Al Jazeera Says Spain Arrests Reporter for Qaeda Link

Reuters ^ | September 5, 2003

[Shermy]

DOHA (Reuters) - Arabic television channel Al Jazeera said on Friday Spanish police had arrested one of its most renowned war correspondents on charges of belonging to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Al Jazeera said police detained Tayseer Alouni, who shot to fame in the Arab world covering the U.S.-led war on Afghanistan and then the Iraq war, at his home in Granada in southern Spain.

It said Alouni and his wife were Spanish citizens.

Spanish police sources confirmed they had arrested Alouni.

"Alouni had been arrested in Granada...in principle for connections with Islamic terrorist organizations," one source told Reuters, but gave no further details.

The source said Alouni had been arrested on the orders of Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, best known for an unsuccessful bid to put former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on trial.

Alouni's wife, who was not named, told al Jazeera in an interview that a Spanish police warrant had charged her husband with having links to an al Qaeda cell that was captured in the country.

"Police in civilian clothes came to our door with a warrant to search the house and to arrest Tayseer because he was a member of al Qaeda," she said. "I don't know where they took him, Madrid I assume."

Alouni is renowned for covering the fall of Afghanistan's Taliban rulers for Al Jazeera, which made its name by airing statements by bin Laden and other al Qaeda members after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

He was one of a few international correspondents allowed to operate under the Taliban and his close ties to that now defunct Afghan government raised questions about his objectivity and al-Jazeera's coverage.

The United States had implied that the channel, one of the most widely watched in the Arab world with at least 35 million viewers, was supporting the Taliban and bin Laden.

The Qatar-based station was also criticized by the United States and Britain for its allegedly pro-Iraqi coverage of the war that toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Alouni was one of the network's eight correspondents in Iraq. Before their ouster, Iraqi authorities expelled Alouni and asked another Al Jazeera reporter to remain off air.

Some Arab media academics have called Al Jazeera's coverage sensationalist and accused it of airing propaganda by the Iraqi government to gain exclusive access to events.

[Shermy]

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon

If this guy is going after Alouni of all people, a good indication of the truth of the charge.

Was Alouni the guy chased out of Kabul because he is an Arab?

[Shermy]

From Al Jazeera

http://english.aljazeera.net/Articles/News/GlobalNews/Aljazeera+correspondent+arrested.htm

An Aljazeera correspondent has been arrested by the Spanish police after they accused him of having links with al-Qaida.

Taysir Alouni, one of the channel's most high-profile journalists, was arrested at 12:00 GMT while on holiday near the southern Spanish city of Granada.

His wife told Aljazeera that police arrived at their Alfacar home with a warrant for his arrest.

"Police in civilian clothes came to our door with a warrant to search the house and to arrest Taysir because he they said he was a member of al-Qaida," she said.

Al-Qaida

Police then took Alouni to Madrid after accusing him of using his profession to enter into contact with "terrorists".

Spanish intelligence sources told Aljazeera that Alouni is being held under anti-terrorist legislation.

The laws allow police to detain suspects for three days without access to lawyers or family.

They said he was arrested on the orders of Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, best known for an unsuccessful

bid to put former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet on trial.

It is thought the police want to try him before a special tribunal which specialises in cases of terrorism and organised crime.

Condemnation

Soon after the arrest an Arab rights body called for Alouni's release.

The Arab Commission for Human Rights told Aljazeera the Spanish action was a serious attack on press freedom.

It said the arrest dishonoured Spain and the police should apologise immediately to Alouni and his family.

Alouni, who rose to prominence during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, is of Syrian origin but is a Spanish citizen.

He narrowly escaped death when US warplanes bombed the Kabul offices of Aljazeera during the closing days of the war to oust the Taliban in November 2001.

High-profile

He was one of Aljazeera's eight correspondents in Iraq and was expelled by Iraqi authorities during the war.

Alouni worked as a translator during the 1990s for Spain's EFE news agency.

He later moved with his family to Afghanistan and stayed there until the Taliban were overthrown by the Americans in 2001.

He is currently trying to set up an Aljazeera office in Madrid.

[Miss Marple]

I always said we should have taken Al Jazeera out in a covert operation.

I wonder if any western reporters are linked to this guy.

[rrrod]

spain has been active in this fight against terror...they have made several arrest..GRACIAS..as to other countrys..germany and france for example...they have turned a blind eye at the least. a german was convicted of helping saddam with his nuke program( remember wmd?)in germany ..his sentence..5 yrs probation and a small fine...i honestly believe we will find out soon that some euro companys and guvs have actually help saddam and the terror network

[Miss Marple]

I also believe this, rrod. I am particularly thinking of France.

[livius]

Thanks for posting more information on this. The fact that this guy is of Syrian origin and spent a number of years in Afghanistan is pretty damning in itself, as is the fact that somebody as liberal as Baltasar Garzon would actually issue an arrest warrant for him.

[rrrod]

yes ma'am ..me too

[B Knotts]

La policía detiene en Granada a un periodista de Al Yazira por su supuesta relación con Al Qaeda (elmundo.es)

[Dog]

This reporter got a one on one interview with Binny after the war started back in 2001.

Here!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Chalk one up for Spain. Good job, guys!

[Miss Marple]

I wonder if they have been tracking him for some time. Hmmm.

[Dog]

They have to have something very damning on this guy.....he is almost bulletproof his being a member of the media.

What could they have on him...

[Miss Marple]

I agree. This is very interesting.

I will keep an eye out for stories about Al Jazeera.

[Shermy]

Here's a babelfish from CNN (?) Spain. It appears, at least, Alouni was a bag man, surely paid. Delivering money to terrorists, supporting cells, no doubt the allowance of him to interview the Taliban was because he was an AQ asset.

http://www.plus.es/codigo/noticias/ficha_noticia.asp?id=292625


The Police arrested Friday in Alfacar (Granada) the nationalized Syrian Spanish Taysser Alouny by order of the judge of the National Hearing, Balthasar Garzón.

Alouny was accused to have provided infrastructure to the Spanish cell of the terrorist network Al Qaeda, disarticulated in November of 2001, and of to have contributed bottoms (?) to its leaders in Afghanistan.

The experienced lengthy journalist is accused to facilitate bottoms (?) to members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

In addition, indications exist that Taysir Alouny provided to members and people tied to Al Qaeda in Afghanistan different amounts from money. Judge Garzón relates to this journalist to the Islamic integrist cell of the Salafistas Group for the Preaching and Combat, according to legal sources.

The arrest of Alouny has taken place in its address of Alfacar. At the moment one is in police dependencies of Granada. In the next hours it will be transferred to the Police Complex of Taps in Madrid and will be made judical available. One is a correspondent of the qatarí television

Al Yazira that worked in Spain in Efe agency and was destined like correspondent in the war of Afghanistan in 2001. Then it emphasized by the information that signed relative to the damages that infringed the U.S.A. to Afghan population. It worked in Efe Habitual reporter Arab language, worked in years 90 like translator in Arab language of Efe agency in the delegation of Granada. Alouny will appear the next Monday before Balthasar Garzón, who imputes a crime to him of integration in terrorist organization.

The consulted sources have indicated that the prisoner has direct relation with the Saudi Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of the Islamic terrorist network, as well as with the presumed leader of the cell disarticulated in Spain in the course of the denominated "Operation Date", Imad Eddin Barakat Yarbas alias "Abu Dahdah".

[Grampa Dave]

Excellent find and thanks for the ping.

[truth_seeker]

"This reporter got a one on one interview with Binny after the war started back in 2001."

It isn't not far to stretch that somebody able to arrange an interview at that time, under those circumstances, would be close to the inner circle of terrorists.

I applaud anti-terror moves by any country. It should be obvious now, that for decades the islamists have been infiltrating themselves into positions of confidence.

We should beware of American muslims, that play nice guy in public. I do not trust any of them. I've read portions of their book (instruction manual for spreading islam violently).

[Grampa Dave]

You never take out a group like these Islamofascists.

You monitor them 24/7/36. You follow them to see who they talk to or drop packages of money off or pick up packages. Then every phone call,land line or cell, is monitored. All letters to and from are monitored.

Groups like these Islamofacists are invaluable as a way to get to their bad guy friends.

[livius]

More information, excerpted from an article in the Spanish paper El Mundo:

"Alony is accused of having provided infrastructure support to the Spanish cell of the al Qaida terrorist network broken up in November, 2001 and of having provided funds to its leaders in Afghanistan, as well as of having served as a courier between the terrorists.

Sources state that the arrested man had a direct relationship with Osama bin Laden and other directors of the Islamic terrrorist ring, as well as with the alleged director of the cell that was broken up in Spain in the course of Operation Datil ("Date"), Edin Barakat Yarbas, alias 'Abu Dahdah'. The latter has been in jail since November, 2001 at the orders of Baltasar Garzon, accused of having cooperated in the 9/11 attacks....

Alony interviewed the leader of al Qaida, the Saudi millionaire bin Laden, someplace in Afghanistan shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks..."

[Shermy]

Alouni was the guy attacked by the Afghans...


http://media.guardian.co.uk/attack/story/0,1301,593336,00.html

Al-Jazeera man attacked

Lisa O'Carroll Wednesday November 14, 2001 UK Guardian

The Kabul correspondent of al-Jazeera, Tasir Alouni, was assaulted as he fled the city amid the Taliban retreat, the station reported on Wednesday.

Alouni, who had been missing for more than 24 hours, said he and the rest of the staff from the Kabul office fled the city shortly before midnight on Monday and witnessed "scenes that, I'm sorry, I couldn't describe to anybody".

The offices of the channel, where 10 staff worked, was destroyed by an American 500lb bomb in an attack on Monday but no one was in the two-story building at the time.

The Americans said today they had identified two locations in Kabul where al-Jazeera people worked, and this location wasn't among them.

Al-Jazeera's managing director, Mohammed Jassim al-Ali, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from Qatar, where the channel has its headquarters, that the equipment was destroyed but staff were safe.

The station, which has been criticised by the US for broadcasting uncensored statements from Osama bin Laden, has possibly upset the Northern Alliance for the same reason.

Alouni, who became a well-known face in the Arab world providing live reports from Kabul, said he was beaten and his equipment seized but he was rescued by tribesmen in Paktia province who retrieved his equipment. He would not say who attacked him.

He told al-Jazeera he and his team were safe but he was "in deep psychological shock." He said he was reporting from the eastern town of Gardeyz in Paktia province. Taliban forces had recently left the area, he said.

After stopping to report from Gardeyz, Alouni was expected to continue east to the Pakistan border, which he was expected to reach on Wednesday evening, said Mr Al-Ali.

He said Alouni, who is Syrian born and carries a Spanish passport, is leaving Afghanistan to receive medical treatment for a slipped disc, for which he first received treatment six months ago.