Free Republic

Radical Islam in Latin America By Chris Zambelis In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the possibility of al-Qaeda infiltrating Latin America became a priority for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials. However, the most publicized incidents of radical Islamist activity in Latin America have not been linked to al-Qaeda but instead to the Lebanese Shi’ite Hezbollah, which is ideologically and politically close to Iran. These include the March 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the July 1994 attack against the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AIMA), also in the Argentine capital, allegedly in retaliation for...

One of our readers (Vince1974) reminded us of this January 1999 ABC News special on the ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda posted last year on Powerline.**************************See the Blog for the Video......***********************************When a liberal claims there never was any evidence of a connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda (like coordinating attacks in 2002 with AQ number 2 Ayman Zawahiri) don’t believe them. They simply are exposing a deadly ignorance. 3 Responses to “In 1999, Saddam Linked To Al Qaeda”

. Sean played this segment of the TV show TARGET AMERICA: THE TERRORIST WAR which is available on an MP3 file. http://www.radioamerica.org/audio/MR_ABC-Osama-Hussein-connections.mp3This was part of a "Crime and Justice" show originally aired January 14, 1999 on ABC News with John Miller, John McWethy, Sheila Macvica, and Cynthi McFadden. Here is the transcript of the segment on the MP3. This is just a small portion of the show. In Germany, Mamdouh Salim, alleged to be a key military advisor and believed to be privy to bin Laden's most secret projects, is also apprehended. The U.S. government alleges he was under secret...

A British-born suicide bomber plotted to bring down a packed passenger aircraft over the Atlanttic at the same time that the shoe bomber Richard Reid targeted an American Airlines flight, the Old Bailey heard today. But Saajid Badat changed his mind and dismantled his own shoe bomb, which was designed to evade airport security. Badat, 25, from Gloucester, admitted conspiring to blow up an aircraft between January 1 1999 and November 28, 2003 in a surprise change of plea today. He had been due to stand trial for the offence. Intelligence services believe Badat had been conspiring with Reid, a...

A Somali native accused of plotting to blow up a Columbus area mall is now in a legal holding pattern. A judge has ordered a psychological exam for Nuradin Abdi, but it may take three months for the results to be released. It appears the FBI started paying close attention to Abdi five years ago. That's when court documents accuse him of taking part in terrorist training, just four months after landing on US soil. In January, 1999 Abdi entered the US from the United Arab Emirates. ... Abdi returned to the US nearly a year later, in March of...

The U.S. government eagerly reached out to Venezuelan presidential candidate Hugo Chavez in 1998 and moved quickly to denounce a rumored coup plot against the man who's become one of the Bush administration's archenemies, newly declassified State Department documents obtained by McClatchy Newspapers reveal. State Department officials initially appeared dazzled by Chavez's oversized persona and his promise for sweeping reforms, and seemed sincere in their efforts to help him, the documents show. Some of those overtures drew positive responses from Chavez, who said he wanted U.S. help in fighting corruption and drug trafficking.... ...A Jan. 20, 1999, cable setting the...

LACKAWANNA, N.Y. -- Members of the Yemeni community in this western New York city struggled Saturday to reconcile their identity as a hardworking and vital part of their town with allegations of a terrorist cell in their midst. Yemenis started coming to the Buffalo suburb in 1922, finding work in the steel mills that churned on the Lake Erie shore. They remain a growing part of this city of 20,000. But the community of about 1,000 Yemenis living in Lackawanna has been shaken by the arrests of five men -- all U.S. born -- who federal authorities say aided the...

SHEILA MACVICAR: (voice-over) Saddam Hussein has a long history of harboring terrorists. Carlos the Jackal, Abu Nidal, Abu Abbas, the most notorious terrorists of their era, all found shelter and support at one time in Baghdad. Intelligence sources say bin Laden's long relationship with the Iraqis began as he helped Sudan's fundamentalist government in their efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Three weeks after the bombing, on August 31, bin Laden reaches out to his friends in Iraq and Sudan. Iraq's vice president arrives in Khartoum to show his support for the Sudanese after the U.S. attack. ABC News...