http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9111542
Special report
“Waiting for al-Qaeda’s next bomb”
May 3rd 2007
From The Economist print edition
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Security sources say jihadi activity has moved away from mosques to clubs, gyms and private homes, where it is harder to monitor. The internet has proved to be an “ungoverned space” where al-Qaeda and its followers have thrived. On April 23rd, a British court started hearing the trial of three men accused of inciting terrorism overseas. They include Younis Tsouli, of Moroccan origin, who is alleged to be a prolific internet propagandist going by the name of “Irhabi 007”, or “Terrorist 007”. He and another suspect are also accused of conspiracy to murder in a case linked to suspects arrested in Bosnia. “Of all the things I have seen over the past few years,” says Mr Clarke, “one of the most worrying has been the speed and apparent ease with which young men can be turned into suicidal terrorists.”
Self-starting terrorism is an ever-present danger. But over several investigations, counter-terrorism officials have usually found direct links leading back to Pakistan, often to al-Qaeda figures. Key British suspects travel back to Pakistan for training and indoctrination. Mr Khyam and Khan are alleged to be linked, through a British middleman, to Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, the alleged number three in al-Qaeda, who was taken to Guantánamo Bay last week.”
http://members.forbes.com/global/2007/0507/062.html
“Special Report
Web Of Terror”
Rita Katz and Josh Devon 05.07.07
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “In early 2005 some of Irhabi007’s virtual associates secretly communicated on a jihadist forum to plan a spectacular attack at Naval Station Mayport, a U.S. Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. The plot, which was to be filmed from multiple angles, involved utilizing several car bombs, as well as rocket-propelled grenades. Those organizing the plot claimed to have 45 people dedicated to the attack, including an American pilot in the U.S. Air Force and three American women who converted to Islam after Sept. 11. Whether the plot ever progressed past the initial planning stages is unclear; some of the organizers were arrested shortly after the online discussions.
We can’t take too much comfort from the fact that these particular schemes were thwarted. The plans live on. Once an idea enters cyberspace, it exists indefinitely within the online jihadist community. Any terrorist can take a proposed target or tactic and pick up the plan where a captured terrorist left off.”