Posted on 05/07/2003 8:16:30 PM PDT by Lawrence of Arabia
RIYADH, 8 May 2003 — A group of Arab extremists who had been planning terrorist attacks in the Kingdom is being hunted down in a densely populated district of the capital following a shootout with security forces raiding its hide-out, according to the Interior Ministry.
The group was discovered to have built up a cache of arms, including 55 hand grenades, 377 kilograms (829 pounds) of explosives, and 2,545 bullets of different calibers, as well as cash and various disguises.
The ministry said it was seeking “19 terrorists, 17 of them Saudis,” but added that it expected to add other names to the wanted list later. The two non-Saudis being sought are a Yemeni and an Iraqi with joint Kuwaiti-Canadian nationality.
Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, quoted a senior security official as indicating that the group had links with Al-Qaeda. “They had gone to Afghanistan,” he said, adding that their aim was to undermine the Kingdom.
The official also said the type of the explosives found by police was RDX, which has hugely destructive potential.
The ministry called on the public to telephone the nearest police station if they have any information which could lead to the suspects’ arrest, and warned anyone against giving them refuge.
The shootout started late Tuesday evening as police were searching for those responsible for a March 18 bomb incident which killed a Saudi in the capital’s Jazira district.
The gunmen’s getaway car broke down, but they were able to steal another vehicle at gunpoint and disappear into the teeming neighborhood.
Police discovered “55 hand grenades, 295 bullets, seven empty magazines, travel documents, identity cards and $72,957 cash” in the car, the ministry said.
A subsequent search of their hide-out turned up “377 kilograms (829 pounds) of explosives, four Kalashnikovs, three chests containing 2,250 bullets... 82 magazines (of bullets) and communications equipment.”
A search of another vehicle parked in the courtyard of the raided house in the Ashbeliya district, east of Riyadh, netted “three Kalashnikovs, wigs and other disguises.” Some of the individuals were leaving the house as security forces arrived, and were followed. It was at that point that the extremists opened fire and made their escape.
The US State Department said last week that it had received intelligence reports indicating “terrorist” groups may be in the final phases of planning attacks against the American community in Saudi Arabia.
The State Department warning came after an American working at a Saudi naval base was shot and injured. Washington has issued a new travel advisory warning its nationals against non-essential travel to the Kingdom, and urging private citizens here to consider leaving.
Meanwhile, Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, reports that Al-Qaeda is preparing a new attack in the United States on the scale of Sept. 11 after adopting a new operational structure which is impenetrable to US intelligence. “An attack against America is inevitable,” Al-Majalla quotes the militant network’s newly appointed spokesman Thabet ibn Qais as saying in an e-mail to the magazine.
Al-Qaeda has “carried out changes in its leadership and sidelined the Sept, 11, 2001 team”, the magazine quotes Ibn Qais as saying. “Future missions have been entrusted to the new team, which is well protected against the US intelligence services. The old leadership does not know the names of any of its members.” Ibn Qais mocks concerns expressed by Washington about a possible Al-Qaeda attack on its consulate in the Pakistani metropolis of Karachi, saying the network’s target is the United States itself.
“Of course, the US Consulate in Karachi is a US interest and a staging post for Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel in Pakistan, but it doesn’t necessarily constitute a pressing target. Striking it is not a priority for Al-Qaeda compared with the plans under way preparing a new attack in the United States on the scale of Sept. 11.”
The purported message from Al-Qaeda scoffed at recent press reports that US agents are hot on the trail of its leader Osama Bin Laden, whose whereabouts have been a mystery since the ouster of his Taleban sponsors in Afghanistan in late 2001.
“We keep our cool in the face of such reports, just as we do when the Americans say they have uncovered new Al-Qaeda plans or arrested our leaders,” Ibn Qais is quoted as saying.
WARDEN MESSAGE
May 06, 2003
The Embassy requests that wardens pass the following message in its entirety to members of the American Community:
United States Department of State Public Announcement - Middle East and North Africa Update
May 05, 2003
This Public Announcement is being updated to remind U.S. citizens of the continuing threat of anti-American violence, including terrorist actions that may target civilians specifically in the Middle East, including the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa.
This Public Announcement supersedes the Public Announcement issued on March 19, 2003, and expires on October 1, 2003.
The Department of State reminds U.S. citizens traveling to the Middle East and North Africa that despite somewhat lessened tensions accompanying the end of major U.S. combat operations in Iraq, there remains a potential threat to U.S. citizens and interests in the region posed by those harboring anti-American sentiments, including the risk of attacks by terrorist groups.
The U.S. Government remains deeply concerned about the security of U.S. citizens overseas. U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.
Credible information has indicated terrorist groups may be planning attacks against U.S. interests in the Middle East. Terrorist actions may include suicide operations, bombings or kidnappings. While conventional weapons such as explosive devices are a more immediate threat in many areas, use of non-conventional weapons, including chemical or biological agents must be considered a possible threat. Terrorists do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Increased security at official U.S. facilities has led terrorists and their sympathizers to seek softer targets such as residential areas, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, hotels, schools, outdoor recreation events, resorts and beaches.
On occasion, the travel of official personnel at embassies and consulates around the world is restricted because of security concerns, and these posts may recommend that private U.S. citizens avoid the same areas if at all possible. Services to U.S. citizens may be affected if employees' movements are restricted. If this happens, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. In case office hours are reduced, U.S. citizens in need of emergency assistance should telephone the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate before visiting in person.
In addition, U.S. citizens planning to travel to the Middle East or North Africa should consult the Department of State's country-specific Public Announcements, Travel Warnings, Consular Information Sheets, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement , Fact Sheets, and regional travel brochures on the Consular Affairs Internet website at . Up-to-date information on security conditions can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 in the U.S. and for callers outside the U.S. and Canada a regular toll line at 1-317-472-2328. #22/2003
Now why does that ring a bell?
Amazing - we have had enemies ourselves building up weapons and attacking US interests all during the 90's - and Clinton/Reno spent more fire power on David Koresh and Elian Gonzalez than anything else. Guess We know who they think the enemies are...
Dunno. but maybe it means we need to invade Pakistan or Syria or something.
I scrolled back up to check the date.
.22 doesn't count...*grin*
Doesn't Louis Farrakan have a 'thing' for the number 19. Doesn't he have some sort of bizarre theory about the significance of that number?
Lightweight. ;)
Would not be a surprise, he is a radical muslim. Trying to find the number and connection for you. Found this though:
But in one day, before classes ever began, they convinced the young students that black Muslim leader Louis Farrakan was right when he called on American military to refuse to fight Islamic nations and to come home.
Very interesting article
"The whole Quran is mathematically composed by number '19'"
Hmmm. So does this mean Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is no longer with us? I was thinking just a couple of weeks ago it had been forever and a year since we heard anything from him. But I still have him listed as at large.
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