25-01-2003 06:29									#1
	Major al-Qaeda attack foiled by Spanish. Inflate your Upload Space

Late breaking new: Al-Qaeda was planning a major terrorist attack in western Europe which has, thankfully, been stopped by Spanish police with the help of British & French intelligence.

quote: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar says police have thwarted a "major terrorist attack", following the arrest of 16 suspected al-Qaeda militants in the north-eastern Catalonia region. The dismantled network has connections with terrorists arrested recently in France and Britain who were preparing to carry out attacks, using explosives and chemical materials Prime Minister Aznar Mr Aznar described the arrests as an extraordinarily important strike in the war against terror, adding that explosives and chemical materials were seized. More than 150 anti-terrorist police agents took part in the pre-dawn swoop against the suspected al-Qaeda cells in more than a dozen apartments in Barcelona and elsewhere in Catalonia. Mr Aznar said the group had connections to people recently arrested in Britain and France. They have now been brought to Madrid, where they will be held in police custody before being brought before magistrates for questioning. The arrests come two days after an operation in Italy to arrest five Moroccans on charges of illegal possession of explosives. The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner said there had been an unprecedented level of co-operation between the intelligence services of several European countries including Britain's MI6. Suspicious chemicals Mr Aznar, speaking in the north-western city of La Coruna, said those arrested had links to Algerian militant groups. Bomb-making components were seized in the raids "[The police] have broken up a major terrorist network... linked in this case to the Algerian Salafist group, a splinter of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), which has clear connections with the criminal organisation of Bin Laden," he said. Interior Minister Angel Acebes said suspicious resins, fuels and other chemicals were being examined, along with electronic equipment, detonators and remote controls for use in bomb-making. Mr Acebes said the suspects were divided into two groups, both led by Algerians. A suspect named as Mohamad Tahraqui was said to be in charge of the Barcelona-based group, while the other operated out of Banolas in neighbouring Gerona province under the leadership of a man named as Bard Eddin Ferdji. The raids, which were ordered by Judge Guillermo Ruiz Polanco, took place after a lengthy investigation assisted by the French and British authorities. The BBC's Margaret Gilmore says there has been a massive anti-terrorist investigation in the UK since the discovery of traces of ricin in a north London flat several weeks ago. The investigation unearthed a huge number of names and phone numbers of terrorism suspects all over Europe which have been passed on to intelligence officers in the relevant countries. Al-Qaeda meetings "The dismantled network has connections with terrorists arrested recently in France and Britain who were preparing to carry out attacks, using explosives and chemical materials," Mr Aznar said. Most of those arrested were Algerian "I want to highlight once again that when we talk about the fight against terrorism and the circles around it and when we talk about ensuring the safety and the peace of all, we are not talking about fantasies," he added. Over the course of the past year, Spain has arrested about 20 people thought to have links with the militant Islamic organisation. However, many of these have been released on bail because of lack of evidence. Several of the arrests have taken place in Catalonia, which has a large immigrant population from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Spain is thought to have hosted a number of important meetings by top al-Qaeda operatives in the run-up to the 11 September attacks on the United States. Mohammed Atta, who led the attacks, is known to have visited Spain twice in the months leading up to them.

	25-01-2003 06:32									#2
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When is UK finally going to shut down these radical mosques in its territory?

	25-01-2003 06:33									#3
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Bueno para ellos.

	25-01-2003 06:34									#4
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Well late breaking news Was on the breakfast news this morning here.

Links up with the ricin discoveries in London the other wek, and the discovery of explosives and maps of military bases and London landmarks in Italy yesterday.

In other words, next attack might well be in Europe :/

	25-01-2003 06:38									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Lord Merciless When is UK finally going to shut down these radical mosques in its territory?

They dawn raided the main example of these (Finsbury Mosque home of the 20th suicide pilot, and the shoe bomber), arrested some people, confiscated weapons and false IDs.

But like the US there's some form of freedom of speech here, so you can't just go around shutting down places because they stuff you don't like.

When I studied in Manchester there was always posters calling for a Jihad against the US on lamp posts in the area that I lived in. Not much they can do about it tbh.

	25-01-2003 06:42									#6
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quote: Originally posted by lightblue When I studied in Manchester there was always posters calling for a Jihad against the US on lamp posts in the area that I lived in. Not much they can do about it tbh.

Out of curiosity, what is the difference between the rhetoric of islamist clerics and the rhetoric of neo-nazi groups as it applies to European law?

	25-01-2003 07:21									#7
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HA! Up your *ss, al-Qaida!

	25-01-2003 07:30									#8
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quote: Originally posted by DinoDoc Out of curiosity, what is the difference between the rhetoric of islamist clerics and the rhetoric of neo-nazi groups as it applies to European law?

That's a good question and one which I'd like to hear as well. If they can silience neo-Nazis for hate speech then why not neo-facist muslim fanatics?

	25-01-2003 07:55									#9
	Re: Major al-Qaeda attack foiled by Spanish. Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by Oerdin Late breaking new: Al-Qaeda was planning a major terrorist attack in western Europe which has, thankfully, been stopped by Spanish police with the help of British & French intelligence.

Wooo! Go Spain, Britain and France!

Another terror attack foiled and undoubtably many lives saved.

	25-01-2003 08:26									#10
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Once again,America owes a debt of gratitude to our allies.

Personally, If our European allies don't want to get involved in an Iraqi War more power to them. They are doing more than enough actively cooperating in the War on Terrorism(tm)

	25-01-2003 09:24									#11
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Hell, they're doing more in the War on Terrorism than we are, since we seem to be barking up the wrong tree.

	26-01-2003 08:57									#12
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It is more than a bit suspicious that the countries which traditionally bust up "al qaeda terrorist cells" are italy,spain and britain. the 3 countries that are fanatically pro US in the EU. italy and spain because of their current near far right wing governments and uk because of tradition.

I'd think twice before just accepting what is presented at me at face value.

	26-01-2003 09:00									#13
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quote: Originally posted by paiktis22 the 3 countries that are fanatically pro US in the EU.

We can not really expect much work out of anti-US countries like Greece and France.

	26-01-2003 09:02									#14
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quote: Originally posted by DinoDoc We can not really expect much work out of anti-US countries like Greece and France.

Are Greece and France anti-US or Pro Al-Qaeda? At least in the case of the former it is hard to tell.

	26-01-2003 17:35									#15
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quote: Originally posted by DinoDoc Out of curiosity, what is the difference between the rhetoric of islamist clerics and the rhetoric of neo-nazi groups as it applies to European law?

I am really not sure tbh. The flyers had website and email addresses on them so wouldn't have been too hard to track down. This was a few years ago, iirc the law that makes incitement to religious hatred a crime was only introduced after 9-11. And the BNP is allowed to spout its racist propaganda as well, so maybe its slightly less strict in the UK. Think actual incitement to violence (which calling a Jihad is i suppose) is a crimce though. But the police only went into that neighbourhood in armored vans and wearing body armor, so maybe they just ddin't bother.

I also think that at least in Germany the law is specific on Nazi symbols and the like and does not take into account other radical factions.

	26-01-2003 19:00									#16
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quote: Originally posted by DinoDoc Out of curiosity, what is the difference between the rhetoric of islamist clerics and the rhetoric of neo-nazi groups as it applies to European law?

Donīt know how it is in the other countries, but I donīt think there is such a big difference when they openly call for violent action. But our neonazi parties/groups act most of the time on a more subtle level, they hardly use these aggressive rhetorics in public. For example there are attempts to forbid the neonazi party NPD for years now, but many experts believe they could fail, because it is hard to proof that this party is acting aggressively and violent against our constitution.

To the nazi sign/symbols: I may be wrong, but I thought this is a direct consequence of the war crime tribunals (Nuremberg)after WWII where SS, NSDAP etc were marked as criminal organizations.

	26-01-2003 19:41									#17
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yep there's been a lot of activity on the terrorism front lately and some great work by the police and intelligence services across europe