Sunday, May 1, 2011

Al Qaeda Terror Plot in Germany Linked To Training In Waziristan Area of Pakistan


Once again we see the importance of al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan in the world wide onslaught of islamic terror camps as it has now come out that the main member of the al Qaeda cell plotting the terror attack in Germany trained in the Waziristan area of NW Pakistan.

From the report at The Long War Journal:

The suspected ringleader, a 29-year-old college drop-out identified as Abdeladim El-K., was charged with planning a terror attack in Germany and being a member of a foreign terror organization. The other two suspects are still being questioned.

Griesbaum said the 29-year-old Moroccan had attended an al Qaeda terror camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan near the Afghan border in 2010. He returned to Germany in May 2010 and was attempting to build a terror network here with an estimated seven to eight members.

"But it could also be more than that," said Joerg Ziercke, president of the Federal Crime Office (BKA), at the news conference at the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. "We'll learn more with our investigation."

The suspects had cheered Thursday's bombing in Marrakesh where 15 were killed, Griesbaum said.

NOT A SUICIDE BOMBING

The other suspects are a 31-year-old electrician identified as Jamil S., who holds dual German and Moroccan citizenship, and a 19-year-old with German and Iranian citizenship, Amid C., who was about to graduate from high school.

Okay, this article gives me a chance to address this whole aspect of al Qaeda training camps and their effect on world wide islamic terrorism. We see this German plot and like so many other al Qaeda plots, they follow one of the members' past dealings and they find that he was trained and the mission originally plotted in an al Qaeda training camp. For the past number of years those camps have been located in Pakistan ....why you ask? Well, because al Qaeda's preferred training camp home of Afghanistan is occupied by U.S. Marines and soldiers.

Let's not miss this very important point - al Qaeda doesn't want to have to hide their training camps in Pakistan - they are at risk from the Pakistani military, local issues with warring factions of the Taliban and local tribes and of course, some predator drone attacks from the U.S. At the same time Pakistan has such a dense population compared to the huge open spaces of Afghanistan.

So, when you discuss the fact that you want U.S. troops and NATO forces out of Afghanistan you best understand that this will come with a heavy price. In less than a year of our withdrawal, the Taliban will be back in power in Afghanistan. And with the Taliban back in power, you will have more al Qaeda training camps than you can shake a stick at and with al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan which offer complete protection, you end up with all of the masterminds of the islamic terrorist world settling in for the plotting of the major attacks like 9/11.

Are you sure you ready to pay this price?



Al Qaeda plot in Germany linked to Waziristan


Reuters has additional information on the three "al Qaeda" operatives arrested in Germany late last week:

The suspected ringleader, a 29-year-old college drop-out identified as Abdeladim El-K., was charged with planning a terror attack in Germany and being a member of a foreign terror organization. The other two suspects are still being questioned.

Griesbaum said the 29-year-old Moroccan had attended an al Qaeda terror camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan near the Afghan border in 2010. He returned to Germany in May 2010 and was attempting to build a terror network here with an estimated seven to eight members.

"But it could also be more than that," said Joerg Ziercke, president of the Federal Crime Office (BKA), at the news conference at the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. "We'll learn more with our investigation."

The suspects had cheered Thursday's bombing in Marrakesh where 15 were killed, Griesbaum said.

NOT A SUICIDE BOMBING

The other suspects are a 31-year-old electrician identified as Jamil S., who holds dual German and Moroccan citizenship, and a 19-year-old with German and Iranian citizenship, Amid C., who was about to graduate from high school.

Jamil S. was tasked to arrange the financing of the attack and obtain identity papers for Abdeladim El-K. Amid C. was responsible for ensuring encrypted communication.

I put al Qaeda in quotes above because it would be interesting to know exactly which group (or groups) Abdeladim El-K, Jamil S., and Amid C. are members of. Given that they are Moroccans, could they be affiliated with the Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group or the Salafia Islamiyah? Or perhaps al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb? Or, since they are from Germany, is it possible they were members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or its offshoot, the Islamic Jihad Union (both of these groups are very active in Germany)? Or are they just plain al Qaeda? How would al Qaeda classify these three?

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