TerrorismCentral Newsletter
-- For the week ending February 3, 2002 --
AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - February 3, 2002
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, February 3, 2002
TEXT:
This week's newsletter begins a new series about the Northern Ireland conflict, starting with an article about Bloody Sunday, whose 30th anniversary was last Wednesday. That and ongoing controversy over Omagh have received widespread attention in the UK. Understanding this helps shed light on similar perennial problems and efforts to resolve them. Following this series, watch for our coverage of nuclear proliferation, with a focus on how this is playing out in disputes between India and Pakistan.
For more background on the material covered in this newsletter, click on the links herein. All linked additional information is from the TerrorismCentral Library.
Also on the web site, we have updated Products and Services with information about Subscriptions and ways to participate in the Commercial Content section.
CONTENTS:
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
2. Americas
At least 7 Colombian troops were killed when 2 tons of dynamite in an arms storage building used by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) exploded. Separately, a guerilla deserter claimed that IRA members arrested in Colombia last year had been there to provide weapons and training to the rebels.
The fate of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped by an unknown group calling itself "The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty", remains unknown.
President Bush's State of the Union Address, while well-received domestically, has caused widespread international outrage over his classification of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil".
The FBI web site has some intriguing new content. See how government analysts review recovered documents at http://www.fbi.gov/short/afghanistan.htm and watch a video on preparation for the Olympic games at http://www.fbi.gov/olympics/olympicsvideo.htm
4. Europe
Ireland and Britain commemorated the 30th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. (See Feature Article.) Hard-line Unionists suggested that allegations over IRA participation in arming and training Colombian guerillas could have a negative impact on the Northern Ireland peace process.
British detainees held by US forces in Cuba continue to draw attention and concern. Three of the detainees play on the same football club - Tipton United, much to the disbelief of their teammates back home. A Scottish aid worker, James McLintock aka Yaqub Mohammed aka the "Tartan Taliban" has been released without charge after being held in Pakistan as a terrorism suspect.
A Russian helicopter exploded over Chechnya, killing 14. It is still not known whether it was the result of separatist fire or an accident. President Vladimir Putin has stepped up pressure on the US in strategic arms talks, asking for an irreversible and certifiable agreement.
5. Middle East
Iran and Iraq joined North Korea in rejecting the accusation that they form an "axis of evil". Iran's foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said Bush's statement was arrogant and intended "to pave the ground for the US to continue support for Israel in suppressing the Palestinian nation". Many commentators have pointed out the Iran's tacit support for US efforts in Afghanistan and find Bush's comment alarming.
Iraq's head of foreign relations says the accusation is baseless. US and British forces have already bombed military targets in Iraq several times a week during the actions in Afghanistan, and are insisting that Saddam Hussein, Iraq's leader, readmit UN inspectors.
Amid continuing violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a new alarm was struck as Jerusalem witnessed the first female suicide bomber of the current Palestinian intifada. The woman, Wafa Idris, a Red Crescent worker, killed herself and a man and injured 140 others. As reported Phil Reeves in the Independent: "One of her closest friends&said that about four months ago [Idris] had been dispatched to scrape up the remains of a man hit by a tank shell. 'She ended up collecting the flesh in a sack. She told me, then "I want revenge, revenge, revenge"'".
Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved a controversial plan to seal off Jerusalem from the West Bank as an additional security plan. Mr. Sharon has stated that he regrets not killing Yassir Arafat 20 years ago when they had the chance.
The US seems to support these positions, at odds with the European Union and many others, including growing numbers in Israel, where 52 officers and reservists of the Israel Defense Forces say the refuse to serve in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and the group Rabbis for Human Rights has planted more than 200,000 olive trees in the Palestinian village of Hares, previously destroyed by the Israeli army.
In Lebanon, three suspects have been detained in the assassination of Elie Hobeika.
Saudi Arabia has expressed support for Iraqi attempts to repair relations with it and with Kuwait. It has also asked the US to turn Saudi detainees held in Cuba to Saudi officials.
Syria has protested a US Navy search of two Syrian merchant ships as an act of piracy and has demanded an explanation.
6. Cyberterrorism
A case of identity theft has been linked to an alleged al Qaeda supporter. A criminal complaint was filed in the case of Mohamed Amry, who allegedly sold the names and Social Security numbers of 21 members of a health club that were then used for false documentation and bank accounts.
A study by Riptech, a computer security firm, found a sharp increase in the number of computer attacks in the second half of 2001. Most surprising was that more than a third were targeted at specific companies, with crackers using automated techniques to try to identify any possible point of vulnerability.
7. Finance
In testimony to the Senate banking committee, Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Kenneth Dam stated that intelligence gained in Afghanistan is aiding the crackdown on terrorist financing. Although al Barakaat, a hawala continues to deny ties to terrorism, Dam states that by shutting ti down it had removed as much as $20 million in annual funding to al Qaeda.
New rules to combat money laundering were approved by the National Association of Securities Dealers and sent on to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for final approval before putting them into effect.
Israel holds at least $400 million in tax receipts that are owed to the Palestinian Authority and is considering seizing this money for losses related to violence. Meanwhile, the European Union contemplates recovering damages from Israel for losses inflicted by the Israeli Army on EU projects.
Sweden has been told by the US that it would not be able to secure the removal of three of its citizens from the frozen asset list issued by the White House in September and subsequently adopted by the UN Security Council. Sweden, joined by France and others, have protested this action and questioned the procedures.
8. Human Rights
US authorities are working with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross on treatment of prisoners, while continuing to deny status as Prisoners of War or under any specific terms of the Geneva Convention, though agreeing to follow it in spirit. Countries whose nationals have been detained in Cuba, including Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, have asked they be turned over to the appropriate national authorities.
Attention has turned to the conditions of US prisoners held in Afghan jails. They are being investigated and concerns raised by Physicians for Human Rights and Amnesty International.
The US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has agreed to allow civil rights advocates to meet with foreign nationals in detention, provided they obtain the names on their own.
9. Law and Legal Issues
Bail was denied to Irving Rubin and Earl Kruger, members of the Jewish Defense League, accused in a bombing plot.
Jordanian Osama Awadallah has won a hearing in federal court over his possible illegal arrest.
10. Weapons of Mass Destruction
President Vladimir Putin has stepped up pressure on the US in strategic arms talks, asking for a formal, irreversible and certifiable agreement.
Iraq allowed an inspection team from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect nuclear material in a limited four-day mission.
Over 300 years of opposition to the English presence in Ireland combined with opposing Catholic and Protestant religious beliefs created a cauldron of sectarian conflicts. By 1970, Northern Ireland (created by the Treaty of 1921) had been marginalized by both the British and the Irish governments. It was an economic and political backwater, excelling only in the extent of the violence overwhelming an otherwise bucolic countryside.
As reported by Tony Geraghty, Tony (The Irish War, 2000):
"The statistics for 1971 still make grim reading. Security Forces recorded 6,948 violent incidents of all types during the year, including more than 1,000 bombs&. The year 1972 saw more bombings than ever: around four each day&."
And fatalities? In the prior 3 years, 210 were killed in "the Troubles". In 1972, 445 were killed.
What caused this escalation in violence? It began on 9 August 1971 with the introduction, under the Special Powers Act, of internment. By 7:30 that morning, 342 men - all republicans - were imprisoned without trial. (Internment continued until 1975; nearly 2,000 people were detained.)
This action laid the fire. Internment led to an immediate upsurge in violence. 17 people were killed in the next 48 hours. A massive campaign opposing internment began, led by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA).
But if internment laid the fire, Bloody Sunday is widely considered the fuel that drove hundreds towards the IRA and ever more far-reaching violent protest.
The events of that day are still under dispute, but one thing is clear: at the end of the day 13 were dead and another 14 (one of whom later died) were injured.
On 30 January a Civil Rights march was scheduled by NICRA. On this occasion NICRA emphasized the necessity for an incident-free day, trying to avoid repeated violence.
The march began, with people joining along the route. Reports of the number of marchers vary from 3,000 to 20,000. As these marches had gone, this began relatively peacefully, marred with incidents of rock-throwing. A riot developed among one section of the crowd -- a common incident at the time -- and as the riot was winding down, an operation to arrest any remaining rioters began.
Meanwhile, most people moved to the "Free Derry Corner" on Rossville Street to attend the meeting. Shortly thereafter, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment soldiers opened fire on the crowd. Of the dead, 7 were under 19 years old.
Three days later, the funerals of 11 of the dead took place, attended by tens of thousands. Prayer services were held across the country, almost all work stopped. In Dublin, more than 100,000 people marched on the British Embassy. About a third of them stayed behind to attack the Embassy with bottles, stones, and petrol bombs, burning it to the ground.
Britain reacted angrily, convinced the government of Northern Ireland was unable to ensure security. Prime Minister Heath imposed Direct Rule, governing Northern Ireland entirely from Westminster. The Provisional responded to this with the declaration that the war would go on.
Amid national and international protests, the British government announced an inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday. Lord Widgery was appointed by Prime Minister Edward Heath. His report, the "Widgery whitewash" concluded that the soldiers had been fired upon first, by people armed with guns and bombs.
This finding led to widespread fury.
There was no evidence that the dead or wounded had handled any weapons. The coroner in Northern Ireland, Major O'Neill, stated bluntly "The army ran amok that day and shot without thinking what they were doing. They were shooting innocent people. These people may have been taking part in a march that was banned but that does not justify the troops coming in and firing live rounds indiscriminately&. I would say without hesitation that it was sheer, unadulterated murder."
Bloody Sunday was not the most dramatic event in the Northern Ireland conflict. It was not the greatest atrocity; it did not have the greatest political implications. It has become a landmark because of the unanswered questions that remain even now.
Last week, thousands of people commemorated the 30th anniversary of this tragedy. Retired bishop Edward Daly, known for waving a white handkerchief as he went to the aid of one of the dying on that day, dedicated a new plaque, saying that "I spent many happy, happy years here before 1972, but that day changed everything. Rosswell Street has never been the same, Derry has never been the same, and the lives of many families and many individuals here were changed on that day".
Over and over, people have continued to call for formal admission that the British paratroopers killed unarmed, innocent civilians.
In 1998, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a new inquiry into the events surrounding Bloody Sunday. The tribunal, chaired by Lord Saville will examine new information and interview a thousand witnesses. It is expected to announce its results in 2004.
The British government is investing over 100 million pounds in pursuit of this inquiry, but this is not the limit of their investment in bringing peace to this troubled region. Next week you can read about the Omagh bombing case, and in future articles follow the progress of fresh peace talks being pursued in light of the IRA's cease-fire and decommissioning of weapons.
Source materials, topical links, and bibliography for this article can be found in the TerrorismCentral Library, Incidents: Bloody Sunday.
Please contact us with your questions or comments by sending email to . We look forward to hearing from you.
Editorial Team
TerrorismCentral
PUBLICATION DATE:
February 3, 2002
DATE:
20020203