New Head of Al-Qaeda Cell on Arabian Peninsula May Have Been Trained by US

[seemslikeadream]

Weekend Edition
June 26 / 27, 2004
New Head of Al-Qaeda Cell on Arabian Peninsula May Have Been Trained by US Contractor
Another Case of Blowback
By WAYNE MADSEN

Saleh Mohammed al Oufi, the new head of "Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula," the group that kidnapped and beheaded American Lockheed Martin helicopter technician Paul Johnson, may have received training from a U.S. military contractor while he was being trained as a Saudi public security non commissioned officer and prison guard. Al Oufi took over as the Al Qaeda Saudi branch leader after Saudi security forces reportedly gunned down his predecessor Abdulaziz al Muqrin. In 1983, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), which now owns Dyncorp -- another major U.S. private military contractor that is training members of the Iraqi army and police -- was awarded a contract by Saudi Arabia to develop the multi-hundred million dollar Saudi Ministry of the Interior System (SAMIS), one of the largest information systems in the world and one that is used by one of the most secretive public security services in the world. SAMIS was also the largest contract CSC had ever received to that point.

During the time el Oufi was rising to the rank of sergeant in the Public Security Service, a part of the Saudi Interior Ministry, he may have received training on the sophisticated CSC computer system that, with its 1000 computer terminals throughout the country, was used to monitor convicts and ex-convicts, those under arrest and jailed for crimes, foreigners, religious pilgrims, and religious "miscreants" (a title used by the Saudis for Shia Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other "infidels.") The system contains the names and addresses of every foreigner in the country legally, something that would be the mother lode of information for any terrorist or would-be terrorist. Al Oufi's possible knowledge of the system from his time as a Public Security official would give Al Qaeda an unprecedented advantage in its terrorist activities against Westerners, particularly Americans, in Saudi Arabia.

CSC has touted its work for the Saudi Royal Family in a number of its press releases over the years. Based largely on its work in Saudi Arabia, the company was awarded a similar contract in 1991 to rebuild the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior computer system after was destroyed by invading Iraqi troops in 1990.

SAMIS automated the functions of all the component divisions of the Interior Ministry, including the departments of civil status (identification cards), public security (including prisons), border guards, civil defense, passports

more
http://www.counterpunch.com/madsen06262004.html

[The Magistrate]

1. Police Work, My Friend, Tends To Attract Reactionary Authoritarians

It is not much of a surprise that this fellow fetched up in it earlier in his life. The Saudi security services are probably honey-combed with Jihadists of one stripe or another. This report is a very poor foundation for someone to argue from that he is a U.S. intelligence agent, though doubtless someone or other will try it, but it is certainly illustrative of the difficulties besetting attempts to recruit natives to U.S. purposes in this region.

[Disturbed]

2. Saudi Amnesty offer for one month

Maybe he will turn himself in. Don't you think there will be a huge crowd of terrorists doing that, esp. knowing how soft the Saudi prisons are?

Search engine Saudi prison if you don't know about them.

[Carl Brennan]

3. Blowback from Iraqi police too. Cited here at DU today:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x649312

CSC trains them as well.

[The Magistrate]

4. Doubtless, Mr. Brennan

The company's executives, at least, are very well trained in the proper method of making out checks to the Republican National Committee. That is the important thing, after all....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Don_G]

5. How About That

All the CIA needs to do is to look into their own files of Afgani nationals trained by them to see who the terrorists are.