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Al Qaida cells discovered in several Gulf state militaries

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Tuesday, November 19, 2002

ABU DHABI Ñ Kuwait has captured an Al Qaida cell within its military, and authorities said the terrorist organization is attempting to infiltrate the militaries in other Gulf states as well.

Officials said Kuwaiti authorities have arrested at least three members of the cell. They said the cell planned a sabotage campaign throughout the sheikdom and was linked to Mohsen Fadli, a senior Al Qaida operative. They said Fadli had close ties to Islamic clerics in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and planned a major attack on Americans in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

The Al Qaida cell was said to have been led by Fadli, who received help from three Kuwaiti military personnel, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said two of them worked in the Interior Ministry and the other in the Defense Ministry.

One of the arrested officers was identified as Adel Bouhmeid, who was discharged two years ago from the military. Officials said Bouhmeid had visited Afghanistan several times and transferred money to Islamic insurgents linked to Al Qaida.

An Interior Ministry source said the ring was connected to Al Qaida and planned to attack key installations in Kuwait. The source said authorities believe there are other members of the Al Qaida ring still on the loose and suggested that the investigation of the episode would take a long time.

Al Qaida has infiltrated the militaries of several other Gulf Cooperation Council states. On Oct. 12, Qatari security forces arrested scores of soldiers, officers and clerics linked to Al Qaida who alleged to have plotted to torpedo the pro-U.S. policies of Emir Hamad.

On Monday, Saudi authorities acknowledged an attack on a security installation near Riyad by at least one gunman. The suspect, identified as Mohammed Al Salim, was wanted by Saudi authorities and was captured in a shootout on Saturday. Islamic sources said he was one of 50 Al Qaida members meeting in a home south of Riyad.

Last month, a U.S. soldier was killed by Kuwaiti insurgents linked to Al Qaida. Fifteen Kuwaitis have been charged with being involved in the attack.

Agents from the FBI and CIA have been in Kuwait helping the sheikdom bolster security amid a military exercise. They have been advising Kuwaiti troops and security forces on the protection of an exercise in northern Kuwait that began last week.

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