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THE MIDDLE EAST'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY Thursday, May 15, 2003 / 14 Rabi` al-Awwal 1424 |
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DUBAI, 14 May 2003 — A senior Al-Qaeda leader has unveiled the organization’s long-term plans to carry out major terrorist attacks in Gulf countries. “We’ll attack the rear of the American Army,” he warned. In an e-mail message to Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, Abu Muhammad Al-Ablaj disclosed the presence of large quantities of weapons and explosives in Gulf cities to carry out the planned attacks. Ablaj, who is also known as Mulla Saifuddin, refused to say how Al-Qaeda managed to collect these weapons and explosives. However, he claimed that Al-Qaeda was in a position to manufacture its own explosives. Ablaj identified himself to Al-Majalla as supervising commander of the Mujahedeen training center belonging to the Al-Qaeda and Taleban organizations, but refused to disclose the center’s location. In his message, which was sent to the magazine last Saturday, Ablaj said Al-Qaeda’s attack plans would not be affected by Wednesday’s announcement by Saudi authorities that they foiled major attacks in the Kingdom by 19 terror suspects. “Only three of them are officially associated with Al-Qaeda,” he said without mentioning their names. The remaining 16 had taken part in the Afghan war, he added. “Our attack plans are moving ahead without major changes. The day is approaching when there will be proof of what I am saying,” he said, adding that the upcoming attacks would be much stronger. Ablaj has not previously been heard of as an Al-Qaeda operative, but the magazine, which is well-respected in the Arab world, said he had been in touch with them since early April, promising anti-US attacks. In his latest comments, he appeared to stress that Al-Qaeda would focus on military targets in the Gulf. “With all the experience of guerrilla warfare it has gained in Afghanistan and Chechnya, Al-Qaeda will move the battle to the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, and air bases, warships and military bases will become targets,” the magazine quoted Ablaj as saying. The Al-Qaeda commander said Saudi security sources received information on the planned Al-Qaeda attack inside the Kingdom from people he described as traitors. Gulf security sources meanwhile said it was premature to talk about Al-Qaeda’s attack plans. “It seems they wanted to include a cross-section of Saudis as they did in New York. The 17 men mentioned in the list come from all different parts of the Kingdom,” they added. Ablaj had sent another e-mail message to the magazine on April 7 but it decided not to publish it. In that message, he had said that the group had completed preparations for a major terrorist operation aimed at both governments and the retreating American Army. “The attack will be carried out in a month or less,” he warned. The message had said: “We are now ready and are organizing our groups as well as stocking up on arms. We are preparing for an intensive strategic course to make America pay for its invasion of Iraq. We are prepared to hit America as well as other targets, and it will happen soon and often, for we must inflict a mortal blow on the ‘Crusaders’. This is how we will liberate Iraq, God willing. You will be provided with the details soon. The martyrs are ready. The leadership and those who will direct operations have arrived. We have been waiting for the region to reach critical mass, and it has. What is important is that the matter will be resolved within a month at most.” Ablaj said that the priority of Al-Qaeda’s strategic goal was to carry out terrorist attacks on Gulf countries and others allied with the United States in addition to operations within the US.
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