LONDON Ñ Al Qaida has warned its agents that they have been infiltrated by the United States.
An Al Qaida spokesman said the infiltration had been conducted by the United States in cooperation
with unspecified Arab intelligence services.
"We warn of attempts to infiltrate the holy warriors in Iraq," the Al
Qaida spokesman said. "There is a need to kill spies and make them an
example for punishment after their presence and activities have been
demonstrated."
The statement came in wake of the capture of several Al Qaida agents in
the Sunni Triangle and Mosul area of Iraq, Middle East Newsline reported. The arrests have pointed to links
between Al Qaida and loyalists of deposed President Saddam Hussein.
The statement was relayed by the London-based Center for Islamic Research and Studies.
This was the first time Al Qaida has acknowledged that its forces have
been penetrated by Western agencies. Until now, Western intelligence
analysts said the United States and its allies have failed to infiltrate the
middle and senior ranks of the Islamic movement.
Al Qaida asserted that the penetration efforts first stemmed from
Algeria. The statement by the unidentified spokesman said Algeria sent agents dressed as Islamic
mujahadeen, or holy warriors, who identified themselves as members of the
leading insurgency groups that operated in the North African country.
The latest appearance of spies in Al Qaida came from an unidentified
Arab ally and neighbor of Iraq, the statement said. The Al Qaida
infiltrators were detected several months ago and have infiltrated
organization cells in Iraq.
Islamic sources close to Al Qaida said the reference was to Saudi
Arabia. Over the last few months, thousands of Islamic volunteers have left
Saudi Arabia for Iraq to participate in the Sunni insurgency war against the
United States.
The United States was said to have placed tracking devices on the
infiltrators to target Al Qaida cells in Iraq. The Al Qaida statement warned
against accepting Islamic volunteers without screening them to ensure that
they do not contain U.S. agents. Al Qaida said all Islamic volunteers must
demonstrate a background in insurgency activities.
The Islamic sources said Al Qaida had suspected that the United States
tried to infiltrate the upper echelons of the group after the suicide
strikes in New York and Washington in September 2001. The sources said a
U.S. air strike against the Al Qaida leadership in the Afghan city of
Kandahar in October 2001 stemmed from information by a spy within Taliban.