|
The New York Sun October 3, 2003:
A prominent Muslim activist charged with
dealing with Libya and suspected of paying bills for a terror cell in Oregon,
also had dealings with a German cleric closely associated with several people
who planned and carried out the September 11 terror attacks.
As investigators determine how close
Abdurahmann Alamoudi is to supporters of terrorism they are also scrambling to
find out what they can about the movements of a top Saudi Arabian official who
stayed at the same northern Virginia hotel as the three Saudi men who would
hijack a plane the next morning and crash it into the Pentagon.
The new developments come as three men are
being held for possessing classified information about the detainees at the
American military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Authorities believe one of the men was
spying for Syria and is connected to Mr. Alamoudi. As a result of the recent
incidents, law enforcement officials told The New York Sun they are reevaluating
what is known about how terror cells operate in America.
"We're just beginning to scrape the tip of
the iceberg about what we know," Senator Schumer said. "Over the last several
years fanatic followers of Islamic fundamentalism have inserted themselves into
different parts of American life. We have to figure out what danger the
situation presents and how to deal with it."
Steven Emerson, a terrorism expert, warns
the danger is great. "The insinuation of Islamic fundamentalists into the
military, politics, and other walks of life is the greatest penetration of U.S.
national security in history," Mr. Emerson said.
The FBI stepped up its probe into Mr.
Alamoudi - a well-known activist who has met with President Clinton and the
current President Bush - after receiving a report from British officials that he
had tried traveling to Syria with $340,000 in cash "intended for delivery in
Damascus to one or more of the terrorists or terrorist organizations active in
Syria," according to court papers.
The investigation got a boost from the
German government, which turned over a file from its ongoing probe of Mohammed
Belfas, a prominent cleric in Hamburg who has denied having anything to do with
terrorism
The file contained a photo of Mr. Belfas
meeting with Mr. Alamoudi in Virginia, according to sources.
In addition to that photo - which was seized
from Mr. Belfas's apartment in Germany after the September 11 attacks - were
several pictures of Mr. Belfas in front of buildings including the Pentagon and
the U.S. Capitol.
While Mr. Belfas has never been charged with
- or officially linked to - terrorism, law enforcement sources say there is a
concern the pictures were taken as part of a scouting mission.
"There is evidence linking Mr. Alamoudi to
the Portland Seven and there is the fact he was trying to bring a large amount
of cash to terrorists in Syria," one law enforcement official said. "The
question is how far and deep are these links."
One terrorism expert, Lorenzo Vidino of The
Investigative Group, said the contact with Mr. Belfas raises a red flag.
"While it is safe to assume that Mr. Belfas
was not involved in the operational end of the attacks he definitely is known as
a recruiter for the organization and someone who helps indoctrinate people into
the radical theology," Mr. Vidino says. "Contact with him can be seen as contact
with the organization."
Meanwhile, federal agents are trying to
retrace the steps of a top Saudi official who stayed in the same hotel as three
of the September 11 hijackers the night before they flew a plane into the
Pentagon.
"There has not been nearly enough
cooperation from the Saudi government when it comes to fighting terrorism,"
Senator Schumer said. "We need them to take a stand. We need their assistance in
this fight and so far it has been lacking."
Mr. Emerson said that while the arrest of
Mr. Alamoudi and the translators working at Guantanamo Bay shows progress, it
also shows the problem is widespread.
"For so long Mr. Alamoudi and others have
tried to show that they are part of the mainstream," he said. "When the truth is
that they have pulled the wool over the eyes of so many."
Michael Cherkasky, a former prosecutor who
is now chief executive officer of Kroll, an international security firm, agrees,
saying that all the recent incidents illustrate the problems facing
investigators.
"It's a very complex task figuring out who
everyone is and what their motives are, as well as tracing where the money is
coming from and where it is going."
|