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Sunday,
September 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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FBI
detains 25 in Kentucky Muslim
nations asked to hand over ‘terrorists’ Bail-out
plan for US airlines Attacks
cost $ 30-40 bn to insurance companies Free
airlift for victims’ kin Fundraiser
for attack victims
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London a haven for international terrorists
London, September 22 He is reported to have said: “Who are the biggest allies of the USA? Which is the next biggest target? It’s got to be here”. If he is right, it will mean that London has lost its immunity from Islamic terrorism that it has enjoyed for many years, thanks to its position as a convenient base for dissident groups. Britain’s liberal attitude to free speech and its laws on asylum and immigration allow these groups to operate here with impunity, as long as they do not commit a crime in this country. For them London, as a global communications centre, is an ideal base for propaganda and controlling the activities of their supporters around the world. It is also the international financial capital, and thus excellent for raising and manipulating funds. Three years ago ANI conducted a series of interviews in London, Paris and Cairo on the subject of Islamic terrorism. One of those interviewed in London was Saad Al-Fagih, the Director of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, whose purpose is to bring down the royal regime in Saudi Arabia. He told ANI: “The freedom of expression in the UK the stable legal system, and the very good reputation of the judiciary, is a fairly good guarantee that, if we keep working in a peaceful way, totally dedicated to our cause, which is special to Saudi Arabia, we find it difficult to imagine that we will ever be in danger”. London is also an operating base for members of the Egyptian terrorist group, al-Gama’at al Islamiya, which carried out a massacre of 62 tourists at Luxor in November, 1997. One alleged member is Yasser al-Sirri, who runs an Islamic rights group here and is said to have provided help for the two suicide assassins who killed the anti-Taliban Afghan leader, Ahmad Shah Masood last week. Another alleged member is Adel Abdel Bari, who is in custody awaiting extradition to the USA for his alleged role in the bombing of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in 1998. Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has accused Britain of “protecting killers”. His chief adviser, Osama El-Baz, when interviewed three years ago, told ANI: “They [the terrorists] are using British territory in order to raise funds, to gather, communicate and issue statements, and to send instructions to their agents in different countries, and so on. And the British government has been saying all along that so long as they are not violating British law there is nothing that can be done”. The head of Osama bin Laden’s organisation in Britain is said to be Khalid al Fawwaz, a Saudi dissident who is also in jail awaiting extradition to the USA in connection with the embassy bombings. He is accused of printing thousands of copies of Bin Laden’s fatwa against the USA and of channeling funds through a London bank account. His appeal against extradition has gone to the House of Lords, the highest appeal body, and his legal costs, said to amount to £ 1 million, have been paid by the state. Another Saudi dissident, Mohammed Al-Massari, has been using a base in England for propaganda against the Saudi regime. Following complaints from Riyadh, the government tried to deport him in 1996, but no country would take him, so he was allowed to stay. Shortly after the World Trade Center atrocity, Omar Bakri Mohammed, the leader of a dissident group called Al-Muhajiroun, expressed his happiness at what had happened. He said: “Much as I regret the innocent people who passed away, with the USA you must pay”. One of his associates, Imran Javed, said openly in a BBC interview that British targets would be “legitimate” for terrorists, if Britain supported USA, Public support for Bin Laden has also come from Abu Hamza, who lost an arm and an eye fighting in Afghanistan, and is wanted by Yemen for his alleged role in a bombing there two years ago. Both he and Omar Bakri are denounced as extremists - “the lunatic fringe” - by the Muslim community, but they are allowed to operate freely. The government has been criticised for not taking action against these dissidents and their groups. Anti-terrorist legislation has been tightened up in recent years, but it has not been implemented. Repeatedly politicians have declared that Britain must not be allowed to become a haven for international terrorists, but it is just that. It is now an offence for anyone resident in the UK to conspire to commit terrorist acts abroad, and the police are allowed to prosecute people for incitement to commit offences abroad or at home. Abu Hamza and Omar Bakri, at least, would seem to fall into that category, but they are still free. In pursuance of its anti-terrorism policy, the government last February proscribed 21 organisations, banning them from operating in the UK. The list included Bin Laden’s Al-Qa’ida and Al-Gama’at al-Islamiya, alongside terrorist organisations operating in Kashmir, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Harkat Mujahideen. The aim was to make it easier for the police to take action against the groups. But, seven months later, not a single prosecution has been brought.
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China, USA agree to fight terrorism Washington, September 22 President George W. Bush welcomed China’s Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan to the White House for a 20-minute meeting, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity as the USA hunts the masterminds of last week’s assaults, in which more than 6,000 persons were killed or remain missing. China has condemned the attacks and signalled it would not oppose US retaliatory action, though has called for any military response to be endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. US officials said yesterday Beijing could prove a useful ally in what the USA has said will be a “war” against terrorism, with Saudi exile Osama bin Laden as top suspect. “The Chinese have proximity, they have contacts, they have an understanding of the region, they have some information about how these people travel and where they go, they might have some insights into finance,” said a senior State Department official. Mr Powell told reporters after his talks with Mr Tang: “We agreed to cooperate in this campaign against terrorism.” Mr Tang added that both sides had already started anti-terrorism cooperation. “Our attitude on the question of terrorism has always been clear-cut and consistent. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn all forms of terrorism in all their evil acts,” he said.
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FBI detains 25 in Kentucky Burlington, (Kentucky), September 22 “Numerous persons were interviewed and at least 25 have been detained on potential immigration law violations,” Louisville, Kentucky office of the FBI, said in a statement yesterday. It said people were detained after six warrants were issued to conduct searches in northern Kentucky. Local television stations in nearby Cincinnati, Ohio showed three federal vans transporting some detained people and seized materials in large bags to an undisclosed destination. The local reports said the raids were conducted at an apartment near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. They quoted residents of the complex as saying that the FBI and Immigration and Naturalisation Service agents timed their raids to coincide with Friday Muslim prayers inside the complex.
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Muslim nations asked to hand over ‘terrorists’ Damascus, September 22 Almoharrer weekly said the FBI asked Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen to turn over the suspects or “face the consequences”. The weekly, Syrian-owned but edited in Paris and Beirut, cited-European diplomats in France for its report, which was not confirmed by the Syrian authorities here. It said the list given to Damascus included 100 persons belonging to Palestinian “extremist groups,” while the one sent to Lebanon featured 40 persons “linked to terrorism since the 1970s”. Forty persons were on the list sent to Iran, all of whom had been sought since that country’s Islamic revolution in 1979, it said. Among them was Lebanese national Imad Mughniyeh, suspected of the 1984 kidnapping of William Buckley, CIA’s station chief in Beirut. Earlier this week, Jane’s security website said Israel military intelligence believed Mughniyeh was one of the masterminds of last week’s terrorist attacks in the USA. The other was named as an Egyptian, Ayman al Zawahiri, believed to be a senior member of Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda. Almoharrer said the FBI also asked the Philippines to hand over three Omani nationals arrested while they were taking pictures of the US Embassy in Manila, as well as Abu Sayyaf, whose extremist group had been responsible for a string of kidnappings.
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Bail-out plan for US airlines Washington, September 22 The measure, which must also win the backing of the House of Representatives, yesterday passed by a vote of 96 to one. The package will provide the airlines with $ 5 billion in federal cash assistance and $ 10 billion in loan guarantees. Another $ 3 billion was allocated for extra airline security costs, coming out of a $-40 billion package already passed by congress to help rebuild after the attacks. The Bill also establishes a fund to compensate families of victims of terrorist attacks and sets limits on procedures by which airlines can be sued for damages linked to acts of terrorism. The House was to vote on the measure later. Asked about the state of the US airline industry, Democratic Representative James Oberstar earlier said: “I think it is teetering on the edge of collapse.”
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Attacks cost $ 30-40 bn to insurance companies Washington, September 22 “A number of figures have been batted around but in the area of $ 30 to 40 billion seems to be the number that most focus on,” he told reporters here yesterday after a meeting between US insurance executives and US President George W. Bush at the White House. Mr Greenberg said the industry was well-capitalised “and will meet its claims and obligations”, arising out of the disaster. But he called for the USA to take up special measures to protect the US industry in case of further attacks. The US industry should follow the example of Britain’s Pool Re, a government-backed reinsurance scheme which meets cost of claims over $ 1,46,000 due to terrorist attacks. “There is no question that in future strikes, the insurance industry needs to have a government facility very much like the British have done,” Mr Greenberg said.
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Free airlift for victims’ kin Canberra, September 22 Mr Downer said the government would pay for economy-class plane tickets to New York for two family members of each of those believed killed, including travel insurance and three nights’ accommodation in New York. Three Australians are confirmed dead in the attacks, with another 20 believed to have died in the World Trade Center and 32 more still unaccounted for. “Where it appears certain that an Australian citizen has died, or where a victim has an Australian next of kin, the government is ready to assist two close family members to visit New York,” Mr Downer said.
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Fundraiser for
attack victims Los Angeles, September 22 The event, “America: A Tribute to Heroes,” was broadcast by the four major US
television networks in an unprecedented act of solidarity. All funds collected from the programme were to be funnelled into relief efforts, with the costs of the broadcast underwritten by the NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox networks.
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Army deployed for Bangladesh poll Dhaka, September 22 Though this is not a new phenomenon, the deployment of armed forces, comprising army, navy and air force, created slight controversy this time. Armed forces and paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops were deployed four days ago in nine trouble-torn sub districts. The deployment of forces has been welcomed by all quarters. The President of Bangladesh is the supreme commander of armed forces. Recently, the president house in a press note announcing the decision to deploy armed forces said it would act as deterrent to poll related violence. The police chief recently admitted that there were reports of at least one death daily due to poll violence. Several hundred injured persons in innumerable incidents of violence were undergoing treatment. The controversy was created when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson, Ms Khaleda Zia, had demanded the deployment of armed forces before September 15. Her rival, president of the Awami League Sheikh Hasina, opposed the idea and demanded the deployment of armed forces one week before the polling day as was done in earlier times. Finally the deployment date was fixed on September 25 and for that the movement will begin today. The Chief of Army Staff Lieut- Gen Haroon-ur-Rashid told the official news agency that 55,000 troops of the three services and 10,000 BDR personnel would be deployed. They would be camped in districts and would move on request by the civil administration. The troops will remain on poll duty till October 6. Meanwhile, the BDR was assigned to assist the police in the recovery of illegal arms and arrest of wanted criminals. In some selected places the BDR assisted the police in raids and helped nab wanted persons and recovery of arms.
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