organization ("religious", quasi-religious, secular) that promotes mayhem and murder in a massive, international scale must be rooted out and ripped up by the roots. Confiscate their assets. Jail or kill their leaders. Kill the soldiers. Until they stand down.

[texasbluebell]

Confiscate their assets. Jail or kill their leaders. Kill the soldiers. Until they stand down.

Well, we have no choice really. It's either us or them, it looks like. They don't seem to be able to live in the world with us. And I'm not going down without a fight.

[Timesink]

Of course, this is not to argue for complacency.

Unfortunately, complacency seems to be what most of the American public. 9/11? Terrorism? Don't wanna think about it, too depressing, we've been through it once so why relive it blah blah blah.