Italy holds al-Qaeda arms trade suspect

The Times (U.K.) ^ | Daniel McGrory

[Pokey78]

A MILLIONAIRE diamond-smuggler closely linked to a notorious arms dealer was arrested in Italy at the weekend on suspicion of supplying weapons to al-Qaeda.

Sanjivan Ruprah, who is Kenyan-born, was picked up near Milan, which investigators say is al-Qaeda’s main European headquarters.

He was said to be travelling on a fake Belgian passport with an unnamed woman, believed to be his sister, who was using British documents.

Mr Ruprah’s name features prominently on a United Nations list of those banned from international flights because of links to arms and diamond-trafficking in Africa, as is his close associate, the Russian businessman Victor Bout. British and US Intelligence allege that Mr Bout was the main arms supplier to the Taleban.

Mr Ruprah was on the run after fleeing bail in Belgium, and the Italian police said: “We all know about this man, who is an international arms-trafficker.” Detectives say that they found incriminating documents during their search.

[LarryLied]

Are they flying arms into Africa too?

Don't think it is a good thing the U.S. government is taking steps to stop the trade in "blood diamonds"? Yes, a quick dirty buck can be made profiting on misery but, long term, it is in the diamond cartel's economic interest to have Africans not killing each other with smuggled weapons.

It is the moral way to conduct business too.

[iav2]

**It is the moral way to conduct business too.

A member of the Cynthis McKinney Fan Club talking about moral. You should get a gig in a comedy club.

[veronica]

Diamond Mogul and Philanthropist Has Ear of Fellow Jews, World Leaders

"There are a number of apocryphal stories about Lev Leviev, the Israeli diamond mogul who has become one of the Jewish world´s pre-eminent philanthropists.

Among these stories, which have acquired almost mythological status among Leviev´s followers, is the one about his 1990 audience with the late Lubavitch rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson."