RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The only gunman who survived the attack on the U.S. consulate in Jeddah earlier this week is hospitalized in critical condition, reports said Thursday. A medical source at the King Fahd Hospital said it will be at least 48 hours before doctors will know whether the gunman will survive. A spokesman for the interior ministry, Brig. Mansour Turki, said the gunmen has yet to be interviewed by police.
You mean he may die without telling what or who he knows? How...surprising.
He said police wounded in the incident were treated and many have be discharged from the hospital. Four gunmen and five embassy workers, including a Yemeni, Sudanese, Palestinian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan, were killed in the attack.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 9:50:47 AM ||
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#1
I'm betting a massive failure of internal organs caused by the Interior Ministry agents sitting on his chest
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2004 10:52 Comments ||
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As a doc, I have to say, Frank ... you have no imagination.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2004 13:43 Comments ||
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So, in a case like this, are the 72 virgins standing by, or is it more like catching a cab at the airport where you get the next one in line?
SECURITY services have thwarted a planned attack on London similar to the March 11 train bombings in Madrid by Islamic extremists, the British capital's police chief said overnight. "Thank God to date, and we have had to work extremely hard, we've thwarted attacks," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said to the BBC. Asked if his force had stopped a strike on the scale of the Spanish attack, he added: "Yes, I can't discuss it because of court proceedings - but yes we have stopped a Madrid."
The morning rush-hour bombings on commuter trains killed 191 people in the most devastating attack in modern Spanish history, just three days before a general election. The attackers claimed to represent al-Qaeda in Europe. Sir John said "a number" of attacks had been thwarted in London and "hundreds" of terrorist suspects were being processed in British courts, according to extracts on the the BBC's website. He would not give any details. Like other senior public figures here, he reiterated that Britain was a prime target for radicals: "The risk of an attack to London has not changed. An attack is still inevitable."
Only last month, the head of Britain's security service MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller, also warned: "There might be major attacks like Madrid earlier this year." Britain is considered a target for Islamic radicals due to its support of President Bush, particularly in Iraq. Although there has been no attack on UK soil, the threat was illustrated a year ago with a suicide bombing at a consulate in Turkey that killed 17 people including the consul general. Critics, however, accuse both UK and US authorities of scaremongering, in part to bolster their power. Britain has arrested more than 600 terrorism suspects since the September 11, 2001, attacks - but has charged fewer than 100 and convicted only 15.
Also overnight, Britain and the US announced a new agreement to develop counter-terrorism technology together. The accord, signed by Britain's Home Secretary David Blunkett and US Homeland Security Deputy Secretary James Loy, will allow greater information exchange on security issues.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/09/2004 6:25:10 PM ||
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Oh dear! Are the police contributing to rising Islamophobia? Unless these attacks were to come from Mormon extremists. But it's probably nothing more than their usual scaremongering. Afterall, the BBC is running stories about how the threat is mostly an illusion. Shame on the British Government!
Posted by: John in Tokyo ||
12/09/2004 21:39 Comments ||
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TWENTY-one people were injured in two blasts that set ablaze a gas pipeline in Russia's southern region of Dagestan bordering breakaway Chechnya, a spokesman for the emergencies ministry's regional office told Interfax early today. The blasts, which occurred late yesterday, were the result of a terrorist attack according to a preliminary inquiry, the spokesman said. The pipeline caught fire, and the light could be seen from nearby regional capital Makhachkala. The fire was put out early today, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, quoting an official with the Kaspiigazprom company, which is responsible for the pipeline.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:37:03 AM ||
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Asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui was released from the Auckland Remand Centre this evening, after the Supreme Court granted him bail. Jubilant cheers erupted in the court this afternoon as Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias delivered the judgment, allowing Mr Zaoui's appeal. Bail conditions are that Mr Zaoui reside at the Dominican Friary in Newton, Auckland, and be present there between 10pm and 6am. He must also report to Auckland Central Police Station between 10am and 4pm on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Supporters inside and outside the court - many wearing T-shirts calling for Mr Zaoui's freedom - cheered at every mention of bail and reacted jubilantly after the court's decision. Mr Zaoui was not present in court, but was phoned by lawyers Deborah Manning and Rodney Harrison QC immediately after the decision was given. Ms Manning gave Mr Zaoui the news he had been granted bail and would be going to the friary tonight. She said she would be on a plane to Auckland soon and would get him from the prison in a few hours. She told him she had his shirt - which she had picked up from him at the prison and handwashed, ready for today.
Ms Manning said she thought it took a while for the news to sink in with Mr Zaoui but he asked her to thank all his supporters. Giving the court's decision, Justice Elias said the question for the court was whether it was more appropriate to grant bail or to vary Mr Zaoui's warrant of commitment to enable transfer to the Mangere Refugee Detention Centre. The Crown no longer opposed a transfer, but did oppose bail. Justice Elias said bail was the preferable outcome as Mr Zaoui had already been in custody two years and transfer to the Mangere Centre would be a continuation of detention. The court initially ruled that Mr Zaoui could not be released until undertakings were filed at the Auckland High Court - Mr Zaoui undertaking to comply with his bail conditions and the Dominican Friar, Father Peter Murnane undertaking to notify police if he becomes aware of any breach of bail by Mr Zaoui.
But Mr Zaoui's lawyer Rodney Harrison QC asked that bail be effective immediately, with the undertakings to be filed by 5pm next Wednesday. This was not opposed by the Crown and was agreed to by the court, meaning Mr Zaoui could be released immediately. Bail will apply until the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security makes his decision on Mr Zaoui's risk status. Justice Elias said this review was expected to take a further six to 12 months. The court said the security risk certificate was directed to risks to national security if Mr Zaoui was allowed to settle in New Zealand, rather than risks that might be posed by his presence in the community while the risks were assessed.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:41:04 AM ||
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MADRID- A Syrian and an Egyptian suspected of having links with the group that carried out the deadly Madrid train bomb attacks in March have been arrested in Spain, the interior ministry announced. The ministry named the pair as 29-year-old Syrian Adman Waki and Ahmed Ibrahim Kassem, a 28-year-old Egyptian. News reports had earlier mistakenly identified Kassem as being Algerian.
Easy mistake to make, they're both North Africans, right?
According to a report by the Spanish daily El Pais, investigators regard Waki as a key suspect and say he may have used one of the mobile phones also used by Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, a Tunisian suspected of having had a key-role in the Madrid bombings.
This is getting as bad as the Cole bombing. Is there anyone in Spain who isn't a "key" suspect?
Fakhet, known as "The Tunisian", and six other members of the group blew themselves up during a police raid in the suburbs of Madrid in April following the attacks, in which 191 people died and 1,900 were wounded in the worst ever terrorist strike on Spain. Waki has been under police surveillance for several months by Spanish secret service agents, according to El Pais. He has allegedly made several trips abroad, notably within Europe, during which he apparently raised funds for an Islamic terrorist network. Working as a mason he was based in Irun, in the north-eastern Basque region of the country, where the arrests were made. Kassem, detained alongside Waki, also lives in the Basque region, El Pais said, without giving further details.
But the Basques were not involved in any way, the Socialists said so.
In a further development this week regarding the 11 March blasts another key suspect, Rabei Ousmane Sayed Ahmed, was Wednesday remanded in custody and sent to a jail on the outskirts of Madrid after Italian officials handed him over Tuesday night. Spain wants to try Ahmed, nicknamed Mohammed the Egyptian, whom Italian authorities arrested on June 8 in Milan, on charges of multiple homicide and possession of explosives. In the first trial relating to the attacks, a Spanish national aged 16 was convicted last month for his involvement in the bombings. Nineteen suspects are now being detained in Spain over the atrocity.
All of them "key".
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 11:39:13 AM ||
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Adman Waki...didn't he write copy for the VW account at BBD&O?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 16:56 Comments ||
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Nice one, Mrs D! Now you're batting two for four.
German media claim that controversial Norwegian resident mullah Krekar congratulated Osama bin Laden shortly after the terrorist attack on the USA on Sep. 11, 2001. German media are now linking a speech given by Krekar at a mosque in Biara, Iraq, on Sep. 14, 2001 to an allegedly planned assassination on the Iraqi prime minister in Berlin last week, newspaper VG reported. VG cited Berlin newspaper Der Tagespiel's story that German security police have arrested a man - Jassin F. - that they claim is Krekar's chief financial officer and secretary.
The reports, which were widely used by the German media, claim that Jassin F., an asylum seeker in Germany for six years, was arrested by Kurdish police in North Iraq with USD 40,000 in cash and a tape where Krekar praises bin Laden's terrorist actions in the USA. German news magazine Der Spiegel said that the four suspects in the assassination attempt are all found in Jassin F's phone book and that both Jassin F. and one of the four are close personal friends of Krekar. Krekar told VG that it was incorrect that he offered his congratulations after the attack on the USA but would give no further comment.
Krekars's lawyer Brynjar Meling believes the tape's contents may have been misinterpreted. "I am aware of mullah Krekar praising Osama bin Laden on previous tapes but this is on recordings before September 11," Meling said. Meling said he was confident that Krekar had already discussed all such recordings in detail with Norwegian special crime unit Ãkokrim and that nothing criminal had been found. Ãkokrim said that their investigation of Krekar was over.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:21:33 AM ||
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The founder of radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam was questioned in Oslo by German police ahead of the arrests in Germany of three men suspected of plotting to attack visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. German police interrogated Mullah Krekar in Oslo early last week and he is thought to be linked to at least one of the men arrested on Friday on suspicion of planning attacks during Allawi's visit, the Norwegian daily VG reported Sunday. All three have been ordered held over their alleged membership of Ansar al-Islam, described by German authorities as a foreign terrorist organisation. A fourth man, a Lebanese, was also arrested on Saturday in Berlin on suspicion of supporting Ansar al-Islam.
Krekar, who has lived in Norway since 1991, founded the group in December 2001, but insists that he has not been its leader since May 2002. "The content of what happened in the Oslo court has been classified by the court, so I cannot offer concrete comments," Krekar's lawyer Brynjar Meling said in a public television interview. He confirmed however that German police among other things wanted details of his client's European contacts. Asked whether the telephone number of one of the men arrested on Friday was found in Krekar's possession, Meling told NTB news agency that, when Krekar was arrested in the Netherlands two years ago "he had an electronic phone book containing up to 2,000 names and numbers... so it is possible that the police found this man's telephone number at Krekar's" home.
Krekar's brother Khalid Faraj Ahmad meanwhile told NTB that Krekar's interrogation last week was in connection with an old case and that the interview had been planned for months. "He was questioned as a witness in a case concerning several Kurds who were arrested in Germany a long time ago," Ahmad insisted.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 2:55:41 AM ||
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Success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan.
Posted by: Don ||
12/09/2004 9:43 Comments ||
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I beleive Henry Kissinger said we have no permanent friends, or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. And he was talking about North Viet Nam, USSR and China, when thinking of permanent enemies. France is no permanent enemy - when our interests coincide, as they will from time to time, we should work together. When they do not, we should move forward without worrying about it.
#5
Neither is France an ally. And in the middle east, they firmly believe that their interests lie with the fascists, mullahs and other anti-American movements. Why keep them in NATO?
France is an ally. But not in the sense that the media use the word ally - to mean friend. We - and most other countries - have very few friends. Among them are the UK and Australia. The rest are just allies in one context or another. The literal meaning of ally is what Rumsfeld called the coalition of the willing. But the media has confused it to mean something completely different.
#7
An ally honors its treaty obligations. France opposed passage of our troops and materiel from Europe to Iraq. France is opposing training of Iraqi soldiers by NATO. Top French military commanders passed information to Serbian thugs during the Bosnian campaign. France is also doing everything in its power to piss on the Allawi government, given that, as PM Raffarin said to Le Figaro's editors, "the Iraqi 'resistance' are our best allies.'"
NATO obligations have to do with expelling invading armies. It's not clear what either Afghanistan or Iraq have to do with that, being punitive expeditions.
#9
Moving from legalese to the spirit behind an alliance: Do you think the French consider themselves our ally? I've never met a Frenchman who seriously believes that they are. The formalities of NATO cannot hide the fact that France considers the US hyperpuissance the number one worldwide threat to French interests, integrity and independence.
Bottom line is it's better to have them in the tent pissing out than outside pissing in, inspite of the fact that it sometimes seems hard to tell the difference.
The betrayal in the Balkins showed everybody exactly where we both stand. And recent posts indicate we learned the lesson.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 11:04 Comments ||
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Eh, I think the choice is between having them outside the tent pissing in or inside the tent pissing in pseudo-random directions. At least in the latter case, sometimes they're not pissing on us.
#13
When France is around there is always a puddle of pee at the base of the wall tent. We do not know if France was pissing on the inside or the outside of the tent. We just know that they pissed on the tent and left a mess there.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/09/2004 11:18 Comments ||
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Not to get pedantic, ZF-- and I promise not to pull an Aris and pursue this further-- but wasn't NATO's Article 5 invoked re Afghanistan?
#15
it was invoked re 9/11, and assistance rendered such as flying Radar planes in CONUS was done under article 5. Euro comnbat forces in Afghanistan, who joined in ousting the Taliban, did so OUTSIDE Nato command, and as "coalition of the willing" INCLUDING France. NATO later took over ISAF, which primarily patrols Kabul.
#16
France in the Middle East - their ambassador was actually making nicey-nice in Israel the other day - France is interested in INFLUENCE in the mideast, to the extent that a total diplo boycott of Israel reduces their ability to play a role, and thus reduces their INFLUENCE, they will withdraw from that. Their principle ties are with "moderate" secularist regimes in the region, notably Algeria. Playing with the Iranians, while a useful tool to tweak the US and Israel, ultimately endangers their other relations in the arab world, if take too far. Even in the Mideast, the region where their interests are the most different from our own, their game is subtle.
And of course what there game is GLOBALLY is not settled. I dont think Sarkozy is the messiah, as far as franco-US relations, but I dont think he will pursue Chiracs priorities, either.
#18
Contracts are the real goal, indeed. "Influence" is a means to that end. France's main fear is of economic strangulation by American-led capitalism. Their foreign policy is above all mercantilist, designed to hoard as much industrial production and jobs as possible in France.
The FBI searched offices of a prominent public relations firm Tuesday, looking for information about its client Saudi Arabia, law enforcement sources said. The firm, Qorvis Communications LLC, which was founded in 2000, bills itself as providing "communications for Wall Street, Main Street and K Street." Qorvis has offices in the District and Tysons Corner, and its clients also include Time Warner Inc. and the Urban League. The FBI searched three of the firm's offices Tuesday afternoon, sources said. Agents delivered subpoenas at a fourth Qorvis office.
Michael Mason, head of the FBI's Washington field office, declined yesterday to characterize the nature of the investigation or identify the places that were searched. "We did execute searches at three locations," he said. Officials at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said the case is under seal and would not reveal details. "The raids are in conjunction with an ongoing investigation and therefore it would be inappropriate for me to comment," said Channing Phillips, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Washington. Qorvis said the company understood that the government is conducting a "compliance inquiry" under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Under that law, the government keeps track of the lobbying activities of foreign governments and their representatives. The rigorous registration and reporting system is overseen by the Justice Department. Saudi Arabia is the only foreign government on Qorvis's client list. "Qorvis has fully complied with this registration statute and we feel confident this will be resolved favorably," the company said hopefully. Violations of the law have been prosecuted only a handful of times since it was passed in 1938. But at least two recent cases have been filed involving Iraq.
In January, Khaled Abdel-Latif Dumeisi, former publisher of an Arabic newspaper in suburban Chicago, was convicted of failing to register as a foreign agent for Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Dumeisi was sentenced in March to 46 months in prison on those and other charges.
Like providing Saddam with information on Iraqi exiles in the US.
Susan P. Lindauer, a Takoma Park antiwar activist, has been charged under the law and accused of accepting cash from Iraqi intelligence agents. She has denied wrongdoing. A Justice Department report on the law provided a window into the company's activities. It stated that the Saudi Arabian Embassy paid Qorvis $14.6 million for a six-month period, ending Dec. 31, 2002, for lobbying and public relations, including the distribution of material "to promote public awareness" of Saudi Arabia's "commitment in the war against terrorism and to peace in the Middle East," the report said.
Pushing the "Islam is a religion of peace" message.
On behalf of Saudi Arabia, Qorvis also contacted the media, congressional staff members and Bush administration officials to discuss Middle East issues, child abduction and a communications strategy for the crown prince's visit with President Bush, the document said.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 1:12:34 PM ||
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I love it. Political Reality 101. Folks, compared to every President who has gone before him, only Dubya has had the balls to investigate the Saudis, to turn on the lights, to challenge the smarmy oil-tick routine with which they have underminded every attempt to force them to be honest brokers. This is yet another in-your-face example that Bush has ended the lap-dog / feathered-nest norm. The Special Relationship is on the rocks. Stop the bribe game, find the links to prove terror-enabling activities, call a spade a spade publicly, then declare them what we all know them to be: enemies of Freedom. Then, and only then, are we free to treat them as antagonists and enemies.
The hue and cry from inside the Beltway will be deafening. Every swinging dick on the payroll, and it's longer than even we can imagine, will be out to scuttle Bush and the effort to shine a light on this big fucking rat living in America's kitchen. Say what you will, complain he doesn't move fast enough, bitch that you want what you want now - there's never been anyone before Bush who wasn't a total wimp regards the Saudis. I like the fact that Bush has proven he is a different breed of President and he's finally started the process of outting these cretinous back-stabbing assholes.
The Republic of Eastern Arabia takes one more step toward reality.
#2
What .com said. This seems to be a truly major step. Every Republican admin before him-- most egregiously his own father's-- has offered up its leading national security figures to pimp for the House of Saud. And Wall Street isn't much better. Citigroup owes its survival to Sheik Al Waleed.
Long past time we weaned Washington and Wall Street off of the Saudi crack pipe.
#3
I agree with lex and .com except that I think W will pull it off without Bandar's Beltway Buddies being able to say or do much about it. And the Republicans will pick up seats in the House to boot. That's just the way W works. And as for 41, all I know is that's where 43 apprenticed and he obviously learned the lessons well. Perhaps he had a mentor?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 14:57 Comments ||
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lex - I totally agree about 41 - he was the worst sort of apologist, IMHO.
Mrs D - I've got my fingers crossed... I'd love to see it go the way you describe because it would accelerate the process dramatically, despite the MSM efforts to derail it which will come just as surely as there are little green apples. I dunno who mentored Dubya, but he has utterly shit-canned Daddy's approach and agenda - to our benefit. 9/11 certainly did much (most?) of it and it amazed the hell out of me. Made me a believer - I thought him a lightweight before he made his stand and turned his admin 90 deg with one speech from Ground Zero. Phreakin' wow! And he hasn't disappointed me in direction since, only in speed of action. I wish to hell I knew everything he does so I could understand the whys and whos and whats when he goes slow... but I trust him, and his team, now. I can't recall the last time I felt that way about our leaders, either.
Posted by: too true ||
12/09/2004 15:30 Comments ||
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How about we give Ambassador Bandar a one-way ticket home? Would send huge shocking signals to Royals. Would be akin to Reagan (just after his inauguration) making Soviet ambassador use the front entrance to Foggy Bottom while visiting our diplos. Dobrynin couldn't use the garage entrance, which he preferred, apparently. The front door please, just like the ambassodors from NATO, etc.
How else to let Royals know that they've had since 9/11 to get their stuff together, but all we get is mixed signals. Saudi clerics wanting martyrs to go to Fallujah; Former Mutawwa attacking our consulate; Naif is still Min of Interior. If they don't play ball, we just may have to contact a few Royals who see things our way. I know, easier said than done, but still...
Posted by: chicago mike ||
12/09/2004 16:23 Comments ||
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Take down the Taliban, Saddam, Arafart. Next stop, Boy Assad and the mullahs. Then purge CIA and purge the K Street of the Bandar-Scowcroft-Baker Bandits. And finally, take down the MSM.
#10
Condi wants to be a commish - don't recall if it's the NBA or NFL... come to think of it, I don't think she specified if it was to be before or after her 2 Presidential terms, either. Prolly after.
A PRISONER who allegedly trained with the al-Qaeda terrorist network appeared today before a US military review tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while another man refused to attend his hearing. Their cases came a day after the military ordered that 33 more prisoners remain held as enemy combatants, a murky classification that affords prisoners fewer protections than prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. The tribunals have considered 480 cases so far. Most have been ordered held, while only one prisoner - a Pakistani - has been released. About 70 more need to be evaluated.
Among the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay are two Australians, David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib. Hicks is due to be tried by a military commission next year on charges including terrorism. Today the review panel heard from a 28-year-old accused of training at an al-Qaeda camp in the late 1990s, said Navy Lieutenant Gary Ross, a spokesman for the review tribunals. Although the detainee was arrested in Pakistan with other people allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, it was not clear what he said at his tribunal. Despite a Freedom of Information Act request made more than a month ago by The Associated Press, the military has not provided the transcripts of testimonies made by prisoners at the tribunals, which began shortly after the Supreme Court ruled the some 550 prisoners at the US naval base had the right to challenge their detentions in US courts.
At hearings the media has attended, many prisoners have refuted the government's allegations. The men are only allowed to hear the unclassified portions of the accusations and are not allowed lawyers. Although the government views the hearings as administrative, statements made during the tribunals can be used against the men in military trials. A 34-year-old prisoner who allegedly worked as an al-Qaeda guard and was accused of training at al-Qaeda's al-Farouq camp in Afghanistan did not attend his hearing today, Lt Ross said. Although the man made a written statement, the government did not provide it.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/09/2004 5:45:50 PM ||
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A suspected Abu Sayyaf sub-leader involved in the 2001 siege of Lamitan town was arrested in the municipality of Sumisip, Basilan Island on Wednesday morning, the military reported Thursday. Southern Command chief Lieutenant General Alberto Braganza said military intelligence agents, backed by the 103rd Infantry Brigade, raided the house of Quirino Manajil Lambungan, alias "Asmalul," in Limbo Candiis village and arrested the suspect. Braganza said Lambungan was with the Abu Sayyaf group that attacked the Jose Torres Memorial Hospital in June 2001 and snatched several people, including nurses Reina Malonzo, Sheila Tabuñag, and Ediborah Yap. Yap was later killed, along with American hostage Martin Burnham, during a military rescue operation in Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte province.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:38:17 AM ||
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A convicted militant told a court Thursday that he was a top member of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) but said that he had never seen cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, 65, the alleged leader of the Southeast Asian terror group. "This is the first time I've ever seen him," said Hutomo, alias Abu Faruk, as he pointed at the elderly, white-bearded cleric. Hutomo, who is serving a three-year sentence for harboring militants, described himself a regional leader of JI. He was the first of six witnesses scheduled to testify in Ba'asyir's trial Thursday. Others include the brother of alleged Southeast Asia terror kingpin, Hambali, or Riduan Hisamuddin. Last week, a militant said Ba'asyir appeared at a southern Philippine terrorist training camp in 2000. But he said Ba'asyir did not incite militants to attack Western targets or take part in any violence. Five other witnesses, so far, have failed to link Ba'asyir to any crimes.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:25:53 AM ||
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THE brother of an Australian terrorist suspect detained in Lebanon has been arrested in Iraq by a Kurdish political organisation. Ahmad Jamal, 22, from Sydney, has been detained by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in northern Iraq, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said today. The department was notified of his detention by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"Consular officials in Baghdad have spoken to PUK officials and continue to press for confirmation of his detention and its legal basis," a DFAT spokesman said. "Our efforts to date have been unsuccessful and we're following up with (Red Cross) officials to obtain further information. We're doing that through our consular official Amman in Jordan."
It was not known when the man was detained, the spokesman said. The Daily Telegraph reports his father has said Ahmad was arrested over confusion with his identification. Ahmad Jamal is the brother of Saleh Jamal who was arrested six months ago in Lebanon after skipping bail in Sydney on charges of shooting up the Lakemba police station in 1998. Lebanese officials claim Saleh Jamal has links to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq, Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
I was wondering whatever happened to this guy:
A U.S. Marine who disappeared in Iraq and then showed up in a purported hostage video before later appearing as a free man in Lebanon, is being charged with desertion, Pentagon officials said Thursday. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun will also be charged by the Marine Corps with larceny and wrongful disposition of military property in connection with his service-issued 9 mm handgun that disappeared with him and never turned up, officials said. When Hassoun last spoke with military investigators in September and was read his rights, he refused to divulge details of the events surrounding his disappearance. The 24-year-old from West Jordan, Utah, will not be held in custody, because he is not considered a flight risk, officials said. [...] Um, I wouldn't be too sure about that.
Military investigators re-opened the Hassoun case last month after several personal items -- including his military ID and civilian passport -- were found in Falluja, the city from which he disappeared in June. "The circumstances of his alleged capture and subsequent return to military control are still being investigated," the Marines said in a statement.
Hassoun reappeared July 7 in Lebanon, where he was born and has relatives. What happened to Hassoun is a mystery to military investigators. After the initial report that Hassoun was missing, military officials assumed he had walked away from camp. He was listed as a deserter. His status was changed to captured after the release of a videotape that showed him blindfolded with a sword suspended above his head. A few days later, a posting to three Islamist Web sites claimed Hassoun had been beheaded. Hassoun denied being a deserter and staging his own kidnapping. [...] Whatever the outcome of the investigation, this dude can't be trusted now.
Posted by: Rafael ||
12/09/2004 8:08:35 PM ||
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#1
"When Hassoun last spoke with military investigators in September and was read his rights, he refused to divulge details of the events surrounding his disappearance."
Ah, the first confirmation (I've seen) of that as a fact. Yep. Lock his ass up and toss the key. The whole thing stank like a festering jihadi before - and now it deserves the hobnail boots. I'm pretty sure they won't execute him, but it would not cause me to lose sleep if they went that route. Big rocks meet little rocks. Fuck off Hussein, you're a disgrace to the uniform and to the real Americans who do their duty.
#2
Hope he likes snow, cause I hear they get a lot of it at Leavenworth.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/09/2004 20:33 Comments ||
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#3
Correct! I was floored when this had happened
and he will get what is coming to him- or what goes around comes around.
Andrea Jackson
Posted by: Andrea Jackson ||
12/09/2004 20:54 Comments ||
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.com - spot on. I knew in my gut as soon as this came out that this guy went over the hill. "When Hassoun last spoke with military investigators in September and was read his rights, he refused to divulge details of the events surrounding his disappearance."
-I've been the investigating officer into a number of cases of weird shit, usually pleading the fifth to investigators is a dead giveaway that you're guilty.
#5
I was just wondering what this will do to those who hyphenate themselves as Arab-Americans in the military who are doing their jobs. Those who know them personally, won't even think about it - I never even thought to connect such dots about someone who was covering my ass and doing a bang-up job of it, but others who don't know them may begin to doubt them, keep them out of sensitive areas or fights - marginalize them. And that sucks. Good people. Bad people. Screw the other damned bullshit labels. We used to laugh that we didn't care if someone was a green-haired middle-armed trisexual from Mars - the only question was if they could cut it...
#6
He feels it's more important to be a good moose limb than a Marine. Not a problem you can be a moose limb in federal pound me in the ass prison for 20 years.
Intelligence agents raided an Afghan refugee camp in northwestern Pakistan and arrested two alleged Islamic militants, a security official said Thursday. The suspects were being questioned following their arrest late Tuesday in a raid on the Jalozai camp, on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, said an intelligence agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another official, with the Interior Ministry, confirmed the arrests, but said he had no details.
South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun made a surprise visit to his troops in northern Iraq on his way home from a European tour, a top presidential aide said. Lee Byung-Wan, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said the visit had been kept secret for security reasons. "President Roh Moo-Hyun has just concluded a visit to the Zaitun (South Korean military) unit in Arbil, Iraq, on his way back home from Paris," Lee told reporters. He said the visit was to "encourage" the troops.
South Korean media pool reports from Iraq said Roh, wearing an army jacket, had meals and chats with troops during his 120-minute stay. "Thank you all so much. It may be a short meeting, but it is such a happy time," he was quoted as telling the soldiers at a mess hall. "I'm so proud of you." Yonhap news agency photos showed a smiling Roh chatting with or waving to soldiers, who applauded him. Roh took a special flight from France, the final leg of his three-nation European tour, to Kuwait before reaching the Kurdish-controlled town of Arbil on a military plane, according to officials.
In February parliament approved the dispatch of up to 3,600 troops for relief and rehabilitation in Iraq until the end of this year. But the dispatch was delayed for months against a background of growing anti-war protests and it was only in late September that South Korea completed the deployment of 2,800 troops in Arbil. The mission was reportedly reinforced by another 800 troops in November. The government has asked parliament to extend the mission by another year until December 31, 2005 and it is almost certain to agree. Seoul sent troops to Iraq at the request of the United States. More than 30,000 American troops are stationed in South Korea as a defence against North Korea. The South Korean contingent is the third largest among the US-led allied forces stationed in Iraq. The Seoul government has restricted media access to the soldiers, citing security reasons following the murder of a South Korean translator by Islamic militants in Iraq in June.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/09/2004 10:29:45 AM ||
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A Palestinian militant leader has been injured in an apparent Israeli missile strike on his car, reports say. Jamal Abu Samhadana, the head of an umbrella group of militant factions, the Popular Resistance Committees, was travelling on a road in southern Gaza. A spokesman for the group said Mr Samhadana was not seriously injured.
Pity, I'm still hoping for infection.
The Israeli military earlier killed four Palestinians in Rafah it said were militants suspected of smuggling weapons across the border with Egypt. Three bodies were recovered soon after midnight and a fourth was recovered at daybreak, sources said.
So, it's not all bad news.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had pledged that Israel would "maintain the calm" in the absence of attacks by Palestinian militants.
The white vehicle carrying Mr Samhadana was hit by a missile fired from an unmanned spy plane, according to witnesses. Two bodyguards travelling with him were also wounded, hospital officials said. The men ran from the car just before it blew up, witnesses said.
"INCOMING! Feet, don't fail me now!"
An Israeli missile struck a car Mr Samhadana was using in August but he escaped serious injury.
Third times the charm
His militant group has been linked by security services to several attacks on Israeli settlers and soldiers. There has been no comment about the incident from the Israeli military.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/09/2004 9:31:56 AM ||
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#1
"Samhadana" must be Arabic for "fugitive from the laws of probability."
Posted by: Mike ||
12/09/2004 9:45 Comments ||
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#2
The good news is that the Israeli's won't miss twice. Sharon should have raided the compound a long time ago. Now that Arafart is barbecuing in hell (no martyrdom=no BJ's from bearded virgins), there is absolutely NO EXCUSES!!!!
Hey Sharon, there is no reforming these people. THEY HATE JEWS!!!!
#3
I'm convinced that these near misses (too many to be bad aim, IMO) are caused my the IAF putting in smaller warheads to minimize "collateral dameage."
#4
Xbalanke, IAF has switched from helizapping to to UAVzapping. A lot cheaper to keep in the air, stealthier - they can fly up behind a vehicle without them noticing, unlike a helicopter.
#5
Baloney. They obviously noticed, else they would not have bailed out of the car successfully. And I bet he doesnt travel at night, just so they can see if anything is up there.
Good thing is that I bet he pays thru the nose for bodyguards.
#6
Jimbo, From this report all four occupants of the car were wounded, so if they bailed they didn't get too far before the missile hit. Also it looks from the picture that the missile hit the engine and didn't destroy the vehicle interior, which is what you would expect from a small heat seeking missile. I think its reasonable to conclude the missile hit before they bailed. The report of the car exploding afterwards probably refers to a vehicle fire and normal Arab embellishment.
Suspected al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and an accomplice were indicted in Jordan Tuesday for conspiring to carry out terrorist activities. The indictment accused Zarqawi and Jordanian Miqdad Mohammed Dabbas of plotting to bomb U.S. and Jordanian targets in Iraq. It was the second indictment against Zarqawi this year. Zarqawi and Dabbas met in Iraq in 2002 and reportedly became close friends. The indictment said Dabbas watched the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad so Zarqawi could carry out an attack against it, but did not say if they were responsible for last year's bombing that killed and wounded dozens of people.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:43:07 AM ||
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#1
Ooooohhhh he is SO gonna get it now!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2004 9:45 Comments ||
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Sounds like the Jordanians are going down the Clintoon terrorism-is-a-law-enforcement-problem track...
#3
Maybe. Or maybe this, along with the recent demotion of the half-brother and the announcement of military restructuring, means Jordan expects the Iraqi insurgence and Syria to come under increased pressure & is hardening against export of that pressure to Jordan (including unrest among the Palestinians in Jordan).
Al-Qaeda linked militant group Ansar Al-Sunna threatened in an Internet video shown on Wednesday that it would soon kill a Turkish hostage it said was working for a company under contract to US forces in Iraq. "The entrepreneur Fattah Narjess, who came into Iraqi territory across the border (from Turkey)... aided by Massoud Barzani's clique, will be executed by the army of Ansar Al-Sunna," it said in a statement on an Islamist website accompanying the video.
Barzani is one of the main Kurdish leaders in Iraq and head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The tape featured a young man showing his passport and other official documents with a banner bearing the name of the group in the background. Ansar al-Sunna, which presents itself as an alliance of several Islamist jihad groups, has claimed several attacks in Iraq. Scores of Turks, mostly truck drivers, have been kidnapped in Iraq, but most have been released.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:30:47 AM ||
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The U.S. offensive on Falluja, launched a month ago, has hurt but not broken Iraq 's insurgents and violence will go on even if Iraq holds successful elections, a senior U.S. intelligence officer in the town said Thursday. "We are very reluctant to say that we have broken their backs. We have given them a very strong jolt and disrupted their operations," Major Jim West of the Marines told Reuters in an email interview from a U.S. base outside Falluja. "Elections will not be a sudden victory against the insurgency ... We believe that insurgents will attempt to undermine each step in the elections process."
West said U.S. and Iraqi forces were trying to build momentum after the Falluja assault by keeping guerrillas and their leaders on the run and depriving them of any new base. "They have been pushed backwards in the development of an insurgency from conventional operations to small attacks. So large-scale operations like the liberation of Falluja are not expected as long as insurgents cannot establish a major supply and operations hub," West said. "Therefore, the current pursuit operations are extremely important."
Rebels have mounted several big attacks in the past few weeks and suicide bombers are still hitting U.S. forces ahead of an election to a new national assembly scheduled for Jan. 30. Most of the city's 300,000 residents have yet to return to homes in a city ravaged by artillery, air and tank bombardments. But when they do, rebels may return with them: "When the citizens of Falluja do start returning to their homes, we expect to see insurgents take advantage of the opportunity and attempt to blend in with the returning population," West said.
The U.S. military has said it found evidence in Falluja of efforts to make chemical weapons, though no evidence of success. "They were actively pursuing a chemically enhanced explosive capability, and there is some indication that they were attempting to build an explosive that would disperse chemical agents," West said. The man who the U.S. military and Iraqi interim government say inspires rebels across Iraq -- Jordanian al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- remains as elusive as ever. He was widely believed to be using Falluja as a base, if not living there. "Iraqi and multinational forces are keeping him moving. We believe that he has not been able to establish the base of logistics and operations that he had in Falluja," West said. "Keeping this pressure on him will cause him to make enough mistakes to eventually be caught. We have been able to strike very close to him by getting high officials in his network. As we continue to reduce his first string, he will be forced to replace them with less capable or less loyal followers."
Zarqawi has carried out spectacular attacks and his name has proved a rallying cry for rebels not directly answering to him. "Zarqawi, and the idea of Zarqawi, provides a common call to several different causes," West said. "The concept of Zarqawi is used as the bait...by several smaller groups to recruit members and gain support."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/09/2004 3:23:56 AM ||
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Dan, baby, you should identify articles by professional assholes somewhere in the in-line commentary...
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom ||
12/09/2004 01:15 ||
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Thank you Japan.
Posted by: Don ||
12/09/2004 9:51 Comments ||
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I second that, Don. Japan has people with vision. They know when future history (oxymoron alert!) is happening. Iraq matters, and the rest of the world getting involved matters!
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Intelligence agents raided an Afghan refugee camp in northwestern Pakistan and arrested two alleged Islamic militants, a security official said Thursday. The suspects were being questioned following their arrest late Tuesday in a raid on the 
