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| Europe |
| France: Militants Planned Terror Attacks |
| 2002-12-20 |
| Four confessed Islamic militants arrested in France were planning terrorist attacks in the near future, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The ministry said two of the suspects told investigators they received training in the Pankisi Gorge, a remote region in Georgia that borders Chechnya, and had met Chechen rebel leaders. The men, three Algerians and a Moroccan, were arrested Monday in a Paris suburb by French security agents acting on orders from top counterterrorism judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere. Agents also found suspected detonator components and chemicals used to make electronic circuits, the ministry said in a statement. Kinda hard to explain that mess away, isn't it? "There is no doubt, given the elements found, that one or several terrorist actions were being prepared in the more or less short term," it said. Agents also found a suit to protect against nuclear, chemical and biological attack that is still being analyzed, as well as two empty gas bottles and electronic components that could serve as detonators. They also found a video camera and false identity papers. All the usual paraphernalia of Islamism. The chem suit would seem to indicate what they had in mind... Under questioning, all four suspects expressed "jihad convictions," the statement said, referring to their desire to take part in a holy war. "Duh, yup! Wanna see my turban? Wanna see me roll my eyes?" It identified one suspect as Merouane Benhamed, a former leader of Algerian fighters and a veteran of conflicts in Afghanistan and Chechnya. The arrests followed an investigation into Chechen networks. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that the suspects were thought to have spent time in training camps in Afghanistan as well as Chechnya. Comes as a surprise, huh? Those Chechen ties have shored up Russia's argument that Chechen rebels are an inseparable part of the international terrorist network, a top Kremlin official said Friday. Wonder why they included that statement under "news"? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |