Morocco — home to most of the suspects in the Madrid train bombing — is teeming with some 100 al-Qaida-linked cells that are capable of suicide attacks, and pose Europe's biggest terrorist threat, Spain's leading anti-terrorism judge has testified. Each cell has five to 10 members, "so we are talking about 900 to 1,000 people who could be sought by police now in Morocco," Judge Baltasar Garzon told lawmakers investigating the March 11 attacks, which killed 190 people. "In my opinion it is the gravest problem Europe faces today with this kind of terrorism," Garzon said yesterday, quoting police and intelligence data.
| I'd expect to see smaller cells than that for security purposes, but maybe Moroccans are a gregarious lot... |
Many of the groups are in northern Morocco, with members who speak perfect Spanish and are able to slip easily in and out of Spain — just a short ferry ride away across the Strait of Gibraltar. The groups raise money by dealing hashish, selling stolen cars and smuggling people into Spain, he said. "They use every means and mechanism, and their activity can even be initially perceived as ordinary delinquency."
| The difference between a crook and a terrorist being how the guy puts his turban on in the morning... |
Morocco has done its share of finger-pointing at Spain since the March 11 Madrid bombings, but both countries have pledged to work closely against terrorism. Garzon also complained yesterday that European law enforcement bodies, intelligence services and courts lack a clearly-defined strategy for fighting Islamic terrorism. "At least I don't know of one yet, despite all the efforts that are being made," Garzon said.
| We haven't seen one here yet. Occasionally great police work seems to be routinely tossed by the courts. When the bad boyz do get jugged, it's for relatively short periods of time. Once their debt to society's been paid, they're free to run up more debt, even assuming they haven't stayed in the business while in jug. |
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