(AKI) - Former members of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb have revealed the details of the last days of a suicide bomber in a report published in the Algerian newspaper Ech-Chourouk. "Once chosen for the suicide attack, the suicide bomber is isolated by the other mujahadeen and is kept in the dark about the plans for the attack until a few minutes before its execution," said the report. The newspaper put together the testimonies of several ex-terrorists from the Algeria based al-Qaeda group and described in detail the way in which a suicide bomber is selected and how the bomber spends the last few days of his or her life. "About three weeks before they go into action, they call their families to say goodbye," it said. "They are then excluded from their original terror cell and join a new group composed only of aspiring suicide bombers who know that they will die soon for the cause of Jihad."
The suicide bombers do not know anything about the attack until a few minutes before they have to carry it out. In this way, they do not have the chance to change their minds or to go to the police.
Often it's the new recruits in the al-Qaeda Organisation of the Islamic Maghreb are chosen to be suicide bombers. The only exception was the suicide attacker involved in the attack on the United Nations office in Algiers on 11 December 2007. Rabbah Bishla, was reportedly part of the armed group for about 10 years. "Before chosing a new suicide bomber in a group, the head of the cell, the one responsible for training and the head of the cell with the aspiring suicide bombers all meet to agree on a candidate," said the report. "The group of aspiring suicide bombers never exceeds 15 people and those who enter only know that they will be carrying out an attack without any other explanations."
"To ensure that the aspiring suicide bombers are strong in their convictions, the head of the group of 15 people tells them of the possibility of participating in a major operation, an attack on a large scale, and especially the use of the weapon of revenge. In fact every potential suicide bomber is told that his or her attack is necessary to avenge the death or arrested of other members of the group or members of al-Qaeda, in order to motivate them morally," said the Ech-Chourouk report.
"Often the aspiring suicide bomber is forced to volunteer for the job because if he or she does not do so, it could raise doubts in their leaders who may see this as an element of insecurity, which makes betrayal always possible."
On Friday another Algerian newspaper Ennahar, published a report on killings carried out within al-Qaeda by the leaders of a group which was against the militants who expressed doubts about the strategy of the Jihadi organisation or there were fears that they could hand them over to the Algerian authorities.
Often the youngest are chosen to be suicide bombers and especially those who volunteer to do the job. The only exception yet again is Rabah Bishla, who was chosen because he was 60 years old and was the oldest suicide bomber in the history of al-Qaeda, according to the report. The leader of the group, Abu Musab Abdel Wudud, wanted him to carry out that operation as a response to accusations made in the Algerian press that the group only sent minors to carry out such attacks. "Before entering in action, the aspiring suicide bomber is brought to a safe place, far from his cell and possibly close to the target that he has strike," explained a former member of the group.
"Within the first few days, the bomber can call his family, given that most of the suicide bombers are very young people who have abadoned their homes to join the terrorists without informing their parents."
This is what was done by an attacker from Algerian that went by the name Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who carried out an attack last year on a barracks in the area of Dallas which is in the Algerian province of Boumerdes. He was believed to be the youngest suicide attacker in the history of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb. "After the phone call, the suicide attacker then only has contact with the head of his cell who trains the suicide bomber, giving the bomber a long speech on the importance of martyrdom in Islam and for some days the bomber will only watch videos and listed to audio recordings of the leaders of al-Qaeda which describe the rewards and compensation that the martrys will then be able to receive in paradise."
The bomber is reportedly only informed about the target the night before the attack and in some cases is accompanied to the location a few hours before in order to get to know what the attack will take place and to monitor the situation.
According to the former members of the terror group, this was the case for Abdullah al-Shiaani, the one who carried out the attack in the Lakhdariya. He was in the area with other terrorists before carrying out the attack. "The last act before carrying out the action is to record the video testament," said the report. "The aspiring suicide bomber must wear military attire, carry a kalashnikov rifle [perhaps the first time that the bomber will use one as often they are so young that many have not had the time to even have any military training], in order read out his last statement in front of a camera."
"The morning of the attack, the bomber wakes at dawn for his last prayer in which he was to recite a special address dedicated to martyrs, meet the emir of the al-Qaeda cell who will be asked to inform his family after his death and then then he will head directly to his appointment with death."
According to the Algerian newspaper, the aspiring suicide bombers usually drink water, known as the water or martrys, before they carry out their attack. The police in Algeria however have not excluded the possibility that the water is drugged in order to ensure that the suicide bomber does not change his mind before the attack.