TEL AVIV Ñ Israel's intelligence community has warned that Al Qaida
could next target Israeli or Jewish interests in Europe for a major attack.
Security sources said the intelligence community has determined that
Europe is vulnerable to an Al Qaida attack. They cite the freedom of EU
nationals, including suspected sleeper agents, to travel throughout Western
Europe and gather intelligence and deploy explosives required for a major
attack.
"We are very worried that the next target will be Europe," a senior
Israeli security source said. "We are very vulnerable there. It is easy to
move around."
The assertion came as Israeli intelligence has warned of an Al Qaida
attack in Prague. The Czech capital is a favorite spot for Israeli tourists
and officials have warned that they as well as Jewish installations could be
a target.
Last month, Al Qaida fired missiles at an Israeli passenger jet and blew
up a hotel in Kenya. The missiles missed the plane but three Israelis and 13
Kenyans were killed in the suicide bombing. Israeli intelligence has
assessed that a Somalian group linked to Al Qaida, called Al Ittihad Al
Islami, carried out the attack.
Security and intelligence sources point to Khalil Sheik Mohammed as the
most likely to order and plan a European strike against Israel. They said
Mohammed, nicknamed the "Mukhtar," planned and directed attacks in Tunisia
and the United States.
Mohammed is said to be in charge of Al Qaida operations in the East
Asia. But unlike other operations commanders, Mohammed is not limited to
region.
"If something happened I wouldn't be surprised if Mohammed was
involved," the senior security source said. "He operates all over the
world."
Israel's intelligence community has determined that Al Qaida appears to
have shifted its priorities away from the United States and toward the
Jewish state and interests abroad. Intelligence and security sources said
Osama Bin Laden has given his satellite groups leeway to choose targets.
"While Bin Laden was in Afghanistan, Al Qaida turned into an
hierarchical organization," an intelligence source said. "But over the last
year, Al Qaida has gone back to its previous way of doing things --
providing satellite groups with autonomy."
The Israeli sources said local groups might have carried out the
synagogue bombing in Djerba, Tunisia earlier this year. They did not rule
out that a local group launched the attacks in Mombasa, Kenya.
Al Qaida has also been recruiting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the
sources said. They said the cell is being run by Al Qaida in Lebanon.
The United States plans to discuss Israel's assertions with the
Palestinian Authority next week, officials said. The London-based Al Hayat
daily reported on Tuesday that PA security agents have increased monitoring
of Arab nationals in the Gaza Strip to determine if they are involved with
Al Qaida.
Two years ago, an Al Qaida operative, identified as Nabil Okal, was
arrested in the Gaza Strip. He has been on trial in a military court and
sentencing is expected soon.
In Amman, Jordanian security forces were reported to have captured an Al
Qaida operative. He was identified as Abu Mohammed Al Maqdessi, 40, and was
captured in a raid by authorities over the weekend. Earlier, Maqdessi,
who changed his named from Issam Mohammed Taher Al Barkawi, was acquitted by
a Jordanian court in connection with the millennium plot nearly three years
ago. This was the first time he was arrested since his release.
