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| Arabia | |
| Al-Qaeda gunmen wrote farewell letters | |
| 2004-05-05 | |
| Brothers Samir and Sami Al-Ansari, two of the terrorists involved in Saturdayâs killing spree here, wrote farewell letters to their families before going on the rampage. Sources close to the family told Al-Watan newspaper the two visited their father Suleiman Al-Ansari last Friday to âseek forgivenessâ, though without mentioning their real intentions. The sources said the two brothersâ wives turned up at the fatherâs house in tears Sunday morning, saying farewell letters left behind by their husbands told them to do so. The moment the women were inside the house, the shooting started. The family had no idea that the cousin of the two, suspected ringleader Mustafa Al-Ansari, who disappeared 10 years ago after a warrant for his arrest was issued, had secretly returned to the Kingdom. He was reportedly meeting with his cousins daily for a month prior to the attack, training them in bomb making and the use of weapons. But the sources said nothing suggested that Sami and Samir had turned to extremism and their work for a contractor with the Royal Commission here was ânormal.â Mustafa Al-Ansari fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet occupation 15 years ago. Also known as Abdul Naser, he was regarded as a senior fighter in Afghanistan and was also active in Somalia and Yemen. After a warrant for his arrest was issued in the Kingdom, he fled to London, where he joined Saudi dissidents Saad Al-Faqih and Muhammad Al-Masari, according to the Interior Ministry. Mustafaâs brother Ayman, the fourth man involved in the killings, was a high-level engineer who graduated from King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. But sources said he became withdrawn when his son died shortly after birth three months ago and his wife went to Jeddah for treatment. He changed noticeably from what in retrospect must have been the time when Mustafa came to live with him, they said. The curtains were drawn at the Al-Ansari family home in the Al-Zaher district of Makkah on Monday and the family refused to speak to the press. The imam of the local mosque said Mustafa and Aymanâs father was well known in the neighborhood and was âresponsible for the mosque.â A neighbor said prior to his disappearance Mustafa had struck him as ordinary and there was no indication that he was a violent person. Meanwhile, the owner of a Kia van used by the terrorists as a getaway vehicle said they took the van from his driver at gunpoint. Yasser Al-Jehani said his Indian driver was taking Al-Jehaniâs children to school when the terrorists, who were dressed in Western clothes, forced him out of the car at gunpoint.
Al-Jehani said he had bought the car only the previous day. It was not clear whether this was the transaction a witness reported earlier and which contributed to the belief that the attack had been carefully planned. | |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 ... training them in bomb making and the use of weapons. But the sources said nothing suggested that Sami and Samir had turned to extremism There were no suggestions at all. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester TROLL 2004-05-05 8:46:23 AM |
| #3 [Troll droppings deleted] |
| Posted by: Man Bites Dog TROLL 2004-05-05 8:46:23 AM |
| #2 Well! Progress! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-05 6:01:03 PM |
| #1 [Troll droppings deleted] |
| Posted by: Man Bites Dog TROLL 2004-05-05 8:46:23 AM |