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| Europe |
| Italy: Al-Qaeda-Linked Cell 'was Planning Attacks In Milan' |
| 2007-06-08 |
| (AKI) - Security officials in Milan who arrested Thursday nine Tunisians suspected of links with the Algeria-based Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb believe the men were not only providing logistical support and funding for terrorist operations in Algeria and Tunisia but were also planning attacks on the northern Italian city's subway and police stations. Anti-terror prosecutor Elio Ramondini told reporters that the cell - which was recruiting Islamic militants to fight in Afghanistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Chechnya and Bosnia - included militants "who were ready for suicide attacks in Italy and abroad." Sami Ben Khemais Essid, who has just finished serving a six and a half jail sentence in Italy on terror charges, is believed to have initially set up the cell to recruit militants to be trained for suicide attacks abroad and to provide funding to the former Algerian Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda last year and changed its name to Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb in January. The suspected militants were reportedly arrested on a tipoff by Tlili Lazar, a Tunisian extradited from France to Italy last November, who is allegedly cooperating with the police. Among the nine was also 46 year-old Habib Ignaoua who was detained in London on an arrest warrant issued by Milan magistrates. Judge Guido Salvini who issued the arrest warrants said the cell's high revenues mostly came from drug dealing and counterfeiting money, also through the help of Milan's controverial viale Jenner mosque. The mosque has been classified as a financier of terrorist causes by the US Treasury Department, which has accused it of supporting "the movement of weapons, men and money around the world." In the arrest order, Salvini wrote that "it has emerged once again with great clarity the role of the mosque in viale Jenner as a recruitment place for holy war and thus not only as a place of worship but also as a logical and effective point of reference for jihadi networks." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 The Viale Jenner mosque is where imam Mustafa Nasr (aka Abu Omar) indoctrinated his little demons. Nice to know they did not shirk their islamic duties in his absence. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-06-08 13:22 |
| #2 Actually, it wasn't transportation networks that were the targets but rather Prada (The Great Satan wears it), Versace (homo) and Armani (no white robes). |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-06-08 08:40 |
| #1 This story reads like the A-B-C's of what to look for in Islamic militants, the type of targets they are most likely to select (public transportation in the most cosmopolitan major cities) and how they use mosques as weapons depots/indoctrination centers/terrorism bankrollers. |
| Posted by: Thaiper Scourge of the Faith5578 2007-06-08 04:38 |