Posted on 06/24/2003 7:45:30 AM PDT by dead
NATO naval forces, which tipped off Greece to a ship in its waters carrying 680 tonnes of explosive, are hunting a list of 20 "suspect" vessels that intelligence trackers say could be used by terrorists.
Lieutenant Commander Harvey Burwin
said "Operation Active Endeavour" began in October 2001 and covers the Mediterranean. Its activities have recently been stepped up, with suspicious vessels boarded and searched.
"We look for ships that have had frequent changes of flag and ownership," he said.
Asked if the ships on the list were suspected of being operated by militant groups like al-Qaeda, he replied: "Yes at the extreme."
NATO naval forces said on Monday they had tipped off Greece about the Baltic Sky, which was seized on Sunday by Greek special forces.
The Greek Shipping Minister, George Anomeritis, said the cargo was addressed to a non-existent post office box in Khartoum.
However, Sudan has denounced the seizure of the ship, saying the cargo was for civilian purposes. The Foreign Minister, Mustafa Ismail, said the ship was carrying ammonium nitrates, a kind of dynamite that had been ordered by a registered Sudanese company from a Tunisian one, and that all documents concerning the shipment had been approved by his ministry.
Isam Bakry al-Khalifa, of the Integrated Chemicals and Development Co, said every box on the ship carried the name, address and telephone numbers of the company in Khartoum.
In the United States, meanwhile, the Bush Administration has dropped criminal charges against a Qatari man who was in the country on a student visa and instead declared him an "enemy combatant" who allegedly led an effort to settle al-Qaeda "sleeper" operatives in the country.
President George Bush signed the order switching control of Ali Saleh Kahlah Al-Marri, 37, from the Justice Department to the Pentagon - the first time such a transfer has occurred.
The change in Al-Marri's status denies him nearly all of the rights afforded criminal suspects in civilian court, including access to a lawyer and a show-cause hearing before a judge, senior Administration officials said. As an enemy combatant, he could eventually be tried before a military tribunal.
Al-Marri is the third person publicly designated by name as an enemy combatant since September 11, 2001, and the only one who is not a US citizen.
Al-Marri, also known as Abdullakareem A. Almuslam, has been in federal custody since December 2001.
An official said an al-Qaeda detainee "in a position to know" had identified Al-Marri as a "sleeper operative who was tasked to help new al-Qaeda operatives get settled" in the US.
In Nairobi, meanwhile, four Kenyan nationals were charged yesterday with 13 counts of murder in connection with the suicide bombing in November of an Israeli-owned hotel that Washington suspects was organised by al-Qaeda. The attack on the Paradise Hotel near Mombasa killed 16 people, including the three bombers.
Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Agence France-Presse
The rest are serving coffee.
Time to retake that chemistry class...
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