Investigators probing the suicide bombings of the British consulate, a bank and two synagogues in Istanbul earlier this month believe that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born Islamic militant linked to recent suicide attacks on Iraq, was responsible.
The attacks killed more than 50 people, including the British consul-general, and injured several hundred. Several groups have claimed responsibility including at least one that has been linked to al-Qaeda. Turkish politicians insist that al-Qaeda are responsible and the British government has said that the attack bears the 'hallmarks of al-Qaeda'. However The Observer has learned that it is Zarqawi, who leads a disparate network of terrorists and sympathisers in the Middle East and in Europe, who is the prime suspect for the attacks. Zarqawi follows a similar agenda to bin Laden's al-Qaeda group but acts independently of the Saudi-born fugitive.
Secret intelligence reports from European agencies obtained by The Observer reveal that Zaraqwi's al-Tauheed (Unity) group was set up several years ago. Interrogation of al-Tauheed members revealed that the group had operatives in the UK as well as in Germany and Italy.
| Amazing! Who'd ever have guessed that? |
'It is wrong to lump all these men together,' one Middle Eastern diplomat told The Observer. 'They may have the same goals but they are not the same organisation.'
| They have the same goals because they are the same organization... |
The focus on Zarqawi will be a boost for Washington. American officials say that the Jordanian Palestinian militant leader, who has been active for nearly 20 years, was treated by official doctors in Baghdad after being injured in fighting against American forces in Afghanistan and have repeatedly cited his presence in Iraq as evidence of a link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Though there is little strong evidence linking Zarqawi to the Baathist regime, and none linking him to al-Qaeda, the mere fact that he is actively targeting America, Britain and their allies in the region will be seized on as proof that he and Hussein shared aims. American intelligence specialists believe that Zarqawi, who has a $5 million price on his head, is currently hiding, or being sheltered, in Iran, and Washington hawks are likely to use this to reinforce demands for strong action against Tehran.
| Of course, if you're al-Guardian, just because he's in Iran doesn't mean he has links to Iran... |
Zarqawi is the leading suspect in the suicide bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad on August 7 and arrests in Italy and Germany last week revealed how, earlier this year, his extensive network was activated to recruit suicide bombers among Muslims living in Europe for attacks on military, diplomatic and humanitarian targets in Iraq. Authorities believe that in the months leading up to the war in Iraq, Syrian-based leaders of Zarqawi's group co-ordinated the recruitment and travel of volunteers from Italy and Germany through Syria, Iran and Turkey to terrorist training camps in north-eastern Iraq run by a Kurdish militant group called Ansar al-Islam.
The Italian investigation has revealed that at least five North Africans, recruited in northern Italy before the war, have taken part in the violence in Iraq. Three were Tunisians who died in the vehicle bombing of a coalition military target in Baghdad in September, Italian officials said.
| Journalism at its finest. Where do they get these guys? |
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