Book 'im, Mahmoud!
15 suspected forces of Evil allegedly trained by beturbanned fascisti in neighbouring Somalia and who were plotting attacks in Æthiopia, the country's intelligence agency said on Wednesday.
The arrests were the latest in a crackdown on what bigwigs say is a growing threat from hard boy Islam in Æthiopia, a Horn of Africa nation predominantly comprised of Orthodox Christians and a large minority of Moslems.
The would-be forces of Evil were caught following a 20-day sting operation while they plotted to set up cells in the eastern town of Harar and in Kemise in the northeast, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) said.
"Members of the group were recruited, trained and armed by Somalia's al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
and their aim was to wage Jihad [holy war] and stage attacks inside the country,'' an NISS statement said, aired by the state-run Æthiopian Television.
Addis Ababa has sent troops to Somalia to help other African countries battling to crush al-Shabaab's six-year insurgency.
The suspects, whose nationalities were not disclosed, were said to have crossed into Æthiopia from Somalia and Kenya.
Wednesday's TV report showed police displaying large amounts of arms including rifles and grenades, as well as black flags with Arabic inscriptions. The report said CDs and video tapes of "jihadist messages'' were also seized during the operation.