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To: GST who wrote (156509)	4/26/2003 9:07:40 PM
From: Oeconomicus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Gosh! The depth of your analysis of the situation is astounding. Your insights are immeasurable.

To: GST who wrote (156509)	4/26/2003 11:47:09 PM
From: Victor Lazlo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

nah, i'd say the al qaeda people rank way ahead of us. Besides, they have no conscience. Singapore bombing foiled at 11th hour by Christopher Cox Sunday, April 27, 2003 The American, Australian and British embassies reduced to rubble. A subway station and an American club obliterated. This apocalyptic plot, which nearly reached fruition, didn't target a poor, violence-prone area. Instead, Singapore, a tiny island nation that prides itself on political stability and security, was in the cross hairs. ``The Singaporeans were shocked,'' said Simmons College professor Zachary Abuza, an expert on Southeast Asian terrorism. A financial hub that also holds the world's busiest port, Singapore is a prosperous, multicultural city-state in a region grappling with development issues and secular violence. Its very success made it a target for Jemaah Islamiah, a radical terror group with ties to al-Qaeda. The audacious JI plan called for six truck bombs, each filled with at least three tons of ammonium nitrate (a similar amount destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995). Under the direction of JI branch leader Ibrahim Maidin, who trained with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan in 1993, the cell cased a number of high-profile targets. Flanked by the Australian and British High Commissions, the fortresslike U.S. Embassy on leafy Napier Road made an ideal target. The modern Yishun subway station, a stop frequented by Americans who work or live near Sembawang, the U.S. Navy's most important logistics and supply center in Southeast Asia, also made the short list, along with the American Club near the upscale Orchard Road shopping district. An al-Qaeda operative conducted final surveillance in October 2001. The Singapore cell arranged purchase of the trucks, leased warehouse space and set about acquiring 21 tons of ammonium nitrate, which would be exploded by suicide bombers imported from overseas. Abuza said the team was within two weeks of execution. But in late November, a Singaporean Muslim fighting with the Taliban was captured by the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. His confession of a JI cell in Singapore threw the nation's crack Internal Security Department into overdrive. Fifteen suspects were quickly detained; another 21 were arrested in August. At least 11 of the detainees had attended al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. In the aftermath, buttoned-down Singapore has become even more security-conscious. Every vehicle crossing the two causeways linking Singapore to mainland Malaysia is now inspected. Barricades prevent vehicles from entering such popular shopping and dining areas as Holland Village and Newton Circus. Special Gurkha units of the Singapore police force keep watch at international schools. Nighttime cruising by yachts and pleasure craft has been banned, while ships and tugs in port must give six hours notice before moving. Last month, Singapore became the first Asian port to implement the U.S. Customs Service's Container Security Initiative; local and American customs agents will scrutinize cargo manifests, ship registers and crew lists. Last month, Malaysian police found three tons of ammonium nitrate intended for the December 2001 attacks hidden on a palm-oil plantation about 100 miles from Singapore. ``The bombing would have given the terrorists a feather in the cap,'' said Wilfred D. Anthony, who runs Singapore's oldest security company. ``But it didn't happen. . . . If it didn't happen then, I don't think it would happen now.''