Analysis: Venezuela's Islamic links

[chasqui]

Analysis: Venezuela's Islamic links
By Martin Arostegui
Published 9/1/2003 4:11 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Intelligence agencies are investigating links between Islamic terrorist networks and the Venezuelan government. While U.S. counter terrorist efforts in Latin America have until now tended to concentrate on the "tri border area" of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, it's believed that al-Qaida suicide bombers could also be hiding in Venezuela.
Investigators name two Venezuelan based al-Qaida suspects: Hakim Mamad Al Diab Fatah who was deported from the U.S. on suspicion of involvement with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and Rahaman Hazil Mohammed Alan who is jailed in the U.K. for smuggling an explosive device onto a British Airways flight. American and British officials complain that their investigations are stymied because the government of President Hugo Chavez has dismantled U.S.-trained intelligence units which tracked terrorist connections among the half-million strong Venezuelan Arab community.
Chavez has instead brought in Cuban and Libyan advisors to run his security services according to American, British and other European diplomatic officials in Caracas.
Although the U.S. State department does not yet consider Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, FBI officials express concern over "a lack of cooperation on the part of Venezuelan authorities." Despite repeated requests, U.S. law enforcement agencies have received no satisfactory explanation on the whereabouts of Diab Fatah, Venezuelan ID 16104824, who is associated with Hani Hanjour, the hijacker of American Airlines flight 77 which crashed into the Pentagon.

<snip>

Read it at:

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030901-023555-6981r

Note:
This is actually reposted from the following locked thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=92885

My Bad!!

On edit: Added the link to the article, and 'My bad!!'

[IndianaGreen]

1. This is more Moonie lies from UPI

the alleged Islamic ties were debunked several months ago in DU. It was a contrived story, done prior to the US-backed coup, trying to pin Al-Qaeda ties to President Chavez.

There are Muslims living in an island off Venezuela, but they are gentle kittens, unless being a Muslim is now a crime!

[ugarte]

2. There are muslims in every country in the world

In many Latin American countries they are just called 'turcos', or Turks, as Jews are referred to as 'polacos', or Poles.

[InkAddict]

3. Hey, it's just bidness =

"Chavez has instead brought in Cuban and Libyan advisors to run his security services according to American, British and other European diplomatic officials in Caracas."

?Es possible que los Cubanos y personas de Libya trabajo mas barato que los de Los Estado Unidos? ?No esta muy comico cuando un zapato esta del otro pie?

[IndianaGreen]

4. Otra mentira de Bush que han terroristas en Venezuela

Los unicos terroristas en Venezuela son los que trabajan en la embajada Americana en Caracas.

[belab13]

6. trust the folks that just invaded IRAQ, pienso que no!

los huerros del norte son mentirosos

[hang a left]

11. possible

[htuttle]

15. About those Libyans

It's not widely known in the US, but the very first country to indict Osama bin Laden was Libya.

Al Queda-linked agents attempted to assassinate Khadafy back in the 90's. Former British counter-intelligence officer David Shayler claimed that it was MI-6 that hired them to do it (and was quickly D-Noticed into silence).

So if you were actually WORRIED about al Queda, would you rather ask one of bin Laden's former bosses for assistance (ie., both US and UK), or would you ask the country that has been trying to stop them the longest? (and again: Libya and Venezuela are both in OPEC...no doubt this subject was discussed originally in that connection).

On edit:

Here's a link to one account of this story:
http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/30/int9.htm

You won't find much on it in Britain, since the D-Notice prohibits any UK media from covering this issue.

In fact, when the Observer re-printed the article from Dawn above, they were hit with an injunction stopping them.

Here's the paperwork on that:
http://cryptome.org/r-v-bright.htm

[IndianaGreen]

16. Are Cuban doctors considered now to be terrorists?

There was a recent article about one of those Cuban doctors that goes to one of those poor neighborhoods where the Venezuelan elites dare not set foot. The doctor, one of several hundreds, performs house calls and reaches people that had never seen a doctor before, or could not afford one.

Some terrorism!

America is a sick, disgusting country, led by a madman!

We may have to realize that those few of us who see America for what it really is are the good Germans that opposed the Nazis, while the majority of our compatriots are the bad Germans that either cheered Hitler, or stood silently on the sidelines.

[chasqui]

5. Moonie or no moonie article

Venezuela is a big fat juicy target: there has been at least 1 coup attempt against Hugo Chavez thus far, unsuccesful, of course, as we all know.
But Chavez is playing a dangerous game, for all those that care to read, click on the following:
http://www.feasta.org/documents/papers/oil1.htm
http://www.rupe-india.org/
and there are others one could easily dig up with a search.
The UPI article I posted makes sense. They might be drumming up support for a regime change of some sort in Venezuela.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi chasqui!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[belab13]

7. the propaganda is becoming so mendacious its almost comical

is the administration angling to assist/finance yet another coup attempt on Chavez.

[stickdog]

8. So many oil rich countries to invade, so little time.

And so few troops.

Ain't the "War on Terra" grand?

[0rganism]

9. It's so farking obvious the only "terrorist" they want to get is Chavez

If Chavez left office tomorrow, we wouldn't get any news about Venezuela at all, until the next socialist gets elected and then... Blammo! Time to wipe out "terrorism" again. A leader's ties to terrorists will inevitably be reported as inversely proportional to their ties to corporate interest.

[jos]

14. Yes. They're trying to create a pretext

to get rid of Chavez. There could be millions of "terrorist" in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, and they won't say a word. But let there be even one in Venezuela, and the propaganda machine will be out in full force.

[9215]

12. Not important

If the Saudi links to Islamic terrorists isn't neither is Venezuela's. This is all about giving an excuse to put pressure on Chavez.

Chavez need to launch an investigation, with UN support if possible, into the US's repeated attempts at destabilizing this sovereign nation that has a democratically elected leader.

[bvar22]

13. "Chavez has dismantled U.S.-trained intelligence units "

Hell Yes!!! Those are the guys that were trying to kill him!