Breaking News: 7 men arrested in UK for possessing deadly RICIN

CNN Live news (Heard it on Audio) | 1/7/03 | Rick Donaldson

[aristeides]

Daily Mirror indicates they're GIA.

[Angelus Errare]

If they are GIA, it would certainly be an interesting development, as al-Qaeda has traditionally favored the GSPC to carry out activities in Europe on its behalf. However, as the article noted, Algerians make up bin Laden's personal bodyguard.

In actuality, the involvement of the GIA would tend to indicate that al-Qaeda's ricin factories in northern Iraq have been operational long enough for the group to start handing this stuff out to its flunkies. The GIA is a lot less sophisticated than the GSPC outside of Algeria, due in no small part to the fact that when Hassan Hattab formed the GSPC he took most of the GIA's European network with him.

[Focault's Pendulum]

In case some don't know, Markov was assinated in the London subway by the Bulgarian secret police, using a ricin-tipped umbrella point to prick him with. Markov died the next day. Full details of the assination became available after the government fell, but the Bulgarian secret police were suspected immediately.

Very true...and to add to this bit of history. The Soviets essentially used the Bulgarians as their own exlcusive hit squad. The Bulgarians rarely made a move without instructions from their Soviet masters. Which brings to mind...exactly who was behind the attempted assassination attempt on the Pope by a Bulgarian National.