Al-Qaeda Satellite Cell Smashed – Karachi
September 26, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
A militant Al-Qaeda satellite cell linked to Pakistan’s top Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud, and other jihadi organisations was targeted in a major raid by security forces in Karachi on Friday.
Three key militants died during the raid on the cell, which was allegedly planning a campaign of destruction. Their targets are believed to have included the bureau of the country’s intelligence services (ISI), NATO supply lines from two Karachi ports and anti-Taliban politicians.
The satellite cell had direct links to Baitullah Mehsud and Qari Zafar, the alleged mastermind of the devastating bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel, which killed at least 53 people and injured 260 others in Islamabad last week.
Security officials were reluctant to confirm it but it is understood to have been the same cell that was behind the 18 October assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto when she returned from exile. Bhutto was later killed in a second attack in December.
A key Al-Qaeda militant, Rahimullah, alias Ali Hasan (Photo), was arrested during Friday’s raid, that was conducted by a joint team of Pakistani police and intelligence agencies on the outskirts of Karachi’s Baldia Town, near the border of restive Balochistan province.
While three militants died in the raid, Rahimullah was taken into custody.
Sultan Umer, Siddiq Mehsud, cousin of Baitullah Mehsud, and Waseem Bengali are believed to be the men killed in the raid on Friday. All were members of Laskhar-i-Jhangvi, an Islamist terror group linked to Al-Qaeda.
However, mystery surrounds the whole episode as police previously stated that the three men had committed suicide by blowing up their jackets but in the hospital their bodies were intact.
Rahimullah, a Karachi-based ethnic Pashtun, has in the past been linked to Laskhar-i-Jhangvi and Harkat-i-Jehad-i-Islami, another jihadi group linked to Al-Qaeda and is alleged to have killed several high profile religious clerics.
He was believed to have been involved in various incidents, including attacks on the US Consulate in Karachi which has been the target of several suicide attacks between 2002 and 2006.
Security sources said while there was only a single cell that had been smashed in Friday’s raid, Rahimullah’s arrest could help uncover the funding networks used by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from the Middle East.
Police also found the body of Shaukat Afridi, a contractor who transported NATO supplies from Karachi to Afghanistan through tankers. He was abducted from Clifton Karachi in May 2008 and his captors were demanding 64,000 dollars ransom.
He was believed to be killed in a cross fire between the police and militants.
Nice news of the successful attack against one cell in Pakistan. Since the ISI is permeated by al Queda sympathizers, it will be interesting to see what happens to Rahimullah, alias Ali Hasan. Will he escape before his trial? If he goes to trial will he be convicted? If he’s convicted, what will his sentence be? And, will he miraculously escape while serving out his sentence?
Why do I ask these questions? Remember Rashid Rauf, a British national of Pakistani descent, he was a major player in the international plot to detonate bombs on transatlantic jumbo jets in August 2006. Rauf, 25, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents after a tip-off from their British counterparts. Rauf was eager to surpass 9-11’s American death toll by funding and training 26 Pakistani British nationals to pack the liquid chemical peroxide-based TATP in their carry-on luggage, concealed in drink and toothpaste containers. They intended to board a dozen Continental, United and American Airlines jumbo jets leaving Britain for New York City, Washington D.C. and California. Once over the Atlantic, they would ignite the explosives with detonators hidden in cell phones and MP3 players. Before the plan was made public, Pakistani authorities arrested Rashid Rauf for possessing false identity papers and bomb-making materials. The British intelligence service (MI-5) was already on to the terrorist scheme and repeatedly attempted to extradite Rauf under the deception that he murdered his uncle in Birmingham. Still, Pakistani authorities would not release him.
While MI-5 swooped down and arrested all 24 of Rauf’s terrorist buddies around London, the terrorism charges against Rashid were mysteriously dropped by the Pakistani court and he “escaped” from his jail cell after freeing himself from handcuffs. Let’s see…12 jumbo jets carrying an average of 500 passengers each… Rashid roams free. Do the math and connect the dots.
I’d like your input on whether you think Rahimullah, alias Ali Hasan, will end up serving his sentence. Visit my Declassified Secrets, Alias “Spy Stuff” website http://declassifiedsecrets.blogspot.com/ and let me know what you think. Robert