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No longer the stereotype terrorist: New Terror Hubs
New Delhi - December 31, 2003 - Indian intelligence
officials are increasingly concerned over the emergence of Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia as new hubs for the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The organization is known to
have been making fresh recruitment. Many of these recruits defy the
stereotype of the Islamist terrorist as a Madrassa-educated fanatic, and
have given up relatively comfortable lives to avenge the 'massacres' in
Gujarat. Shahid Bakshi, who had worked for eight years as a driver of an
articulated truck, ferrying loads across Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, made up
his mind to take revenge, and in 2002 he made contact in Kathmandu and took
the first cash advance to fund his new plans. The Chennai-born principal
accused in the incident of bombing of a bus in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on
December 22, 2002, Imam Rahman Khan, was deported to India in January 2003.
He had converted to Islam at the age of 15 and had married a Hindu woman
from Rajasthan. Soon after the riots began in Gujarat, Khan met the top
Lashkar commander, Abdul Bari, a Hyderabad resident who had been shuttling
between his base in Saudi Arabia to Dubai and other Gulf states. Bari's
collection of videotapes of the riot carnage convinced Khan to join an
assault team that was being sent to Mumbai. Khan was also tasked with
monitoring the activities of film personalities, including Mani Ratnam and
Shekhar Suman. Mohammad Altaf, a long-time activist of proscribed Students'
Islamic Movement of India, hailing from Parbhani (Maharashtra), was a
trained chemical engineer working in Dubai when the "Gujarat progrom" began.
He made contact with Bari soon after and through him came to know Khan. The
two told during interrogation that they had discussed several means for
setting off remote-controlled explosions and conducted tests using
instruments connected to a cell phone, and cell phone triggers were
eventually used on the Ghatkopar bus.
The Hindu - January 1, 2004
8 die in Baghdad New Year explosion
Baghdad - Eight people were killed in the New Year's Eve car bombing outside
a popular Baghdad restaurant. The Iraqi interior ministry put the number of
wounded at 24, including 3 foreigners. A US military officer said the
initial investigations indicated that the bomber died running away from the
booby-trapped car after he detonated the explosives by remote control.
The Times of India - January 2, 2004.
Blast kills 10 in Indonesia
Jakarta: A powerful bomb killed 10 New Year's Eve revellers, including three
children, and injured 45 in Indonesia's restive Aceh province, witnesses
said on Thursday. Many of the victims were teenagers and children. Military
spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki blamed guerrillas who have been
fighting against government forces for Aceh's independence.
The Times of India - January 2, 2004.
US sends flight back
Last week, the American authorities made a US-bound flight from Mexico turn
around midway, and imposed extraordinary security measures on at least six
other incoming flights because of terrorist concerns, federal officials
said. Officials said that they wanted to cooperate with other nations to
strengthen security. But they also said they were unwilling to let foreign
flights into US airspace without rigorous security checks.
Hindustan Times - January 2, 2004.
British Airways hit by security scare
London - January 2, 2004 - British Airways has been hit by an unprecedented
security scare forcing it to cancel a scheduled flight to Washington shortly
before it was to take off from Heathrow airport. Next day, it was the same
flight which was again not allowed to leave Heathrow. A few days ago, Air
France was forced to cancel six flights between Paris and Los Angeles
provoking anger among French authorities. There has been criticism here that
the British Government is giving in to US 'pressure' on security measures,
including its decision to deploy sky marshals on US-bound flights.
The Hindu - January 3, 2004.
Shootout at Jammu Railway Station on SAARC Eve
Jammu - January 2, 2004 - Two terrorists, reportedly belonging to the
Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, who were later killed in an encounter, had struck at the
Jammu railway station on Friday evening, killing four people, including two
BSF personnel, and wounding at least 15 travellers and paramilitary
personnel. Eye-witnesses said that the explosions created panic, triggering
a stampede. An undercover IB operative was present at the police and
military personnel were prepared for the strike, on an alert by an IB
operative, and responded quickly to limit civilian casualties during this
suicide-squad attack. An IB had asset learnt in December last about the
plans for the attack and the information had been sent to the police and
military authorities.
Hindustan Times - January 3 & The Hindu - January 4, 2004.
8 killed, 46 injured in Philippines bomb blast
Manila - January 4, 2004 - A homemade bomb, hidden on a motorcycle, killed
at least eight people and wounded 46 at a gymnasium in southern Philippine
island of Mindano on Sunday, the police said. The area around Parang is a
stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest of
several rebel groups seeking an Islamic state in the south of this
overwhelming Roman Catholic country. Mr. Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the
MILF, denied the rebels had any involvement in the attack.
The Asian Age - January 5, 2004.
UK sleuths say Al Qaeda still planning sky terror
London - January 3, 2004 - Intelligence collected by British agents revealed
that Islamic terrorists were again intent on using aircraft for their next
serious attack. A woman linked with Al-Qaeda, who was reportedly hiding 8 to
12 ounces of plastic explosive in her vagina, was planning to blow up the
plane on route to Washington. Two suspects questioned by British
investigators said that an aircraft leaving a London airport would be part
of this new Al Qaeda operation intended to eclipse the death toll in the
September 11 attacks. The suspicion was that that terrorists were intending
to blow up aircraft packed up with passengers returning to America.
The Asian Age - January 4, 2004.
Columbian rebel commander captured
Bogota - Ricardo Palmera, a 54 year old top rebel commander of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, was caught in Ecuador and brought to
Colombia yesterday. Authorities said Ricardo Palmera's capture was a major
blow to the Leftist guerrilla movement. According to Ecuadoran police,
Palmera could face as many as 30 charges, including kidnapping and murder.
He is one of the seven members of the ruling secretariat of the
16,000-member FARC and the first of them to have been captured.
Email dated 4.1.2004 from Mr. Mayer Nudell, USA.
American cities scanned for nuclear bomb threat
Scores of undercover nuclear scientists screened America's largest cities
for radiation amid fears that al-Qaeda might release a dirty bomb at an
open-air event in Times Square. Other than a false alarm in Las Vegas,
involving a homeless man who had a radium pellet, originally manufactured to
treat cancer, in a duffel bag, nothing has, however, been detected. Dozens
of scientists searched Times Square before the New Year's Eve gathering.
Others searched for radiation spikes near the Las Vegas Strip as well as at
the annual Rose Bowl American football parade in Los Angeles. The
revelations cast new light on the degree of concern expressed when officials
put America on an elevated code orange alert on 22 December. It is still in
place.
Email from Mr. Mayer Nudell, USA.
British Airways planes to get missile defence
British Airways has held talks with BAe Systems about arming its fleet of
300 aircrafts for deflecting possible terrorist missiles. BAe Systems is
among the three companies to win $2 million US government contracts to work
on anti-missile systems for US commercial airliners. BAe Systems' technology
detects incoming rockets and fires a laser beam to act as a decoy. The
equipment has been deployed on 6,000 military aircraft worldwide.
Hindustan Times - January 9, 2004.
Terror alert in France
Paris - January 8, 2004 - The French authorities confirmed they were on the
lookout for an alleged Al-Qaeda member suspected of plotting a deadly
terrorist attack in the US, who is believed to be possessing an undetectable
mini-bomb which could cause worse havoc than the September 11 attack.
The Hindu - January 9, 2004.
18 hurt in grenade blast at Jammu mosque
At least 18 people were injured in a grenade explosion at a mosque at
Lakhdatta Bazar in Jammu on Friday. Javed Mustafa Mir, Minister of State,
who was present in the mosque at that time, escaped unhurt. Police had
picked up a few suspects for questioning.
Hindustan Times - January 10, 2004.
4 killed and 3 wounded in blast at café in Indonesia
Jakarta - The police forensic officers were searching for clues on Sunday as
to who was behind the bombing of a karaoke bar in the town of Palopo in
South Sulawest province, that killed four people and wounded three others,
deputy local police chief Maj. Wisnu Widarto said. But Mr. Widarto added,
"It was too soon" to link the blast to religious militants.
The Asian Age - January 12, 2004.
Woman suicide bomber kills 4 at Israeli border
Gaza Strip, January 14, 2004 - A Palestinian woman blew herself up in a
terminal at the main border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip on
Wednesday, killing four Israelis and wounding seven people. Hamas, which
claimed joint responsibility for the attack along with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades, vowed to escalate attacks in a more than three-year-old uprising.
"Because she was a woman, a female soldier was sent for to search her. She
used this opportunity to enter the building and blow up."
The Indian Express - January 15, 2004.
Car blast outside Karachi church
Karachi - January 15, 2004 - A car bomb exploded in front of the Anglican
Cathedral in Karachi on Thursday, wounding at least 11 people. Four cars
were set ablaze by the blast outside the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the heart
of the city. Deputy Inspector General of Police Tariq Jameel said, ''We
don't know whether it was a time device or a remote control device,' which
took place just outside the office of the Pakistan Bible Society. Obviously,
all bomb blasts and other such acts are terrorist activities.''
The Indian Express - January 16, 2004.
UK missions to move to safer sites in Qaeda fear
London - January 16,2004 - The UK foreign office is to move many of its
embassies and consulates round the world to safer sites in response to Al
Qaeda suicide bombings, which will cost the foreign office hundreds of
millions of pounds over the next five to ten years. The foreign office
embarked on an internal review of security after Al Qaeda attacked the
British consulate and a British bank in Istanbul. The foreign office sees
Britain as Al Qaeda's No.2 target after the US. Britain has 230 overseas
missions, with those in West Asia and north Africa regarded as being most at
risk.
The Asian Age - January 17, 2004.
20 killed, 60 injured in Baghdad blast
MANAMA - January 18, 2004 - About 20 people were killed and more than 60
injured in a suicide car bombing outside the headquarters of the U.S.
occupation authorities in Baghdad. It caused three separate fires, which
could not be put out for a long time. Analysts say that the purpose of
Sunday's explosion could be to discourage the United Nations from playing an
active role in Iraq. Washington is reportedly seeking U.N. support for its
plans to position an unelected Iraqi transitional government in Iraq by
July, after which a constitution can be drafted and general elections held
by the end of 2005.
The Hindu - January 19, 2004
5 US soldiers killed in Iraq
Baghdad - Five US service members were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb
detonated north of Baghdad, CNN reported. In Baghdad, the US military
command confirmed that an incident had occurred in the Taji area north of
Baghdad but it had no details. The vehicle flipped over and caught fire, and
the gunner and commander escaped with injuries. The four people in the back
and the driver were killed, the report said.
Sunday Times of India - January 18, 2004
4 killed, 7 hurt in clash with Maoist rebels in Nepal
Kathmandu - Fighting between Maoist rebels and government soldiers left at
least four of the soldiers dead and seven injured in a Himalayan village in
western Nepal, officials said on Monday. The injured soldiers were flown to
nearby hospitals, the officials said.
The Asian Age - January 20, 2004.
Suicide attack on Nato force in Afghanistan kills 1
soldier
Kabul - January 27,2004 - A Canadian soldier with the Nato-led peace-keeping
force in Afghanistan was killed and three countrymen wounded when a suicide
bomber threw himself in front of their car in Kabul on Thursday. The police
said at least nine Afghan civilians were also wounded in the attack near the
Canadian base on the southern outskirts of Kabul.
The Asian Age - January 28, 2004.
Suicide bomb in Baghdad kills 2, wounds several
Baghdad - January 28, 2004 - A suicide bomber blew up a car packed with more
than 180 kg of explosives outside Shaheen Hotel in Baghdad on Wednesday,
killing two Iraqis, wounding several others. The blast followed a bloody day
in Iraq in which six US soldiers and two CNN Iraqi staff were killed. UN
chief Kofi Annan has said that if Iraq is deemed safe, he will send a team
to the country to study the feasibility of early elections.
The Asian Age - January 29, 2004.
Bomb blast near Sharon house kills 10
Jerusalem - January 29, 2004 - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up
on a bus near the Israeli Prime Minister's official residence in West
Jerusalem on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens. There
was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. Palestinian
militant groups had vowed revenge for an Israeli Army raid in the Gaza Strip
on Wednesday in which troops killed eight Palestinian including five
fighters.
The Asian Age - January 30, 2004.
Delhi Police Advisory: You Can Help
Let's Fight Terror Together: You Can Help -
Identifying a terrorist:
By clothes unsuited for the time
of the year e.g. wearing a coat or jacket in summer; a person trying to
blend with his surroundings by his dress and behaviour, though he doesn't
belong to the group; Anything protruding unnaturally under his clothings as
these could be arms or explosives.
Identifying a suspicious vehicle:
License-plate looks "improved" or
mismatched (different front and back plates); a vehicle parked suspiciously
for a prolonged time in a central place or in a no-parking area; the
vehicle's rear part sags noticeably.
In case you suspect something:
Call 100 at once, and give as
many details as possible about the suspect or the vehicle; while giving
information to the police on telephone number 100, try to keep an eye on the
suspect or vehicle from a safe distance; wait for the arrival of the police
force.
During a terrorist attack:
Leave the site immediately by
moving to an open space or a protected area; avoid as best you can,
proximity to tall buildings, glass windows, and vehicles; and obey police
instructions.
As soon as the incident is over:
If police have not arrived yet,
call 100 immediately, follow instructions of police and rescue teams; do not
form or join a crowd; leave the area immediately as there may be additional
explosives planted around; make way for rescue vehicles; observe your
surroundings and report to the police immediately any suspects or additional
explosive charges; if you have any information that may help apprehend
suspects or locate a vehicle involved, report to the police.
If you are a car dealer:
Satisfy yourself about the
bonafides of both parties, particularly the buyer before finalizing the deal
and more so if the buyer is from outside Delhi; by insisting on
identification documents, photocopies of which should be retained by you; by
being particularly careful while organizing a deal involving Ambassador cars
and motorcycles as they are most likely to be used for terrorist incidents.
If you are a landlord or a property dealer:
By not letting out your premises
without satisfying yourself about the antecedents of the tenant; and by
report to the nearest police station or 100 about any suspicious person
trying to rent out premises.
If you own a Guest House, Lodge or a Hotel:
By insisting on identification
documents before giving a room to a guest; and by reporting to the nearest
police station.
Every common citizen can help:
By reporting unclaimed hand bags,
packets or other objects to the Police Control Room or l100; and by
reporting about suspicious persons.
The Asian Age - January 24, 2004.
Food for Thought
In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955)
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It is not death that a man should fear, but he should
fear never beginning to live.
Marcus Aurelius
(121-80 AD,Roman Emperor)
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"Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no
one thinks he needs more of it than he already has. "
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