At Home and Abroad

[thedrifter]

November 30, 2002

At Home and Abroad


Suspected terrorist leader in custody

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia has arrested a midlevel leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist organization allied with al-Qaeda and blamed for the Oct. 12 bombings in Bali that killed 200 people.

The suspect was arrested on Monday, a government official said Friday. He is not connected with an alleged suicide-bomb cell whose members were rounded up last week, the official said.

He said most of the Jemaah Islamiyah's leaders are either in custody or have gone abroad, probably to Indonesia.


Pair investigated in connection with plot

PARIS - Two brothers-in-law detained in an anti-terrorism sweep - one considered to be an important player among radical Muslims - were formally placed under investigation Friday for an alleged plot to bomb a market place and cathedral in Strasbourg, France.

Four other people detained in Monday's sweep were released, officials said.

The six were taken into custody in one of three operations over a four-day period that resulted in 19 people being detained. Seven have been placed under investigation - a step short of being charged under French law.


Israel shuts down two embassies

JERUSALEM - Israel temporarily closed its embassies in the Philippines and South Africa and may shut down additional diplomatic missions following twin attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

Israel also has tightened security around its missions worldwide, ministry spokesman Ron Prosor said.


U.S. struggles to protect soldiers

WASHINGTON - As the Pentagon girds for possible military action against Iraq, it is having problems providing U.S. troops with state-of-the-art protective gear against chemical and biological attacks, lawmakers from both parties said this week.

The lawmakers' worries have been buttressed by the General Accounting Office, which recently reported ``continuing concerns'' about equipment, training and research. The GAO said that for six years, ``we have identified many problems in the Defense Department's capabilities to defend against chemical and biological weapons and sustain operations in the midst of their use.''

The latest problem Pentagon officials uncovered involves gas masks that have the wrong gaskets and will require extensive inspections to ensure that they are functioning properly.

- From news service reports

Copyright 2002 The Register-Guard
unless labeled as being from the Associated Press (AP),
in which case Copyright 2002 Associated Press

Sempers,

Roger

[thedrifter]

By WILLIAM C. MANN
The Associated Press
11/30/02 3:08 PM


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department on Saturday warned Americans in the East African nation of Djibouti, where U.S. troops are posted, that terrorists may be planning attacks similar to those last week in Kenya.

The government had not confirmed the credibility of information concerning the threats, which also were thought to cover other countries in the region, according to a State Department statement.

"Due to the preponderance of threat information, the department believes it prudent to share this information with American citizens so they can make an informed decision in deciding whether to travel to or remain in East Africa," the statement said.

Thousands of U.S. troops are in Djibouti, a former French colony at the tip of the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. Gen. Tommy Franks, who is overseeing the fight against terrorism, has said they are there to help in that effort.

The State Department statement did not mention that military presence in Djibouti. Calls to Pentagon spokesmen were not immediately returned Saturday.

The statement mentioned Thursday's attacks at Mombasa, Kenya. Three suicide bombers killed 10 Kenyans and three Israelis in an attack against an Israeli-owned hotel. Two surface-to-air missiles just missed an Israeli Arika Airlines jetliner after it took off for Israel with 261 passengers and 10 crew members.

"The U.S. government has received information, the credibility of which has not yet been confirmed, that similar attacks may also occur in Djibouti," according to the statement. Djibouti is "one of a number of countries in East Africa where there may be an increased terrorist threat."

Americans should "remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and exercise caution," the statement said.

"Increased security at official U.S. facilities has led terrorists to seek softer targets" such as residential areas, hotel, schools, resorts, beach areas, the statement said.

In a separate travel warning, the department reaffirmed its advice of March 18 for Americans to put off travel to Yemen. It noted "credible reports that terrorists have planned attacks against U.S. interests in Yemen. The security threat to all American citizens in Yemen remains high."

Yemen was the site of an attack in October 2000 against the destroyer USS Cole, which killed 17 sailors and caused tens of millions of dollars damage to the ship. A pilotless CIA drone rocketed a car Nov. 3 in Yemen, killing six people including an alleged leader of the al-Qaida terror network.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Sempers,

Roger

[thedrifter]

Those designated ‘combatants’ lose crucial legal protections

By Charles Lane
THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 — The Bush administration is developing a parallel legal system in which terrorism suspects — U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike — may be investigated, jailed, interrogated, tried and punished without legal protections guaranteed by the ordinary system, lawyers inside and outside the government say.



Sempers,

Roger