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To: maceng2 who wrote (1085)	8/21/2006 12:17:37 AM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 1695

Bomb-plot kingpin linked to al-Qaeda EDDIE BARNES AND BRIAN BRADY news.scotsman.com THE mastermind behind the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airlines flying from Britain is the son-in-law of al-Qaeda's number two, it was claimed last night. The unnamed man is believed to a close family confidant of Ayman Al Zawahiri, second only to Osama bin Laden at the top of the terror network. According to reports in Pakistan yesterday, Zawahiri's son-in-law is now suspected of being the kingpin behind the operation. He is thought to have organised the terrorist cell, which is believed to include many Britons among its number, in the run-up to the attack. The fresh revelation came as it emerged that police searching 50 homes and business addresses in London and High Wycombe have uncovered several martyrdom videos. A few of the tapes are believed to have been made by some of the suspects being questioned. The finds appear to confirm a claim by one US law enforcement official last week that a martyrdom tape had been found by investigators The findings will draw comparison with the 7/7 attacks on London last year, when two similar videos, made by bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammed Saddiq Khan, were shown after the attack. Scotland Yard continued to question 23 British Muslims about the alleged plot yesterday. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, seven people, including two British Muslims of Pakistani descent, are still under arrest, among them Rashid Rauf, 25, who has been described by officials there as a "key person" in the alleged conspiracy. He is said by Pakistani officials to have been the link to the mastermind of the plot. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, citing what it described as credible sources, said the son-in-law of Zawahiri met one or more of the plotters in Bajaur, near Afghanistan's south-eastern border. The area is known as a pro-Taliban stronghold, where the group is still able to operate. Zawahiri's son-in-law is said to have made some initial payments to the plotters. The area is also where Zawahiri himself is believed to be hiding. In January, a missile from a CIA drone aircraft hit a meeting of al-Qaeda leaders in Bajaur. US intelligence officials thought Zawahri might have been attending the gathering. Pakistani officials - while confirming that they believed a senior al-Qaeda leader was behind the attacks - insisted that the man was based in Afghanistan, not Pakistan. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam refused to give the nationality or identity of the alleged mastermind, and said the disclosure was not meant to shift responsibility on to Afghanistan. "Afghanistan is also suffering because of al-Qaeda terrorism," Aslam said. "But what we have stated, we stand by it. We have evidence that suggests that the plot was hatched by Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda. "Somebody pretty high up in the al-Qaeda organisation was behind the plot." Back in Britain, police chiefs revealed that every force in Britain, including eight from Scotland, was now involved in the investigation into the plots. Yesterday, officers continued to search the woods in High Wycombe. Officers used climbing ropes to probe a canopy of trees, while others conducted fingertip sweeps of the forest floor for traces of explosives. Other officers from forces across the country are being used to maintain high-visibility patrols in airports, which are gradually returning to normal. A district judge has granted anti-terror officers an extra seven days to question 21 of the 23 people being held, and an extra five days for the other two. Under current legislation, the maximum period someone suspected of terrorist activity can be held without charge is 28 days. Meanwhile, Britain's charity watchdog said it would examine claimed that several suspects in the alleged plot were linked to an aid group that raised money for victims of last year's devastating earthquake in Pakistan. Crescent Relief London was reportedly founded in 2000 by Abdul Rauf, whose sons, including Rashid Rauf, are suspects in the case. Abdul Rauf reportedly stepped down from the charity group's board several years ago. He and his son Tayib, 22, the other family member to have been detained, live in Birmingham. One report yesterday claimed that all the High Wycombe suspects had been involved with Crescent Relief's earthquake aid efforts last year. The Charity Commission, a government agency that regulates charities' activities, said it was aware of the claims that the terror suspects were linked to Crescent Relief. "We use our legal powers on the basis of evidence," the commission said in a statement. "We are looking into the suggestions that have been made to decide what regulatory action may be required by us." The group said it had not opened a formal investigation but was evaluating the allegations. Director of Crescent Relief, Ghanzafer Ali, said he welcomed the Charity Commission's inquiry and urged it to check rigorously that the money his group raised had been spent to help those in need. He said Abdul Rauf no longer worked with the group.