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| Europe |
| Senior German intel officer sez al-Qaeda hierarchy dismantled in Western Europe |
| 2006-05-19 |
| A senior German police intelligence officer testified this week in a Dusseldorf court that an organized, hierarchical al Qaeda network no longer exists in Western Europe, Dutch media reported May 18. Al Qaeda's leadership has mostly ended direct planning and oversight of attacks, relying instead on video and Internet communications to inspire and promote continued attacks, she said. The officer was testifying in the trial of three Arab men accused of attempting to financially aid al Qaeda through an insurance scam, as well as attempting to procure material for a "dirty bomb." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #3 The Germans may be right in a sense. Al Qaida has been pretty roughed up over the past five years. They may have pulled the heavy hitters out and brought them back to the Middle East in an attempt to rebuild their organization, leaving a skeleton group of agitators in place in Europe. We've seen the attempt to turn Somalia into another Afghanistan, the unrest between Sudan and Chad, the constant banging and booming in Yemen, the attacks in the Sinai, and the growing presence of AQ in "palestine". That doesn't mean AQ isn't still a threat in Europe, just that the 'big boys' are working elsewhere. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-05-19 13:48 |
| #2 Making mischief means beatings and killings and small explosions, not designer epidemics, gas attacks on entire cities, or smuggled-in nuclear/dirtynuke bombs. Making mischief is the "boys will be boys" default over there. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-05-19 11:31 |
| #1 And what if al-Q has just devolved its organization like the gangs in California? No "leader", just endless individuals all making mischief in ad-hoc groups more based in their neighborhood than anything else. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-05-19 09:53 |