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| Southeast Asia |
| Philippines Links Bomb Phone, Iraqi Diplomat |
| 2003-02-18 |
| A cell phone used by a member of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group to call an Iraqi diplomat was later employed in a failed attempt to trigger a bomb, according to a confidential Philippine intelligence report. Oops! Iraqi Consul Husham Husain was expelled last week after the report claimed he received a call from an Abu Sayyaf member on Oct. 3, 2002, a day after a bomb in southern Zamboanga city killed a U.S. soldier and two other people. The caller was not identified. The Iraqi Embassy denied any links to Philippine dissident groups, including the Abu Sayyaf, which is on a U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations and has been loosely linked to al-Qaida. Six days after the contact was made, the caller's cell phone was used to try to set off another bomb in Zamboanga's San Roque district, near the military's Southern Command headquarters, but it failed to go off, according to the intelligence report, obtained by The Associated Press. Police later recovered the bomb and the cell phone, a security official said. The cell phone listed contacts for Hamsiraji Sali, one of five Abu Sayyaf leaders on a U.S. wanted list. Sali, believed to be hiding on southern Basilan island, has threatened to launch terror attacks in Manila and other Philippine cities if the United States attacks Iraq, the intelligence report said. "Hey Kim, did you wipe the contact list on that phone I gave you?" "Uh, no. Don't worry about it, Ham, the blast will do that. I mean, what can go wrong?" "OK" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 The same thing happened with the Kenyan and Bali bombers. They used their own trucks and the police traced them right back to them. They seem to think if you blow them up the serial numbers disappear. Wrong! |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-18 21:09:27 |
| #1 Dude, you can get a a new phone and number for around $100 up front and I'm sure the Saudi embassy would cover it. This reminds me of the 1993 WTC Ryder truck bomber who got busted after trying to get his deposit back. |
| Posted by: JAB 2003-02-18 16:11:11 |