News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinewar-on-terroralqaeda — Viewing Item


Alqaeda arrest tips effective { March 3 2003 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30978-2003Mar2.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30978-2003Mar2.html

Arrest of Comrade Led To Mohammed's Capture

By Kamran Khan and Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, March 3, 2003; Page A01


KARACHI, Pakistan, March 2 -- Intelligence developed from the capture of a key al Qaeda lieutenant five months ago helped lead to this weekend's arrest of reputed al Qaeda operations chief and Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Pakistani authorities said today.

A series of arrests and interrogations in recent months, notably the capture of Mohammed's cohort, Ramzi Binalshibh, has pierced some of the secrecy surrounding al Qaeda, throwing the organization into disarray and forcing its leaders to go on the run, Pakistani police and intelligence officials said. Mohammed narrowly escaped arrest three times in the past five months, one official said.

U.S. authorities said they expect a trove of leads from the search of Mohammed's living quarters in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, and from interrogations he is undergoing at an undisclosed location outside Pakistan. Congressional intelligence committee leaders said they are hopeful Mohammed's capture will quickly lead authorities to other al Qaeda figures, including perhaps Osama bin Laden.

Even as they savored the long-sought arrest of one of the world's most dangerous men, U.S. law enforcement officials intensified their scrutiny of suspected al Qaeda sympathizers who may try to expedite their terror plans because they fear being exposed soon as a result of Mohammed's arrest. They are also concerned, they said, that the arrest will spur more al Qaeda violence.

FBI counterterrorism agents in this country are "working harder than ever, if that's possible," said a senior FBI counterterrorism official. Mohammed's capture, he said, is bound to have a huge impact on others in the organization. "It could go both ways -- it could send them to ground or it could activate a retaliatory strike," he said.

Everything found in Mohammed's living quarters will be immediately analyzed by the FBI for leads on other al Qaeda operatives or clues to planned attacks on U.S. interests.

"Computers, pocket litter, names, phone numbers -- it's all perishable information. You've got to move quickly to get that stuff," one source with long experience in counterterrorism said. "If there is a U.S. phone number, you've got to get on that quickly. There could be all kinds of records. If they get his black book, they'll be busy. There is just a ton of work to be done."

That sort of work is best done before an arrest is publicized, U.S. officials said, but in this case Pakistani authorities released the news right away.

Members of Congress who oversee the U.S. intelligence community predicted Mohammed's capture would quickly lead to more members of al Qaeda.

Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.), chairman of the House intelligence committee, called the arrest "a very huge event. This is the equivalent of the liberation of Paris during the second world war."

Appearing on ABC's "This Week," Goss likened Mohammed's importance to that of Joseph Goebbels, the top Nazi propagandist of Adolf Hitler. He said the arrest would give U.S. authorities "more focus and more clarity on exactly where to go and what to look at." He predicted "other very successful activities very shortly."

Goss, who has been briefed by intelligence officials on Mohammed's capture, said he believes Mohammed knows the whereabouts of bin Laden and has been in contact with him. He declined to say whether he had been told that by intelligence officials.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, told "Fox News Sunday" the arrest would effectively put an end to a spring offensive officials believe al Qaeda was planning for Afghanistan.

"The idea behind this program is to go after the top 10," Roberts said. "We got the operations manager; more coming. Look out, al Qaeda. . . . It's a real coup for us. And I think there will be more coming."

After being put on the defensive by Democratic charges that the focus on Iraq could distract from the broader war on terrorism, White House officials reveled in the capture for what one official called "both its symbolism and its substance." They also said they expect it to lead to more arrests.

Authorities have also linked Mohammed to the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, a failed plot two years later to blow up 11 U.S. airliners, and since Sept. 11, 2001, the bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia that killed 21 people. Another prisoner has accused Mohammed of killing Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl last year.

U.S. officials say Mohammed is a key conduit to al Qaeda networks in Asia, Europe and the United States, and is behind the round of threats that put the nation on high alert status last month.

Mohammed spent time in Hamburg, Germany, with the members of the Sept. 11 hijacking cell, and he took credit for organizing them.

Terrorism experts said they expect a spike in al Qaeda chatter picked up by intelligence operations, as operatives around the globe communicate with one another about whether they or their plans have been compromised.

"I'm sure his closest lieutenants are on the move," said Magnus Ranstorp, an internationally known terrorism expert at St. Andrews University in Scotland. "They will spend more time worrying about their security than planning a spectacular attack."

But, Ranstorp cautioned, "there are contingency plans whenever someone is arrested. . . . There are people willing to step in and fill his shoes."

U.S. officials declined to say where Mohammed was taken for interrogation. Other high-value captives, including Binalshibh, have been turned over to intelligence services in Arab countries allied with the United States in its war on terror, such as Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.

U.S. officials decided before the arrest that they would not seek to bring Mohammed to trial in the United States, said a source knowledgeable about the decision. They say getting Mohammed's information is more important than bringing him to justice in U.S. courts.

Authorities have been anticipating the capture for months. U.S. and Pakistani agents "were on [Mohammed's] tail since the arrest of Ramzi . . . who was Mohammed's right-hand man," a Pakistani intelligence official said.

"At least thrice in the past five months, we went close to Mohammed's arrest. But each time, he either managed to dodge us or the luck helped him out," he said.

Since agreeing to support the United States in its anti-terrorism campaign and its military operation in Afghanistan in the fall of 2001, the Pakistani government has handed over about 300 al Qaeda suspects to U.S. authorities, officials here say.

Binalshibh, a former roommate of al Qaeda suicide pilot Mohamed Atta, has been described as the planner of several attacks on U.S. and other Western targets inside Pakistan. He was apprehended in this port city on the first anniversary of the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and Pakistani officials said his capture -- like that of Mohammed -- was made possible by an earlier raid.

"Abu Zubaida's arrest led to Ramzi's capture," the official said, referring to the apprehension of al Qaeda's top recruiter in Faisalabad, Pakistan, in March 2002. "Ramzi showed the way to Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and Mohammed may lead the Americans to Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri," bin Laden's top aide.

Interviews with Pakistani officials involved in coordinating with the FBI and the CIA in operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban revealed an increasing degree of optimism within the Pakistani intelligence community. In the words of one Pakistani official, al Qaeda "now stands disintegrated, with its commanders on the run."

Stressing that, to his knowledge, Binalshibh did not betray Mohammed while under interrogation, one official said that Binalshibh's capture "provided incredible intelligence and human sources on al Qaeda and its operations to the Americans."

The official acknowledged that after being given custody of Binalshibh by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency within a few hours of his capture, U.S. agents have not shared all information obtained during his interrogation at an undisclosed location.

Pakistani officials confirmed today that, like Binalshibh and several other captured al Qaeda operatives, Mohammed was driven to Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi by Pakistani intelligence officials Saturday night. There he was handed over to the United States.

Schmidt reported from Washington. Staff writer Mike Allen contributed to this report.



© 2003 The Washington Post Company





american-alqaeda-video
bl-sons
chinese-boston-threat
cia-bomb-maker
dutch-alqaeda
egypt-nov-2004
khan
kidnappings
prince-charles
trumped-up-terror-charges
15 pakistani troops die in alqaida hunt { March 23 2004 }
16 alqaeda spain { January 24 2003 }
Administration feed terror suspect
Al qaeda detainee spoke of fire plot
Algiers suicide bombers were jailed { December 14 2007 }
Alqaeda 18000 potential at large { May 25 2004 }
Alqaeda algerians in uk { September 14 2003 }
Alqaeda arrest tips effective { March 3 2003 }
Alqaeda arrests { February 4 2003 }
Alqaeda enemy in america
Alqaeda fighters denies being killed on web { September 15 2005 }
Alqaeda fires rockets from jordan hits israel
Alqaeda group may not exist
Alqaeda hobbled by arrest { March 3 2003 }
Alqaeda just bush boogeyman { January 11 2005 }
Alqaeda leader in iraq killed again
Alqaeda myth blown out of proportion { May 23 2002 }
Alqaeda number 2 cites failed pakistan airstrike { January 30 2006 }
Alqaeda opeartive has australian accent { August 10 2005 }
Alqaeda plans oil fields { March 11 2003 }
Alqaeda plot foiled in germany { December 3 2004 }
Alqaeda searches russia
Alqaeda seeks to expand operations { April 20 2007 }
Alqaeda singapore plot
Alqaeda suspect knows saudi prince phone number
Alqaeda tape urges western attacks { May 21 2003 }
Alqaeda targets russell crowe
Alqaeda threat norway doesnt make sense { May 21 2003 }
Alqaeda threatens france for headscarf ban
Alqaeda to help wage sectarian iraq war { February 9 2004 }
Alqaeda video trainig shooting kids { March 9 2003 }
Alqaeda web posts threats { December 8 2002 }
Alqaida accused US of faking alqaeda letter { October 14 2005 }
Alqaida crippled says mossad
Alqaida funded by 12 { October 20 2002 }
Alqaida is 70 percent gone says state department { January 23 2004 }
Alqaida possessed tactical nuclear weapons
Alqaida strike again { October 17 2002 }
Alqeada starts forest fires says fbi
Alzarqawi reportly arrested in iraq
American soldier gave alqaeda information { February 12 2004 }
American voice on new terror video { October 29 2004 }
Assad doubts existance al qaeda
Authorities close muslim school in germany
Bin laden deputy claims US on brink of defeat
Binladen top deputy zawahri sends videotape
Bombing in algeria claimed by new alqaeda branch
Bombings may spur antiterror unity { May 19 2003 }
Briefing depicted saudis as enemies backing terrorism { August 6 2002 }
Britain charges 8 in alqaeda plot { August 18 2004 }
Britain says 1600 british born alqaeda terrorists { November 10 2006 }
Britain sheltering al qaeda leader { July 8 2002 }
British connection alqaida revolving door { February 14 2002 }
British thwart hijacking terror attacks
Bush policies directly funding alqaeda { January 2007 }
Captured alqaeda kingpin is mistaken identity { May 8 2005 }
Cia paid pakistan bounty for alqaida suspects { September 26 2006 }
Cia says iraq recruiting tool for islamic extremists { February 17 2005 }
Citizen convincted alqaeda assassination plot
Colombia busts hamas alqaeda false passport ring
Confusion persists over iraq alqaeda leaders identity { May 10 2008 }
Convincted drug dealer praised in terror plot role { June 4 2007 }
Counterterror analyst says alqaeda at pre911 strength { July 12 2007 }
Dirty bomb
Disinformation alqaeda
Europeans training terrorists in iraq
Experts doubt validity on jfk airport plot { June 5 2007 }
Fbi alert for sleeper cell
Fitandwell un { August 29 2002 }
Fort bragg sergeant aided bilnladen followers { May 20 1999 }
France ricin found
German police raid mosque for islamic extremist videos
Group kidnaps toy soldier in iraq { February 2 2005 }
Group recruits muslims { December 4 2005 }
Gunman attack consulate in saudi arabia { December 6 2004 }
Indonesian islamic groups controlled by intelligence { October 16 2005 }
Intel says alqaeda strong based pakistan border { July 17 2007 }
Iran accuses us not serious { May 28 2003 }
Iraq new terror breeding ground war created haven { January 14 2005 }
Iraq replaces afghanistan as top terror training spot { January 14 2005 }
Iraq terrorists radicalized by occupation of iraq { July 17 2005 }
Iraq war boosted alqaeda { May 20 2003 }
Jet misses hawaii skyrise
Jordanians doubt zarqawi is even alive { November 12 2005 }
Lax shooting
Lebanon alqaeda
Losing africa afghanistan { November 8 2002 }
Malaysia alqaida
Mastermind of madrid { July 29 2004 }
Memo details alqaeda saddam cooperation { November 24 2003 }
MI5 let alqaida in britain
Middle class muslims recuited in british universities { July 10 2005 }
Militants rigged koran with explosives { November 12 2003 }
Military manual advocates employing terrorists { June 15 2008 }
Musharraf says alqaeda not headquartered in pakistan { July 26 2005 }
Mystery shrouds alqaeda escape in yemen
New alqaeda tape reveals video process { January 31 2006 }
New alqaeda treath from southeast asia division { November 30 2005 }
New york bomb plot overblown { July 10 2006 }
New york terror case based on unscrupulous informant { January 9 2007 }
NY police creates terrorism to solve { January 9 2007 }
Officials see signs revived alqaeda { May 17 2003 }
Osama deputy letter says iraq to be islamic
Osama plot kill bush
Pakistan army closes in on alqaeda
Pakistan arrests nations most wanted alqaida militant { May 4 2005 }
Pakistan religious schools in spotlight { July 25 2005 }
Pakistan remains terror hub with US effort { July 25 2005 }
Pakistani army kills al qaeda suspects { October 3 2003 }
Pentagon unit mission to manipulate alqaeda { August 13 2005 }
Pope comments ignite alqaeda response of doom
Ptech terror link { December 7 2002 }
Ptech terror navy fbi
Qaeda sympathisers use rap to recruit { September 11 2001 }
Reid blames zionists { October 3 2002 }
Report says iraq war strenghening alqaeda { July 17 2007 }
Saudi alqaeda chief was saudi police { June 21 2004 }
Saudi amensty program nets alqaeda leaders { July 14 2004 }
Saudi sheik allows bin laden to nuke americans
Shooting at la airport terrorism { April 12 2003 }
Sleeper cells
Soldiers mutilated over iraqi woman rape incident
Spain arrests more alqaeda { September 18 2003 }
Suicide bomber comes from US secret detentions { July 25 2007 }
Suspect says mi5 can clear his name { October 22 2001 }
Suspected alqaeda agents seen everywhere { May 28 2004 }
Syrian leader doubts al qaidas existance { May 26 2003 }
Tape with terror threat is broadcast { October 29 2004 }
Terror suspect paints alqaeda picture in plea bargain
Terrorist factory running at guantanamo bay { June 17 2008 }
The rise of suicide bombing around the world { July 17 2005 }
Top alqaeda expert top candidate for mi5 boss { December 17 2006 }
Top alqaida lieutenants escaped before testifying { November 1 2005 }
Trinidad group denies link to NYC plot { May 2007 }
Truck driver pleads guilty alqaeda plot { June 20 2003 }
Tunisian soccer player convincted alqaida trial
Turkish alqaida group claims responsbiliity for istanbul attacks
Uk says alqaeda making dirty bomb { January 31 2003 }
US allows saudis to finance alqaeda { July 26 2007 }
Us and uk trade terrorism like commodity { September 25 2005 }
Us intelligence says alqaeda ineffecitve
US missile parts at alqaeda target site
US picks new iraq alqaeda leader from jail { July 6 2006 }
US says alqaeda near defeat { May 30 2008 }
US says mossad agent is american alqaeda leader
Us soldier charged in alqaeda sting
War spread terrorism { June 16 2002 }
White man with bomb at capitol gets little attention { April 30 2008 }
White supremacy leader supports alqaeda { March 29 2005 }
World wide hunt 4 alleged members
Yemeni cleric sentenced to terror conspiracy { July 29 2005 }
Zarqawi boogie man may not exist { July 5 2005 }
Zarqawi linked to alqaeda and nothern kurds and saddam { October 9 2004 }

Files Listed: 153



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple