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Arabia
Qaeda planned to kill pilgrims in Mecca: Riyadh
2003-11-05
Qaeda fighters were plotting to kill Muslim pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca during the fasting month of Ramadan, the Saudi interior minister said after security forces shot dead two “terrorists”.
Banged those "terrorists" right through the "brisket," by golly. Now they're "dead."
All eight members of an Islamist cell smashed in Mecca on Monday were from the Al Qaeda network run by Saudi-born terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz told Tuesday’s Al-Riyadh newspaper. “Undoubtedly, they all belong to the same movement and follow the same tactics,” the minister said when asked if the cell was linked to Al-Qaeda which the Saudi authorities blamed for killing 35 people in Riyadh in May.
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#21  Sez you Ptah! I don't think AQ will alienate their fan base, but only time will tell which one of us is right. I think there is a possibility of a massacre in Mecca--but they would NEVER claim responsibility for it--they'd blame the US
Posted by: NotMikeMoore   2003-11-5 11:30:03 PM  

#20  He a good gamer?.

Most of the Dog guys weren't into gaming. Ever hear of a movie called "Comanche Autumn"? Released in the UK as the "Story of O **** I Thought They Were Gone"

My Dad used his Kennedy tax cut to take us to see that one.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-11-5 7:53:30 PM  

#19  I stand vindicated, NMM.
Posted by: Ptah   2003-11-5 6:57:22 PM  

#18  Shit, for Abu TrollSlicer I'm tempted! Heh. But no joy - that's not me. He a good gamer?
Posted by: .com   2003-11-5 5:01:01 PM  

#17  Hey com... you ain't dawg soldier are ya? If you are... I deem you Abu TrollSlicer.
Posted by: Shipman   2003-11-5 4:41:57 PM  

#16  Fred, are you taking odds on how many are named Al Ghamdi? The correct answer is zero - they were prolly running the cell and wouldn't stoop so low as to actually belong to one. When an Al Ghamdi gets bagged, you've tapped into Saudi Middle Management.

Amen, Michael, the Magic Kingdom, indeed! BTW, what tribe are you from Michael? I belong to the right-handed green-eyed Scots-Comanche wanderlust programmers, myself. I know we gotta have wanderlust in common!
Posted by: .com   2003-11-5 3:44:16 PM  

#15  Remember that the Mecca Mosque was taken over for many days around 1980 by guys who were sick and tired of the Royal Family. There were people killed, wounded, etc. So there is a precedent for bloody action there. Maybe this plot included even a reproduction; i.e. another takeover with who-knows-what kind of ransom demands on RF, and not just a shoot-em-up-and-run operation. Use your imagination: Fahad should step down, to be replaced by FILL IN BLANK; TV time and interviews time with selected journalists, etc.

But still, part of me does not discount RF cooking this up to show rest of Umma that the RF is the only legit caretaker of Mecca and Medinah mosques.
Ah, the Magic Kingdom.
Posted by: Michael   2003-11-5 3:15:30 PM  

#14  Al-Q will do anything to stay alive. They're desperate and doing anything they can to strike back. If that means sacrificing a few Muslims, they won't care. How many Muslims do you think died in the 9/11 attacks? How many Muslims do you think worked at the Trade Center?

Sacrificing fellow Muslims has never been a problem. Most likely, they were going to attack our interests somehow in Riyadh, with Muslims getting caught in the explosion.
Posted by: Charles   2003-11-5 2:08:30 PM  

#13  Al-Q is no going to alienate their fan base

If anything, it might make them more favorable to their base. The House of Saud isn't exactly looked upon with favor by these guys, no matter how much or long they've pandered to the Wahabbi factions.
Posted by: Pappy   2003-11-5 12:42:05 PM  

#12  how about this; Al Queda strikes Mecca and blames it on the Dixie Chicks (I heard one of them has a sister married to a jewish guy).
Posted by: mhw   2003-11-5 12:38:16 PM  

#11  Al-Q is no going to alienate their fan base (unlike the dixie chicks)

How would Al-Qaida be the recipient of blame if a terrorist attack was carried out in Mecca by Al-Qaida operatives? Given the Muslim penchant for blaming everybody else for their ills, it's far more likely some other scapegoat would be found. I could see the denial now: "Muslims wouldn't do this to their fellow Muslims."
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-11-5 11:43:52 AM  

#10  Beeb suggests that they were hiding in Mecca, but planned to hit Riyadh again, and Soddies say they wanted to hit Mecca to stir up sympathy. Could be true, they hid in Florida, they didnt attack Florida.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-11-5 11:41:04 AM  

#9  Try this on for size:

- Al Q hits New York, Washington. The US reacts by invading first Afghanistan, where Al Q is hiding, then Iraq. The US in Iraq has a central view commanding all the Arab nations.

- Al Q responds by sending tens of thousands of jihadis into Iraq, where they get whacked and disappear into the night.

- Al Q, desperate for a big hit, strikes Saudi Arabia, which turns and starts hitting back.

- Al Q, even more desperate, tries to do a major operation in Mecca, again get whacked.

Something tells me that OBL and his "friends" have been hitting the opium pipe a bit heavily, and are getting really, really sloppy in who they trust, and in what they try to do. I hope the trend continues until there are no Al Q or their wannabe clones left.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-11-5 11:23:18 AM  

#8  I have to side with NMM on this one.

Al-Q is no going to alienate their fan base (unlike the dixie chicks)

Anyone know how the arabic press is reporting the incident?
Posted by: flash81   2003-11-5 10:48:07 AM  

#7  Ptah The pattern you've cited consists of strikes against "infidels" and Jooos, I don't think killing fellow Moslems in their "holy city" fits that pattern.
Posted by: Not Mike Moore   2003-11-5 10:34:14 AM  

#6  The amount of al-Q's"finest", meating an "unfortunate" end in the fraudi-kingdom is staggering,BTW the focus and retoric of al-Q has changed over the last couple of months from the U.S. to moderate muslim country's who :"don't travel the true road of islam", i think staging a big hit during the raj could, in some perverse way be seen as productive by the jihadi's.
Posted by: chinditz   2003-11-5 9:48:39 AM  

#5  Actually there aren't that many pilgrims for Ramadan (typically less than 50,000). The big pilgramige (typically 2-3 million) to see the black rock is two months from now.

A few dozen nasties with an automatic weapon and a view could produce a big bad.
Posted by: mhw   2003-11-5 8:09:57 AM  

#4  Remember, the original reason Osama claimed for 9/11 was that infidels were in Saudi Arabia. They've always held that the House of Saud were in cahoots with the west, and always wanted to out them and take over.

NMM, Don't you recognize the pattern?

Terrorists strike in Israel, so ISRAEL should give in, give up, and just die.

Terrorists strike in Baghdad, so AMERICA should give in, give up, and leave. (Dying comes later).

So, terrorists Strike in Mecca, claim the Saudis incompetent to protect the holy places, and demand that they give in, give up, and leave.

OH, I forgot, you haven't got the brain cells to RECOGNIZE a pattern. My bad.
Posted by: Ptah   2003-11-5 5:41:52 AM  

#3  I don't put this past OBL at all. I put it infront of his smeared DNA on the cave wall.

This was most likely ordered by his son in Iran. Spite for helping Americans.

" Muslims who help the infidels ARE infidels! They must die! Newborn infants first, followed by children and women! Not the men though, we need them to help fight when we blame it on the JOOOOOS! "
Posted by: Charles   2003-11-5 3:42:40 AM  

#2  NMM-
You would not believe the level of pure, flat out nasty sectarian crime, hatred and pure-d violence that goes on in Mecca. There have been at least two or three shootouts that were simply too big for the Saudis to hush up, and rumors of far more.
Besides, if you're OBL and you think you're the Next Caliph/Mahdi anyways, what's a few pilgrims? They should be glad they gave their lives for the Religion Of Peace (TM).

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2003-11-5 1:17:14 AM  

#1  Anyone believe this? Al Qaeda striking pilgrims in Mecca? Looks more like a Saudi attempt to keep GW happy
Posted by: NotMikeMoore   2003-11-5 12:32:15 AM  

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