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| Terror Networks |
| NATO tracking 50 ships suspected as Al Qaida assets |
| 2003-10-29 |
| From Geostrategy-Direct, subscription req’d. Abdul Rahim Al Nashiri is no longer a threat. He was captured a year ago and has been talking to the CIA about his involvement in Al Qaida, especially its naval assets. But members of U.S. intelligence continue to have a nagging feeling that Al Qaida has already restored its naval terrorist force capable of attacking Western military and merchant ships throughout the Gulf and Arabian Sea. Al Nashiri, Al Qaida’s naval operations chief and a Saudi native, was captured in October 2002. His interrogation has provided Western intelligence agencies with an assessment of the importance Osama Bin Laden had placed on destroying Western shipping. The suicide strike in 2000 against the USS Cole in Yemen was only a warm-up. The 2002 suicide attack on the French supertanker Limburg off the coast of Yemen was to have been another exercise. Unfortunately, Al Nashiri’s value to U.S. authorities has long expired. Intelligence experts believe that Al Qaida renews its operations and command structure at least twice a year. That means Western agencies have been left with a taste of Al Qaida’s intentions but remain in the dark over current capabilities. Bin Laden has been investing heavily in naval terrorist assets, intelligence sources say. They report that Al Qaida has purchased a number of small vessels for suicide strikes in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and the Mediterranean. The estimated size of the Al Qaida fleet varies. Some sources said about 20 vessels are being prepared for suicide strikes while others say fleet numbers into the hundreds. "We know it’s going to happen and we’ve warned every country in the Gulf to be prepared," said a U.S. intelligence source. The campaign could commence during the Islamic fast month of Ramadan, which began Oct. 27. Al Qaida and other Islamic terrorist groups have used Ramadan for the worst of their outrages against Western targets. It is a time of religious passion and many Muslims could see such attacks as an inspiration. Al Nashiri was involved early in process. He was the mastermind behind the USS Cole attack in 2000 which 17 U.S. sailors were killed. Al Nashiri also masterminded the attack on the Limburg in October 2002. U.S. authorities also suspect Al Nashiri of being behind plans to bomb the U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain. That plot was disclosed in January 2002 after a top Al Qaida operative was captured by Pakistan as he attempted to flee Afghanistan. So far, NATO has been tracking 50 vessels suspected of being either bought or leased by Al Qaida and related groups. These vessels range from fishing boats to merchant ships. As early as April, NATO allies have been coordinating efforts to improve security in the western Mediterranean, particularly around the Straits of Gibraltar. The alliance launched a preemptive policy of stopping and boarding suspicious ships. Another measure involved escorting tankers through the Straits of Gibraltar. Other vulnerable points include the Horn of Africa and the Bab el Mandeb. Al Qaida terrorists have trained in some of these areas in such areas as commandeering merchant ships. One scenario envisions Al Qaida insurgents in a rubber Zodiac boat seizing a merchant ship and rigging it with explosives to attack another Western naval ship or the port of a U.S. ally. At least one ship was pirated in 2002 off the coast of Indonesia in a joint operation by Abu Sayyaf and Al Qaida. The international community has been slowly gearing up to improve security at ports and on merchant ships to prevent terrorist attacks. But the pace has been leisurely and intelligence experts warn that the vulnerability to an Al Qaida attack at sea is far greater than that of civilian airliners. This was Al Nashiri’s key conclusion. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #4 It is a time of religious passion and many Muslims could see such attacks as an inspiration. Because, after all, Islam is a religion of peace. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-10-29 5:49:44 PM |
| #3 If these ships really exist, pick the one that's most Jihadilicious-looking and capture it to see what/who's on board. Or just sink the things. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2003-10-29 5:04:46 PM |
| #2 Unfortunately, Al Nashiri’s value to U.S. authorities has long expired. All righty then. Feed him to the sharks. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-10-29 4:48:37 PM |
| #1 Ah, yes, the invisible al-Qaida navy. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-10-29 4:43:57 PM |