April 7, 2006

NEW ARRESTS IN SOUTH RIYADH, ZULFI AND OTHER CITIES. THE WORLD FOLLOWS UP COUNTER TERRORISM OPERATIONS, ARRESTS AND TRIALS. THE EU LINKS ENERGY TO FOREIGN POLICY. JORDAN FOILS A PLOT TO FREE AL-QAEDA PRISONERS AND ESTABLISHES A CENTRE FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM. ONE-THIRD OF THE WORLD'S 130 CIVILIAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH REACTORS LACK SECURITY NEEDED TO PREVENT THEFT OF MATERIALS. An official source at the Ministry of Interior issued a statement saying that security follow-up of activities of the deviant group resulted in the detection of many suspicious movements in various regions of the Kingdom. After discovery of those movements, the security forces managed to seize those involved in those activities as follows: First, the security forces managed to track down a group consisting of 19 members, citizens and expatriates, adopting deviant thoughts and aiming at dissemination of deviant thinking and misleading propaganda through the internet network in addition to carrying out criminal operations and provision of financial support for those activities. The security forces carried out simultaneous operations in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, the eastern province, Qasim region and Asir region and managed to arrest all members of the group and legal procedures against them are going on. Second, following the sinful attack against the industrial plants in the province of Abqaiq on 25/1/1427 H. and following security forces' storming of a rest house in Al Yarmouk neighborhoud in 28/1/1427 H., the security forces managed to arrest eight people directly linked to that cell in both Riyadh and Qasim regions. The eight people had an active role in preparing places, providing financial support and publishing misleading media propaganda. Some of them disseminated their material through the internet network recently. Weapons, documents, electronic devices and other items were seized in their possession. In the same context, security forces managed to discover another group in the eastern region consisting of 13 members of deviant thoughts who carried out law-breaking activates including fund raising to finance suspicious activities and possession of weapons and explosives. After searching one of their locations in the province of Abqaiq, the following items were seized: 99 hand grenades made in russia, 22 gas grenades, 4 illumination grenades, 18 machine guns, 131 machine gun magazines, 2 hunting rifles, and huge amounts of ammunition and metal detection device. All operations were carried out without any injuries. Security follow-up measures are continuing. Identities of those involved in those activities have not been released for public interest. Saudi security forces arrested 40 suspected terrorists in three different operations around the Kingdom in the past two weeks, the Interior Ministry announced. "It was not one operation but a series of operations aimed at tackling terror early on," ministry spokesman General Mansour Al-Turki said. Those arrested are suspected members of Al-Qaeda terrorist cells, some of whom appear to have links to the Feb. 25 foiled attack on the Abqaiq oil refinery in the Eastern Province. The ministry has not released the names of any of the detained suspects. The ministry statement said that security forces tracked a number of suspicious movements in various areas of the Kingdom by people who were stockpiling weapons, providing material and financial support to the terrorists' cause, and using the Internet to spread subversive propaganda and promoting acts of violence. In one operation, Saudi security forces tracked 19 suspects who were eventually arrested. The suspects were arrested for "adopting the perverted ideology and spreading it through the Internet plus executing criminal acts along with providing financial support for those activities," said the ministry statement. In another operation, security forces arrested eight suspects linked to the perpetrators of the failed Abqaiq oil refinery attack where two vehicles were stopped at the gate after a shootout that left two attackers and two security officers dead. The suspects allegedly provided members of the cell involved in the attack with shelter, funds and propaganda that had been posted on the Internet. Security forces confiscated weapons, documents, electronic devices and other items. In a third operation, 13 suspects were rounded up in the city of Abqaiq. In one of their hide-outs authorities discovered 99 Russian-made grenades, 22 tear gas grenades, 18 Kalashnikovs, four flares, 131 machine-gun magazines and two hunting rifles and a metal detector. In addition to the weapons and explosives charges, the suspects have also been accused of fund-raising for their cause. Saudi security forces also discovered and disarmed explosive devices planted in two separate vehicles near the country's largest oil refinery at Abqaiq, an Arabic local daily newspaper reported. The paper said security forces broke into a house in the town of Al-Muntaar where Saudi Arabian Oil Company employees live to find two booby-trapped cars with the company's logo on them. The daily said several bombs, machine guns and explosive materials were found, adding that the owner of the house was arrested and was being interrogated. General Al-Turki said that there were only two terror suspects at large from a list released by the Interior Ministry in June of known suspected terrorists believed to have been in the Kingdom. "If we see that there is a need to issue a new list in the upcoming two weeks we shall," said Al-Turki. "It depends on our investigation." The leader of the Al-Qaeda network in Saudi Arabia, Fahd ibn Faraj Al-Joweir, was among five militants killed in a shootout in the Al-Yarmouk district of Riyadh on Feb. 28. Al-Joweir was accused of being behind the foiled attack on the Al-Abqaiq refinery three days earlier. Two terrorists were killed in the attack when their two car bombs exploded. The Al-Qaeda terrorist network claimed responsibility for the February attack in a statement published on an Al-Qaeda website, and announced preparations for further attacks on the Saudi oil industry Authorities arrested a man in his 50s wanted in connection with security cases, reported Al-Watan newspaper. Authorities threw a security loop around the new airport neighborhood (where the suspect was reported to be) and restricted all exits and entry to the area and all roads leading to his house were shut down. The raid lasted for about an hour and shots were heard. Police searched his house and seized his GMC van parked inside the garage. The man worked with Aramco in Abqaiq before he moved to Harad. The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, General Mansour Al-Turki, clarified the reasons behind withholding the suspect's name and explained it was to protect the man in case he turned out to be innocent. He also added Saudi authorities foiled several terrorist attempts before they were carried out, proving their ability and efficiency in combating terror. The confiscated car is suspected of being wired with explosives to be used in a terrorist attack. The suspect had turned himself in after hearing the firearms during the raid. Eyewitnesses say he is a married man who keeps to himself but no one noticed anything suspicious about him. Police raided a traditionally built home in the middle of the Zulfi District where a suspect belonging to a deviant group was located newspaper. As soon as authorities were tipped off to the whereabouts of the man they put on a sting operation. Police found no resistance from the suspect who turned himself in. He is now under interrogation. Saudi Arabia has called for the establishment of guidance councils within Gulf prisons. The proposal was made at a meeting of the heads of rehabilitation centers and correctional facilities in the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states. According to Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harithy, director of prisons in the Kingdom, the proposal was aimed at minimizing violent incidents, such as attacks against prison guards or fights among inmates. "The proposal that we have made in the meeting does not mean that violent incidents have become a phenomenon in our prisons. We aim by this to minimize the incidence of such cases through education and counselling," Al-Harithy told reporters after the meeting. He said that though Article 29 of the prison regulations was clear on punishments, it would be better to prevent violence through guidance or counselling. However, he ruled out any leniency in carrying out punishments for violent acts committed in prisons. "Whenever punishment needs to be meted out, it should," he said. The officials discussed the possibility of allowing people convicted of minor offences to move freely within GCC. The meeting, which concludes today, is expected to come out with recommendations for implementation. The officials recommended that certain proposals be returned to GCC ministers of interior for further elaboration. One of these topics concerns the background history of an inmate and whether or not it should be dropped from the inmate's profile if he maintains good conduct throughout his incarceration. An earlier proposal called for keeping an inmate's history in his file if he does not maintain good conduct in prison for two years. It also recommended that the profile of prisoners who have been sentenced for minor offenses be removed if they behave properly during their imprisonment. A Yemeni court sentenced six men to between five and 20 years in prison for kidnapping a group of Italian tourists earlier this year, the Yemeni news agency SABA reported. The court's chief judge Najeeb Al-Qadiri sentenced four of the group to 20 years in prison from the date of arrest. The other two were sentenced to 10 years and five years respectively. All were granted the right to appeal within the legal period, it said. The court held the first session where it discussed the case in January 18th, after the district attorney's office accused the six of forming an armed gang and kidnapping tourists. The Italians, three women and two men, were freed after a five-day ordeal in ma'rib region following a standoff between security forces and the kidnappers. On the other hand Jordanian intelligence have foiled a planned attack on Swaka prison organized by a group of Jordanian, Palestinians and Iraqis. The Jordanian spokesman Nasser Jouda said the planned attack was foiled in its early stage. He added that it was planned by Al Qaeda to liberate prisoners in Swaka prison on top of whom Azmi Al Jayousi. All members of the group were detained and will stand trial. Meantime German customs agents have raided the offices of 41 companies suspected of links to Iran's nuclear programme. Prosecutors said specialised equipment worth several million euros that could have been used for a nuclear programme had been shipped to Iran via Russia. The suspicious exports were traced to a Berlin firm no longer in business. Prosecutors said seven men, mostly of Russian origin, were suspected or organising the network. The men have not been arrested and their whereabouts have not been confirmed. Benedikt Welfens, a spokesman for the German prosecutors' office, told the ARD TV network that the Berlin-based company acted as a cover for a network involved in exports to Iran. "Its main business is the supply of Iran's nuclear programme," Mr Welfens said. "We found out that the employees of this company purposefully contacted companies in Germany in order to purchase very specific components for Iran." He suggested that the goods were worth up to three million euros ($3.6m; £2m). "It's not that much, but it may rise. We have to look at the information and data that we've found," he said. Germany has strict rules against selling sensitive technologies to a number of countries and police are currently working on two other cases. An investigation is underway against four men suspected of trying to obtain missile technology for a foreign intelligence service and a German engineer is on trial for allegedly helping Libya's now defunct nuclear programme. German leaders and Mohammed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urged Iran on Monday to suspend its nuclear program as top diplomats will meet over the issue here on Thursday. The foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States will meet in the German capital at the invitation of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier over the Iran nuclear issue, according to a report from the German news agency DPA. Differences remain among the nations over the Iran nuclear issues. China and Russia are opposed to possible sanctions against Iran. "We are not in a position today to say that (Iran's nuclear) program is exclusively for peaceful purposes," ElBaradei told reporters after meeting Steinmeier. "I would like Iran to do what they can right now to lower our doubts ... until negotiations resume," said ElBaradei, who also met German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Steinmeier said: "Iran must suspend all enrichment work, including research." In Brussels a Belgian journalist armed with a pistol and plastic explosives came within striking distance of French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during last week's summit of European Union in Brussels. The operation was filmed and was aired in the website of news magazine Telefacts. The journalist of the local commercial broadcaster VTM managed to get in the hotel of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac with a gun and a bomb. The program says that she was able to enter the building with an alarm pistol. Later, another journalist brought her ten bullets. The next day the journalist managed to smuggle in the necessary materials for a bomb "strong enough to blow up an entire floor", according to the program. The journalist claims that nobody of the security personnel did so much as ask her a question. She also got within a three meters range of both heads of state with the alarm pistol. The Brussels police, however, say that the journalist never displayed suspicious behavior. The spokesperson added that the journalist would have immediately been arrested if she had. Also in Brussels Intelligence sources warned from attacks similar to those that took place in Madrid. The sources said a dormant cell related to the Muslim Moroccan Wariors, banned in Morocco and linked to Al Qaeda is planning attacks on different areas. The government issued its instructions to all municipalities and governmental bodies to heighten their security measures. On the other hand European Union leaders gave the go-ahead for a common energy policy to be drawn up but disputes over energy liberalisation and cross-border mergers reverberated round their summit. A leading goal of the summit is to define how EU countries can coordinate energy policy, by negotiating jointly with suppliers such as Russia or by helping any member country suffering from a sudden supply cut-off. "I'm very delighted that the leaders are backing our call for an energy policy for Europe, that it makes sense to have a common strategy for Europe," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told a midnight news conference. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country holds the bloc's rotating presidency, said a lot of work remained to be done but decisions made would lead to a total change of EU energy policy within the next decade. The disputes over cross-border mergers and liberalisation in the energy sector, however, overshadowed the official agenda. "We cannot be open for business with the rest of the world and closed to each other," Barroso said in a clear reference to moves by some members of the 25-nation bloc to protect their main energy companies from foreign predators. Chirac said it was crucial EU nations coordinated energy policies but that free market principles alone could not shape the bloc's future power industry. "We must do everything to encourage the development of 'European champions', based on solid industrial ambition and not on a purely financial approach," he said, according to notes released by his staff. Schuessel said the leaders' debate covered energy prices, the EU's growing dependency on energy imports and the need to boost "green" energy forms. They agreed on the need to coordinate national regulators but not to create a new European super-authority, he said. But Schuessel, whose country rejects atomic power, said: "It is quite clear there is a general consensus ... that each country has the right to choose her energy mix. Nobody can be forced to use nuclear power plants." For almost two years, intelligence services around the world tried to uncover the identity of an Internet hacker who had become a key conduit for al-Qaeda. The English-speaking, presumably young webmaster taunted his pursuers, calling himself Irhabi -- Terrorist -- 007. He hacked into American university computers, propagandized for the Iraq insurgents led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and taught other online extremists how to wield their computers for the cause. Suddenly last fall, Irhabi 007 disappeared from the message boards. The postings ended after Scotland Yard arrested a 22-year-old West Londoner, Younis Tsouli, suspected of participating in an alleged bomb plot. In November, British authorities brought a range of charges against him related to that plot. Only later, according to our sources familiar with the British probe, was Tsouli's other suspected identity revealed. British investigators eventually confirmed that they believe he is Irhabi 007. After pursuing an investigation into a European terrorism suspect, British investigators raided Tsouli's house, where they found stolen credit card information, according to an American source familiar with the probe. Looking further, they found that the cards were used to pay American Internet providers on whose servers he had posted extremist propaganda. Tsouli has been charged with eight offences including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to cause an explosion, conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, conspiracy to obtain money by deception and offences relating to the possession of articles for terrorist purposes and fundraising. Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane and fly it into the White House as part of the attack that unfolded September 11, 2001. Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom. His account was in stark contrast to his previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions. On Dec 22, 2001, Reid was subdued by passengers when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoe aboard American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. There were 197 people on board. The plane was diverted to Boston, where it landed safely. Moussaoui, a French citizen, told the court he knew the World Trade Center attack was coming and that he lied to investigators when arrested in August 2001 because he wanted it to happen. In Jordan the Special Operations Forces Exhibition 2006 (SOFEX) of the latest military defence equipment and technology used to combat terrorism was inaugurated under the patronage of King Abdullah. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, deputising for King Abdullah, inaugurated the SOFEX 2006 Conference, held under the slogan "Counter-terrorism: United in the Fight Against a Common Enemy." The conference, attended by Prince Faisal, who is chairman of the SOFEX board, brought together military personnel from all over the world to exchange opinions on means to counter terrorism. "We in Jordan have a pragmatic approach in combating terrorism... We work on empowering Jordanians to combat the culture of terrorism by focusing on spreading the Amman Message and enhancing dialogue amongst religions," the premier said in his opening address. "Terrorism knows no borders or religions and we shall win the war against terrorism," he added. The conference also included presentations on the evolution of special operations forces in modern warfare, combating terrorism in the Middle East, and developing Iraq's counter-terrorism capabilities. Brigadier General Jamal Shawabkeh, commander of the Jordan Special Operations Forces, said the conference was important not only for the Jordan Armed Forces, but also for the participants as it paves the way for them to meet and become familiarised with latest anti- terrorism techniques. He said that under the directives of King Abdullah Jordan is establishing a centre for counter-terrorism which will be one of the largest centres in the area, with a cost of around $ 150 million, adding that the US share is $ 100 million while the Jordanian armed forces share is $ 50 million. On the other hand the chief U.S. nuclear proliferation official said One-third of the world's 130 civilian nuclear research reactors lack security upgrades needed to prevent theft of materials that terrorists could use to build an atomic bomb. In an interview with USA TODAY, Linton Brooks, director of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said most of these reactors use highly enriched uranium, the easiest fuel used to make atomic bombs. "Fresh" highly enriched uranium the supply not yet used in reactors is hard to detect and safe enough to handle with bare hands. The U.S. government won't say specifically where the unsecured reactors are. All reactors in the USA, Russia and Eastern Europe have adequate security, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration and Holly Harrington of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That's an improvement over 10 years ago when many Soviet bloc research reactors were particularly vulnerable to theft. Eight reactors not in those countries are slated to receive improved perimeter fencing, surveillance cameras and material storage. That leaves 47 reactors with inadequate or questionable security in China, Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency list. There are also research reactors in countries hostile toward the United States, including Iran and North Korea. The IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, says 38 countries have reactors that use highly enriched uranium. Brooks said security has improved at former Soviet bloc research reactors with U.S. funds of about $1 billion a year. The upgrades were driven by concerns that the sites lacked the security of military bases. These reactors, often found at universities or hospitals, contain about 18 tons of highly enriched uranium, according to a 2004 Harvard University study. That is enough for 400 to 800 nuclear weapons. The world's research reactor security efforts are "at about 3" on a 1-to-10 scale with 10 being safest, said former senator Sam Nunn, who helped create the 1991 U.S. plan to secure nuclear materials.