Greywolf, Why Talisman wisely pulls out of the Sudan. I wish them well after that....
Target America
By Sayantan Chakravarty
India Today
July 2, 2001
The discovery of a plot to bomb the US Embassy in Delhi reveals the very long reach of the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden
A plot hatched in the mountains of Afghanistan, elaborately planned in Sudan and Yemen, and meant to be executed with brutal speed and stealth outside the sprawling compound of the US Embassy in Delhi. The men behind the mission are, among others, the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden and his trusted lieutenant, a Sudanese student of agricultural economics, a Sufi "cleric" from Patna and even, it is alleged, a diplomat and senior minister of the Government of Sudan. Intercepted phone conversations between Arab terrorists, a tip-off from the FBI, legwork by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, lead to the arrest of two men caught exchanging explosives and detonators in a park. The heinous international conspiracy to blow up the American Embassy is foiled.
It would have all read like a Fredrick Forsyth best seller had the Delhi Police not arrested and interrogated the two suspects, Abdel Raouf Hawash, a 32-year-old Sudanese student who worked in the Sudanese Embassy as a part-time translator, and Patna-based Sufi cleric Shamim Sarwar last week. Raouf and Sarwar were arrested exchanging 6 kg of rdx, pencil timers and detonators in a West Nizamuddin park. A third man, Sheikh Abbas Hussain, a 45-year-old car mechanic, was later arrested in Udaipur. His role in the plot was to provide the cars to be used in the bombings and equip them with fake licence plates and engine numbers.
The three arrests and subsequent interrogations, reports of which were made available to India Today, have uncovered the plan to hit the busiest and most crowded part of the US Embassy in Delhi, its visa section. The reason bin Laden is believed to have masterminded the plot comes not just in the flowery address to the Saudi terrorist in a letter from Sarwar, calling him the "saviour of all Muslims". The letter talks of jihad and even suggests a time for the US Embassy bombing. "I bow to Laden, to Afghans, to mujahideens. When Muslims are being tortured, every Muslim should fight Jihad. In Delhi, they are vigilant around August 15, after that..."
The choice of the target itself-a US embassy-is widely accepted as the bin Laden signature.The Americans allege the elusive 6'5"-tall, battle-scarred Saudi millionaire has had a hand in bombing US missions in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam (see box) on August 7, 1998 which killed 260 people. Raouf's interrogation further confirmed the presence of a bin Laden henchman as the driving force behind the plot. More damningly, Raouf revealed in custody that he was assisted by responsible officials of the Sudanese Embassy. The Delhi Police are learnt to have moved a request to the Home Ministry and the mea to question one of them.
Sudan's animosity for the US stems from the 1998 Tomahawk missile bombing of the Al Shifa chemical plant in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the city where bin Laden began his Al Qaeda rebel group in 1991. Sudan is on the US State Department's list of nations sponsoring terrorism and bin Laden tops the FBI's most wanted list with a $5-million price on his head ever since the Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam bombings. The Tomahawk attack was seen as a reply to the embassy bombings and neither side has rested easy since. The plot to bomb the Chanakyapuri mission is suspected to be the continuation of a joint campaign of retribution.
The plan for Delhi was fairly straightforward: a small car laden with explosives, packed in plastic into containers the size of dinner plates, would be driven towards the us Embassy visa section. A woman (the assumption being that women raise less suspicion), feigning engine trouble, would step out of the car. A second female accomplice would drive in another vehicle and the two would talk. They would then cruise away from the stalled car with the explosives. Within minutes the car bomb would be triggered from a parking lot across the street. The subsequent damage was expected to be enormous because of the serpentine queues of several hundred people who line up outside the visa section every day.
The first steps to uncovering this plot were taken when the FBI intercepted telephone conversations between Arab terrorists in third countries and suspected a sudden attack on their mission. The timing of the attack was not quite clear; FBI agents believed it would be towards the end of June. Sarwar's letter to bin Laden suggests a date after August 15. The Americans approached the Ministry of External Affairs (mea) in the first week of May with a diplomatic missive, providing information about the proposed attack and seeking support from the Indians. The note said the plot "poses a serious threat to the lives of Americans and Indians who frequent our embassy, and can cause serious damage".
The mea then passed on the information to the IB and the Research and Analysis Wing in mid-May. Ajai Singh, joint secretary, mea, says, "Yes, the Americans did send us a note on a threat perception they had about an attack. I forwarded it to the intelligence agencies and the Delhi Police."
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Interview: Abdel Raouf Hawash
ABDEL RAOUF HAWASH
"I Met Osama's Man In The Embassy"
Abdel Raouf, prime accused in the plot to blow up the visa section of the American Embassy in Delhi, spoke to Special Correspondent Sayantan Chakravarty.
Q. When was the plan discussed?
A. On February 20, 2001. There were many meetings after that.
Q. Where, and with whom?
A. Inside the embassy of Sudan, with diplomat Esmail Babiker. Also present was Shamim Sarwar.
Q. Was there a Sudanese minister who was also involved?
A. Yes. Dr Abdul Rahim Umar, deputy minister for political strategies. We met him several times at a small hotel in south Delhi.
Q. Did you meet Abdulrahman Al Safani, Bin Laden's lieutenant?
A. Yes. But Al Safani and Babiker discussed the nitty-gritty of the plan in a separate room. I did not overhear what they discussed.
Q. How much money was to be spent on the bombing operation?
A. In all about Rs 100 lakh was to be spent on the operation. That was Al Safani's commitment.
Q. And how much have you been paid till date?
A. About Rs 5 lakh.
Q. What does Al Safani look like?
A. He's well-built, has a round face, is bearded, 47 years old and six feet tall.
Q. Did you survey the American Embassy area?
A. Yes. Been there about 15 times.
Q. You hate the Americans, don't you?
A. After they bombed our plant in Khartoum every patriotic Sudanese had his blood boiling. I am no different.
Q. Were you prepared to cause so much bloodshed?
A. It was Al Safani's idea. |
