Posted on 07/25/2002 4:38:02 PM PDT by freeperfromnj
July 25 A training camp linked to Islamic militants has been operating in Alabama, and European law enforcement officials believe Muslim extremists were using it to prepare for a holy war.
British authorities also thought that militants from overseas were training in the United States to take advantage of America's gun laws, sources told ABCNEWS. The looming question for law enforcement is whether there is a connection between the camp and the al Qaeda terror network.
An investigation by Britain's Scotland Yard led to the discovery of the camp in Marion, Ala. The facility is called "Ground Zero USA."
Bullet-riddled police cars and a school bus with mannequin targets are scattered around the property. Inside a huge shed is an equally macabre scene shot-up mannequins, male and female, in domestic settings, some with red, blood-like stains on them.
Ground Zero's operators promised state-of-the-art, world-class training in automatic weapons, urban warfare, SWAT tactics and martial arts, supposedly to fight terror attacks.
Marion Police Chief Tony Buford said he became suspicious of the use of police cars and buses as targets.
"It was rumored that the camp here was used as training site for possible people that were sent here to do bodily harm to Americans," Buford told ABCNEWS.
Web Site Provides Terror Link
The suspected terror ties of the Alabama camp were unknown until after Sept. 11, when officials in London arrested an accused al Qaeda supporter, Zain-ul-Albidin
He is charged with operation of a Web site, under the name of Sakina Security, allegedly recruiting Muslims for an Islamic jihad or holy war. He is now on trial in London.
The site, since taken down by British authorities, described what seemed to be the Alabama camp, including live-fire exercises at a state-of-the-art shooting range in the United States something that would not be legal in Britain.
"In the United States, it is not illegal for anyone to receive military training, high-grade military training," said Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside Al Qaeda.
The actual owners of camp, who are also British, say it was used primarily to train law enforcement personnel. Officials consider them unwitting accomplices. The camp owners declined to talk to ABCNEWS.
Scale of Secret Camps Unknown
It is not known how many holy war recruits came through the camp or when. But the FBI is now investigating a number of suspected training camps around the country.
"We know of a number of cases where Islamic terrorists came and training in this country in the early 1990s. It is likely that this scale of training is still continuing," Gunaratna said.
The most radical and belligerent of London's Islamic clerics, Abu Hamza, told ABCNEWS in a phone call that America's laws make such paramilitary training easy, "like a picnic."
British intelligence officials told ABCNEWS they are closely examining alleged ties between Hamza, who is said to have recruited alleged "20th hijacker" Zacarias Moussaoui, and Zain-ul-Albidin.
"BEGIN LANDING YOUR TROOPS"
Viceroy, is the State secure?
Rummy: "Yes, my Lord, we have taken over the last pockets of primitive Jihadists life forms. We are in complete control of Alabama now."
Works for me.
The NAACLP has already indicated that they don't like that "X" thing across the middle.
What does "MUSA" mean? I had a middle eastern guy in my apartment complex that had personalized license plates that said MUSA.
|
|
I was just telling my neighbor, Freedom Poster, about that incident.
They sure fit the clown profile to a tee.
This small community is located south of Birmingham on Highway 5, just outside the Talldega National Forest. Marion is located in Perry County.
Looks like Marion is NW of Selma.
The same place everyone else in the country is.Either hiding,blissfully in ignorance doing the same old routine, or preparing and/or executing their assigned missions.We may think we know the percentages of these three groups, but it will be 20-30 years before the "truth" comes out, if ever.
The media is an uninvited non-player in this fight.And like any unwelcome guest, they tend to act badly.Lessons were learned in VietNam and all following "missions".I get a kick out of people who actually think the news/entertainment media in all its glorious self-importance is somehow more capable than the people who are actually tasked with doing something constructive.
We did not import the populace of the various **I agencies from Mars.These men and women are some of the best, and some of the worst of the combined "us" that make up the citizenry of the USA.
Personally, since I have actually experienced personal contact with the **I folks and the agents of the "press", I will take my chances with the media's natural enemy, the people who actually do something and actively avoid the proverbial 15 minutes of fame.
Sure........All Terrorist can apply legally for guns don't you know? They just fill out the application and put a check mark in the purpose box that says, "Islamic Revolutionary".
Its not the Gun Laws that will be taken an advantage of. Its those Bama Boy's that will be taking advantage of Ali and the pull starts.
Sure........All Terrorist can apply legally for guns don't you know? They just fill out the application and put a check mark in the purpose box that says, "Islamic Revolutionary".
Its not the Gun Laws that will be taken an advantage of. Its those Bama Boy's that will be taking advantage of Ali Jihad and the pull starts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.