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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (46339)	5/27/2004 7:08:40 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50167

FBI tags Pakistani woman as Qaeda suspect * Aafia already in US custody for one year WASHINGTON: An angelic-looking Pakistani woman with a doctorate in neurological science is among seven “dangerous” Al Qaeda terror suspects identified on Wednesday by FBI as planners of new attacks on the US, AFP reported. Like the other suspects, Aafia Siddiqui (32), once an award-winning Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student, has the ability to “undertake planning, facilitation and attack against the US whether it be within the US itself or overseas,” FBI Director Robert Mueller told a news conference. She is the only woman among the seven named on Wednesday and whose photographs were posted on the FBI website. Aafia is a picture of innocence amongst the dangerous-looking male suspects, but Mueller warned she was an “operative and facilitator” of Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terror network. She is believed to have left Boston in January 2003. The FBI believes she is in Pakistan. The Washington Post on Wednesday linked Aafia to Adnan El Shukrijumah, another of the seven suspects who is said to have scouted sites across America that might be vulnerable to attack. Saudi Arabia-born El Shukrijumah (28) speaks English well, had lived in the US for 15 years and has been trying to re-enter America using various passports, Attorney General John Ashcroft told reporters. Mr Shukrijumah’s name apparently came up in interrogations of Al Qaeda kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan last year. Mr Ashcroft said “credible intelligence from multiple sources” indicated that Al Qaeda planned to attempt an attack on the US in the “next few months”. Pakistan-born Aafia obtained a biology degree in 1995 and a doctorate in neurological science in 2001 and had studied at MIT and Brandeis University in the Boston area, as well as in Houston, local newspaper reports said. The opposition Democratic party convention is scheduled to be held in Boston at the end of August and could be seen by terrorists as among possible opportunities for attack aside from other key meetings, Mueller said. Aafia and her now estranged husband, Mohammed Amjad Khan, made repeated purchases from US stores selling military equipment, Newsweek magazine reported recently, quoting “suspicious-activity reports” it had obtained. Mr Khan, a Harvard-trained anesthesiologist and also wanted by FBI for questioning, reportedly bought body armour, night-vision goggles and military manuals. Like Aafia, ideal Al Qaeda operatives might now be in their late 20s or early 30s and could travel with a family to lower their profile according to intelligence information, Mr Ashcroft said. Aside from seeking recruits who could portray themselves as Europeans, he said, Al Qaeda was attracting Muslim extremists among many nationalities and ethnic groups, including North Africans and South Asians, as well as recruiting young Muslim converts of any nationality inside target countries. “The face of Al Qaeda may be changing,” said Mr Ashcroft. “Al Qaeda is a resilient and adaptable organisation, known for altering tactics in the face of new security measures.” Online adds: However, intelligence sources told Online that Aafia was already in the custody of US intelligence agencies for the last one year. They said Aafia had come to Pakistan in January last year and stayed with her friend in Islamabad for a few days and later went to Karachi to see her mother. Soon after landing at Karachi airport she was picked up by intelligence personnel and handed over to the FBI. Aafia’s mother confirmed her daughter’s arrest, saying she was asked to keep quiet over the matter. She was told that it would not be good for her daughter if she reported the incident, she added. She denied that her daughter was linked to any jehadi outfit. Aafia was married to a US-based Pakistani doctor and had three children. She was later divorced, her mother added. Ms Siddiqui’s family is friends with Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro. dailytimes.com.pk