Swiss authorities have arrested an âimportantâ suspect in the May 2003 suicide bombings on expatriate housing compounds in Riyadh that claimed 35 lives, a press report said yesterday. The arrest took place in December but was kept secret to avoid undermining the investigation, Andrea Sadecky, spokeswoman of the Swiss secret service, told the weekly SonntagsBlick. The suspect remains in detention, she said, without elaborating.
| "I can say no more! Want some chocolate? How 'bout a watch? Wanna hear me yodel?" |
Swiss authorities announced the arrests of eight other foreigners in January. Attorney General Valentin Roschacher said last month that the eight, one of whom was released this month, were not directly implicated in the attacks but were suspected of providing logistical support to the Al-Qaeda network. The report comes after an international anti-terrorism investigation code-named âMont Blancâ caught dozens of suspected Al-Qaeda members and disrupted at least three planned attacks in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
| It's that vaunted Swiss efficiency. I like that... |
The investigators disrupted the attacks after monitoring conversations between terror suspects using Swisscom chips, which were popular among terrorists because they could buy them without giving their names. The investigation began in April 2002 when authorities intercepted a short mobile phone call that consisted only of silence. The investigators became suspicious, believing it to be a signal between terrorists. Investigators said they were able to follow the conversations and movements of several Al-Qaeda leaders and dozens of operatives for two years after discovering the suspects favored one particular brand of prepaid SIM card chip. âThey thought these phones protected their anonymity, but they didnât,â a senior intelligence official said. |