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German expert sez al-Qaeda may attack Eastern European nations
A German expert in international terrorism has warned al-Qaeda will launch "massive attacks" in Eastern European countries - where the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has recently been alleged to be holding terror suspects in secret prisons. "I can't rule out the existence of such prisons," Rolf Tophoven, director of the Essen-based Institute for Research on Terrorism and Security Policy (IFTUS) the online daily Netzeitung."If we come to discover that secret CIA prisons do exist in certain countries, we should be prepared for the eventualiyt of large-scale terror attacks on these countries," Tophoven predicted. Last week, the European Union announced it was penning a joint letter to the United States seeking clarification on reports of the existence of CIA interrogation camps in Europe. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the CIA had been interrogating al-Qaeda suspects at secret facilities in eastern European countries, some of which are EU member states. US officials have refused to confirm or deny the allegations. The Washington Post quoted current and former intelligence officials and diplomats as sources for its story that alleged a covert prison system was set up by the CIA nearly four years ago which at various times included sites in eight countries, including Afghanistan, Thailand, as well as several eastern Europe nations. The EU action comes amid reports in the European press this month that CIA planes are using European airports to carry terror suspects. A Spanish judge is investigating allegations that the CIA used a Spanish airport in Majorca as a base for transporting Islamic terrorism suspects. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-11-28 |
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