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| Terror Networks |
| More Details About Qaddafi's Plot to Assassinate Prince Abdullah |
| 2004-07-31 |
| From The Washington Post .... [Abdurahman] Alamoudi ... acted as the primary go-between in a plot that emerged from the rivalries of Arab politics -- in this case, a March 2003 conference at which Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and Prince Abdullah had a heated exchange. Angered at how Gaddafi was treated, Libyan officials recruited Alamoudi for what turned out to be the assassination plot. Even after he learned that the target was Abdullah, Alamoudi shuttled money and messages between Libyan officials and two leading Saudi dissidents in London who were coordinating the plot, the documents said. Although Gaddafi is not named as a planner, sources familiar with the case said he appears in the documents as "Libyan government official #5," who met personally with Alamoudi. Sources said the plan came close to succeeding even after Alamoudi was arrested at Dulles International Airport in September 2003, but it was broken up by Saudi intelligence officials. ... Born in Eritrea, Alamoudi is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He automatically lost his citizenship with yesterday's plea and has signed a deportation order. The only way he could stay in the United States after his prison term is if he cooperates in other investigations, law enforcement sources indicated. Alamoudi is a longtime activist who helped found the Pentagon's Muslim chaplain program. As head of the American Muslim Council, he was deeply immersed in gaining Muslims a greater voice in American politics, meeting with senior Clinton and Bush administration officials. ... The two Saudi dissidents, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Libyans, are not named in court documents. But sources knowledgeable about the case say they are Saad Faqih and Mohammed Massari. Both are influential figures who condemn what they see as Saudi corruption and the kingdom's lack of democracy, and both have a wide following in Saudi Arabia. ... The Saudi government has said for years that Faqih and Massari are closely affiliated with al Qaeda. U.S. and other western government officials have said the pair has had extensive dealings with proponents of violent jihad. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |