ANKARA Ñ Turkey has captured three Al Qaida insurgents who had
escaped Afghanistan and were on their way to carry out a suicide bombing in
Israel.
Turkish officials said the three were captured after a nationwide
manhunt that began 10 days ago. They identified the suspects as two
Palestinians and a Jordanian and said information and access were given to
Israeli and U.S. intelligence agents.
A senior Israeli intelligence officer acknowledged that Bin Laden agents
are in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and in the Jewish state, Middle East Newsline reported. The officer said
he believed the number is fewer than 50.
Western intelligence sources said hundreds of Al Qaida insurgents are
making their way to the Middle East via Iran. They said many of them have
ended up in Lebanon, Syria and in the Gaza Strip.
The three suspects were said to have escaped Afghanistan, traveled
overland through Iran and crossed the Turkish border. Officials said they
were detained on Friday in the eastern province of Van after police chased
and captured the car of the suspects. Another 10 suspects believed to have
helped the Al Qaida members have also been detained.
Police spokesman Feyzullah Arslan said one suspect had confessed to a
plot to launch a suicide bombing in the Tel Aviv area. Arslan, who said
other Al Qaida suspects are being sought, disclosed that the three men
detained had planned to make their way from Turkey to Syria and Jordan
before arriving in Israel.
Officials said the three suspects were members of a group called Beit Al
Imam, led by Al Qaida agent Abu Musad. "Firaz Suleiman received orders from
Abu Musad to carry out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan," Arslan
said.
In Washington, a U.S. defense official said Al Qaida will not be able to
duplicate its presence in Afghanistan. The official said he did not envision
another country willing to provide Al Qaida the freedom to organize, train
and plan attacks on the West.
"They have not found a spot that would give them the same support as
Afghanistan," the official said in a briefing to Pentagon reporters. "We
believe the leadership is going to be more decentralized, more of a
franchise-type thing."
