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AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff

TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - July 17, 2005

SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, July 17, 2005

TEXT:

This week the investigation into what are now known as the 7/7 attacks on London dominate News Highlights. The Feature Article, "The Downing Street al Qaeda Attack List", reminds us of other large attacks since 9/11.
Note that this issue has been released on July 15: additional news will be provided in next week's edition.


CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
The Downing Street al Qaeda Attack List

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK


1. World

The UN General Assembly is debating enlargement of the Security Council. Indications are that disagreement over how to achieve this may defeat the reform effort. Discussions will continue over the weekend.

The Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project suggests that "Concerns over Islamic extremism, extensive in the West even before this month's terrorist attacks in London, are shared to a considerable degree by the publics in several predominantly Muslim nations surveyed. Nearly three-quarters of Moroccans and roughly half of those in Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia see Islamic extremism as a threat to their countries. At the same time, most Muslim publics are expressing less support for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has declined markedly in some countries and fewer believe suicide bombings that target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam".
http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=248

Forecasters are predicting a more active than usual Atlantic hurricane season. Strong hurricanes arriving early in the season indicate their prediction is on track. The Tropical Storm Risk consortium predicts there will be 15 tropical storms in the Atlantic basin, of which nine will be hurricanes and four will be intense hurricanes.

Strengthened disaster response, including emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery, is a major topic in the current meeting of the UN's Economic and Social Council.
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=a/60/86


2. Africa

Benin has been awarded ownership of nine islands and Niger 15, including the largest Lete island that was the focus of the dispute, in a border ruling by the International Court of Justice. The ruling was based on 1914 French grazing permits.
http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/ipresscom/ipress2005/ipresscom2005-16_bn_20050712.htm

Burundi National Liberation Forces (FNL) rebels clashed with the army, leaving six dead. The last active rebel group said it was defending itself against an attack.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Rwandan Hutu militias attacked a village and massacred the residents. 39 people, mostly women and children, were burned to death and 50 injured.

In northeast Kenya, ethnic Borana crossed the border from Ethiopia into the ethnic Gabra village of Turbi, where they surrounded a school and nearby houses and opened fire, killing 76 people, including 22 children. Ten of the attackers were killed. Those who fled, with stolen livestock, apparently returned to Ethiopia. The raids also displaced at least 6,000 people. Armed forces are arriving in the remote territory to prevent further attacks.

Nigeria's national conference on constitutional reforms has failed over disputes on how to share oil wealth.

Somalia's increasing tensions raised several red flags this week. The UN Security Council called for the interim leaders to lower tensions and conclude a comprehensive and verifiable ceasefire agreement leading to final disarmament. The International Crisis Group, issuing a conflict risk alert, was more explicit: "U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in Somalia threaten to destabilize the country further and provide a popular platform for the spread of jihadism. A quiet, dirty conflict is being fought out in the ruined capital, Mogadishu, by al-Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed networks. This shadowy and complex contest waged by intimidation, abduction and assassination has seen some American successes but is producing growing unease within the broader public. Ultimately a successful strategy requires attention to more than the military aspect alone. Containing and eliminating jihadism in Somalia demands patient, sustained support for the twin processes of reconciliation and peace building, until legitimate, functional government is restored".
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sc8449.doc.htm
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3562
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3555

Sudan has inaugurated a new government with Sudan People's Liberation Movement leader John Garang as the Vice President. President Omar al Bashir has lifted the state of emergency imposed in 1999 in all but Darfur and two eastern states.

Swaziland's King Mswati III has refused to sign a draft constitution that would reduce his absolute powers. The International Crisis Group warns "The Clock is Ticking" as " Frustration is building in Swaziland, risking violence unless the international community helps push for political reforms".
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3563

Uganda's army reports that Lord's Resistance Army chief of staff, Major General Owor Lakati, was among a group of rebels killed in a battle on June 14.

In the disputed territory of Western Sahara a Moroccan court has sentenced 12 separatists to prison terms of up to 8 years for their participation in violent independence demonstrations in May.


3. Americas

Argentina issued a decree that accepts a share of blame for the failure of investigations, including covering up facts, in the 1994 Buenos Aires bombing of the Jewish Argentine Mutual Association center in which 85 people were killed and hundreds injured. The attacks have been blamed on Islamic extremists but those responsible have never been identified. The government promised to reveal previously suppressed evidence and take other measures to solve the case, and set up a victim compensation mechanism.

Canadian officials called for better preparedness for "the only country on the al-Qaeda list that hasn't been hit yet".
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20050718_109096_109096

Colombian President Uribe has been asked not to sign a new amnesty law for demobilized fighters that could hinder efforts to address the 1,161 disappearances since 1980. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances cite complicity of state officials and the need to eliminate impunity.
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/7DB07F034F04F221C125703F0047DEDD?opendocument (Spanish)

On Trinidad and Tobago, a bomb hidden in a rubbish bin near parliament exploded, injuring 13 people; two critically. An investigation is underway.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chertoff announced that conclusions drawn from a Second Stage Review of programs, policies, operations and structure, has led to a 6-point agenda to better manage risk and address threats. The House Committee on Homeland Security held hearings on this topic.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4598
http://homeland.house.gov/
In a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, DHS is found not to have fully implemented comprehensive information security.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-700

Rand issued a new report, "Stretched Thin: Army Forces for Sustained Operations". It warns that "Frequent troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the U.S. Army so thin that many active-duty combat units are spending more than one of every two years on foreign battlefields, leaving few brigades ready to respond to crises elsewhere".
http://www.rand.org/news/press.05/07.13.html


4. Asia Pacific

Australian Prime Minister John Howard warned that Australia is not immune to attacks like those seen in London (where the first Australian fatality was announced) and is considering further expansion of powers for the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO). ASIO also has a new head. Paul O'Sullivan replaces Dennis Richardson, who will now serve as the ambassador to the US. Security for next year's Commonwealth Games is also under scrutiny.

Fiji's military head Commander Frank Bainimarama warned that if the government proceeds with an amnesty plan for those involved in the 2000 coup, they "will have no qualms about removing a government that will bring back chaos". Other officials insisted the army was using peaceful political means and that no military regime was intended.

Indonesia's government and rebels with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are very close to a peace agreement. Talks continuing over the weekend will focus on the most difficult remaining issue of GAM political representation.

Japan awarded the government Teikoku Oil Company test drilling rights in the East China Sea despite lack of resolution over the maritime border with China.

Kyrgystan elected a new president, acting leader Kurmanbek Bakiev, who won 89 percent of the vote, with a turnout of 75 percent. Election observers said the poll showed "tangible progress" although there were a small number of serious irregularities. The vote, three months after the "tulip revolution" that removed former president Askar Akayev, was seen as a marker for democratic progress.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and other government officials condemned attacks on six Auckland mosques, which were defaced and damaged in retaliation against the London attacks.

North Korea, while expressing pride in its nuclear program, has agreed to rejoin multilateral talks after South Korea offered to provide huge amounts of free electricity.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have grown larger and more violent, including 300 demonstrators who stormed the Agriculture Department.
Protests against Philippine President

In southern Thailand, violence attributed to militant Muslims continued with attacks that killed five people and a series of bombings and shootings after a power outage that killed one and injured 19. The Thai Cabinet issued a decree granting sweeping powers that replace martial law with suspect detention of 7 days, censorship, phone taps, and other measures.

Uzbekistan's actions in Andijan in May involved grave human rights abuses and require an independent international investigation, according to a new report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/D606D8894E751CC6C125703C0030954A?opendocument


5. Europe

European Union interior ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss new counterterrorism measures such as stored telecommunications records, explosives information, terrorist financing, and travel security.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/05/439&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/terrorism/index.html
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=1325
http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/news/terrorism/index_en.htm

The governments of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and others around the world marked the tenth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre on July 11, in which nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered at the hands of Serb forces in 1995.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/srebrenica.shtml

France has re-imposed border controls under the safety clause of the Schengen agreement, which allows unchecked travel within the EU.

Italy has announced plans to introduce additional counterterrorism measures that would change criminal investigation and judicial procedures. Measures proposed for parliamentary approval include increasing from 12 to 24 hours the time a suspect can be held without charge, interrogations without lawyers, listing mobile phone users, monitoring immigrants, increasing penalties for false documents, and strengthening counter terrorist financing measures.

Italian police launched a nationwide crackdown against suspected Islamic extremists in which 174 people were arrested. More than half have already been released.

Dutch police investigating the Hofstad network, to which the assassin of filmmaker Theo van Gogh belonged, found homemade explosives in the home of a 17-year-old boy who has been arrested for actions to prepare an attack. More than a dozen suspected members of the militant Islamic group are awaiting trial on a variety of terrorism-related charges.

Spain's Basque separatist group ETA has been blamed for four explosion that struck a power station. There were no casualties. A policeman was injured as a homemade bomb outside the Italian Cultural Institute in Barcelona exploded. Responsibility in unknown, but graffiti indicated an anarchist connection.

In Turkey, Kurdish rebels kidnapped a soldier at a rebel checkpoint between two southern towns, where recently there has been an uptake in rebel activity.

British police have identified four suicide bombers (Mohammad Sidique Khan, Hasib Hussain, Shehzad Tanweer, and Lindsey Germaine) as the foot soldiers responsible for the 7/7 bombings. The investigation has now moved on to identify the planners and people who provided financing and operational support for the attacks in which more than 50 people were killed. One week after the attacks, 2 minutes of silence were observed in memory of the victims. For most recent information refer to Scotland Yard
http://www.met.police.uk/
and news sources.

Residents in areas of Leeds were evacuated for up to two nights as investigations took place.

In Northern Ireland, Orange Order marches in Drumcree and on the 12 July celebrations ended peacefully but rioting followed an Orange Order parade that was attacked by nationalists as it passed Ardoyne shops. Dissident republicans with the Continuity IRA are believed culpable in the most serious attacks. This was the first time in nearly three years that police fired baton rounds. More than 90 people were injured.

Feuding between loyalist paramilitaries of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) have led to a number of gun attacks, home invasions, and attempted bombings in which at lease one person has been killed and several injured.


6. Middle East

Gaza has been sealed off to prevent ahead of the planned Israeli disengagement next month. Opponents of the disengagement have engaged in increasingly violent activities, described by Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as moving "from protest to a reality of near-terrorism". Internal fighting between the Palestinian Authority and militant organizations, primarily Hamas, has killed two bystanders and injured 20. Israeli helicopters fired missiles into Gaza after an Israeli woman was killed by rocket fire from Gaza. The Palestinian Authority declared a state of emergency in Gaza.

Iraq's interior ministry released new casualty figures. Between August 1 2004 and May 31 2005, insurgents killed 8,175 civilians and police officers, a rate of more than 800 per month. In the same time period 750 insurgents were killed by carrying out suicide attacks or at the hands of US and Iraqi forces. The numbers exclude military forces and the Kurdish autonomous region.
http:// www.iraqigovernment.org/
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/database/
These insurgent attacks continue, including gun battles, car bombs, improvised explosives, and other methods. The most serious this was a car bomb in which at least 26 Iraqis, almost all children, were killed as US soldiers (one dead, 3 injured) handed out candy. The Iraqi government is investigating reports that 11 Sunnis were tortured and beaten in custody of police and Shia militiamen, as well as a report that nine Sunnis died of suffocation while held in a police van.

At the Israeli coastal town of Netanya a suicide bomber killed himself and five others at a mall entrance. At least 30 people were injured. Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack and now faces relentless retaliation. Israeli security forces have arrested at least five militants and are continuing operations, including the reoccupation of the West Bank town of Tulkarm. A raid on Nablus has killed one member of al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades.

Lebanese defense minister Elias Murr was the target of a powerful car bomb. He escaped with minor injuries, but two were killed and others injured.


7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, attacks associated with Taleban guerillas have continued, including the assassination of a pro-government cleric. US troops found the body of a missing soldier, one of the group in which only one of four was rescued last week. Four "dangerous enemy combatants" escaped from Bagram prison and are being hunted. Despite such operations, more than 200 local commanders have been disarmed, and Australia has agreed to send 150 special forces to help counter increasing attacks ahead of September's parliamentary elections.

India's Supreme Court has thrown out the Illegal Migrants (Determination through Tribunal) Act of 1983, which had been used to identify and deport migrants. Instead, the Foreigners Act, used in the rest of the country, will be used.

Indian-administered Kashmir is the scene of an ongoing gunbattle between infiltrating militants and the Indian army. Details will be forthcoming. Police in the border districts arrested two militants suspected of helping the gunmen who attacked the Ayodhya complex last week.

Pakistan officials have confirmed that at least one of the men, Shehzad Tanweer, involved in the London bombings had visited Pakistan. The role of Pakistan's religious universities (madrassas) in the attacks is undergoing close scrutiny.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels warn that repeated breaches of the ceasefire will not be tolerated indefinitely. Following ten violent incidents in mid-week, around 40 Tigers have withdrawn from the eastern town of Trincomalee. The recent tsunami aid sharing agreement has been suspended pending Supreme Court review.


8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

The London bombings have led to efforts to increase electronic surveillance in the EU. They have also inspired virus writers, who have created a new Trojan posing as attack footage.

Microsoft has released new security patches, including three critical updates.
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA05-193A.htm
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-036.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-jul.msp
http://secunia.com/advisories/15998/
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-037.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-035.mspx

The Anti-Spyware Coalition has issued the first draft at a consensus document to try to define spyware.
http://www.antispywarecoalition.org/

Internet Security Systems warns of two critical flaws in Cisco's Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) platform.
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/alerts/id/200

Phrack, the magazine of the digital underground, is closing after 20 years.
http://www.phrack.org/


9. Finance

The US Treasury has designated the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), a U.K.-based Saudi oppositionist organization, or providing material support to al Qaida. MIRA is run by al Qaida-affiliated Saad al-Faqih, who was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 by the Treasury on December 21, 2004 and is named on the United Nations 1267 Committee consolidated list of terrorists tied to al Qaida, UBL and the Taliban.
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2632.htm

The EU is considering stepping up efforts to seize terrorist assets after the London attacks. Proposals for real-time transaction monitoring, information exchange, improved databases, etc., were first proposed after the Madrid train bombings.

The Senate Committee on Banking held hearings on "Money Laundering and Terror Financing Issues in the Middle East".
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=153

The UN's Universal Postal Union has launched an electronic fund transfer network to help Arab countries put in place the necessary connections.
http://www.upu.int/


10. Human Rights

The US Supreme Court granted a stay of execution for Virginia death row inmate Robin Lovitt, pending a decision on whether the destruction of evidence in his case deserves another hearing. The execution, on 21 June 1995, of Larry Griffin is being reopened by a group of attorneys and justice campaigners who believe they will be able to prove he was innocent.

The UN Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial killings cited Nigeria's killing of jailed suspects in Nigeria, the jailing of innocent citizens for refusing to pay bribes, the fraudulent placement of evidence, and the imposition of the death penalty as symptoms of broader problems in Nigerian society, but pointed to a number of advances.
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/3A6D74C0826AC1C8C12570380047D11B?OpenDocument

With the discovery that the 7/7 attackers on London were British Muslims, there have been a number of hate attacks. A coordinated effort among government and social leaders is underway to put moderate, mainstream Islam in the forefront, forcing the Muslim community to join efforts to combat militarism in its midst.
http://www.mcb.org.uk/

The US Department of Defense presented findings of the Schmidt-Furlow Report into detainee abuse.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/detainee_investigations.html

In Australia, the Palmer report finds urgent need for immigration reform in the "Report into the Circumstances of the Immigration Detention of Cornelia Rau". An apology has been issued.
http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media_releases/media05/v05087.htm

World Population Day was marked on 11 July. This year's theme was "Equality Empowers", focusing on equal access to education for girls and to income, assets, and services for women.
http://www.unfpa.org/wpd/index.htm


11. Law and Legal Issues

Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar has been detained in Egypt. The chemistry student is wanted by police in connection with the London bombings.

Mohammed Bouyeri, admitted killer of Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh, has gone on trial in Amsterdam.

Eliran Golan, accused of attempted murder of Arabs in the Haifa in 2004 has been found fit to stand trial. An earlier plea bargain has been withdrawn.

Cyrus Kar, a Los Angeles filmmaker, has been released after 54 days of detention in Iraq.

Fintan O'Farrell, Declan Rafferty, and Michael McDonald have had their jail sentence reduced from 30 to 28 years after their guilty plea in an MI5 sting operation in Slovakia.

Mohamed Rafik was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for belonging to an extremist cell that planned terror attacks in Italy. His colleague Kamel Hamraoui was sentenced to three years and four months, while Najib Rouass, was sentenced to one year and two months on the lesser charge of inciting violence and Romdhane Ben Othmane Khir was acquitted.

Ali al-Timimi, a US Islamic scholar, has been given a mandatory sentence of life in prison for urging Muslims to join the Taleban and fight US troops in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Stephen Wynne has been charged with an arson attack against a mosque in Merseyside, Liverpool, England.

The trial of former Afghan warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad has closed and the jury is considering the verdict.


12. Transportation

A UN meeting on the Implementation of the 2001 Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons includes discussions on the control of Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS), including shoulder-launched and other portable missiles. MANPADS have been deployed against civil aircraft in more than 40 incidents over the past three decades. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been developing standards and recommending practices and procedures that would incorporate preventive measures on the ground. ICAO also urges all contracting States to strictly control the import, export, transfer and storage of these weapons and to ensure the destruction of non-authorized MANPADS in their territories.
http://www.icao.org/cgi/goto.pl?icao/en/new.htm

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has eliminated the 30-minute rule that prevents passengers from standing up within 30 minutes of takeoff or landing for flights to or from National Airport in Washington DC. They say the changes are the result of the numerous security measures that have been established.

The International Civil Aviation Organization for biometric passports has entered into force.
http://www.icao.org

DHS also announced new requirements in the US-VISIT program in which a 10-fingerprint scan for foreign visitors will be required on initial arrival. Two prints will be used on subsequent entries.


13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Sixty years ago this week, the Trinity explosion that demonstrated the feasibility of the world's first nuclear weapon took place. Note Carnegie Institute analysis "A Blinding Flash of Light", " Nuclear Numbers, Then and Now", and the important report "Deadly Arsenals", the 2005 Proliferation Threat Analysis.
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/npp/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=17193
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/npp/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=17194
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/npp/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=792&&prog=zgp&proj=znp

A conference on the nuclear fuel cycle agreed on important measures to promote enhanced controls over sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, in particular uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing technology, but lacks enforcement mechanisms. http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2004/fuelcycle_conference.html

Control of small arms and illegal weapons was the topic of a meeting o the Implementation of the 2001 Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons.
http://www.icao.org/cgi/goto.pl?icao/en/new.htm
http://www.unicef.org
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/
http://www.unidir.org/html/en/home.html


14. Recently Published

Richard C. Bush, "Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait", Brookings Institution Press
http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/untyingtheknot.htm

Council of Europe Convention on the prevention of Terrorism (ETS 196)
http://book.coe.int/EN/ficheouvrage.php?PAGEID=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=1933

Victoria de Grazia, "Irresistible Empire" Belknap Press

Carol Lancaster and Ann Van Dusen, "Organizing U.S. Foreign Aid: Confronting the Challenges of the 21st Century", Brookings Institution Press
http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/organizingforeignaid.htm

Timothy Naftali, "Blind Spot". Basic Books

Richard Posner, "Preventing Surprise Attacks", Hoover Institution/Rowman and Littlefield


FEATURE ARTICLE: The Downing Street al Qaeda Attack List

As details emerged that those responsible for London's four bombings last week were British, Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the issues this raises during Prime Minister's Question Time, including a reminder that al Qaeda attacks have been carried out in a huge number of countries and that they took place prior to the invasion of Iraq.

Among the questions, Conservative leader Michael Howard asked, "Does the Prime Minister agree that the peril that we face extends far beyond our shores, has taken the lives of countless Muslims and is part of a criminal conspiracy to destroy our shared way of life? What scope does he envisage for greater international action to deal with the terrible danger that we face?".

Mr. Blair replied, "Again, I agree entirely with the right hon. and learned Gentleman. It is my intention later today to issue a list, which we have been able to put together pretty quickly, of different attacks that have taken place round the world. It excludes attacks in Iraq or Afghanistan, but includes those virtually from the attack on the World Trade Centre in February 1993 onwards. People have been able to see that this process stretches back many years. It encompasses many different countries and thousands of people have been victims of it.

"It is heartening, as the right hon. and learned Gentleman implies, that there is a sense in the international community in the Muslim world that this issue has to be taken on. I know of conferences that have either just taken place or are taking place in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, for example. Such countries are now focusing clearly on how the ground may be recaptured for moderate Islam, which is the true voice of Islam, as we know. It is our intention to see what help and support we can give. We are having discussions not only with those Muslim countries but with others as well to determine how we can get real international support and an understanding of how important the issue is, so that, in the countries where the roots of this sometimes grow, through twisted teaching and through the violence that is taught to young people at a very early age, we can pull up this evil ideology by its roots. It is important, particularly after the shock of discovering that those who perpetrated this were born and brought up in this country, that we recognise the worldwide dimension of this, and the need therefore to tackle it internationally."

And here is the Downing Street list:

International terrorism: significant attacks associated with Al Qaida

This is a list of significant terrorist attacks from the first on the World Trade Centre in New York until that in London on 7 July. It does not include all terrorist attacks. Some of those listed were directly linked to Bin Laden or other Al Qaida leaders, but many were conducted by terrorists inspired by Al Qaida.

During this period several planned attacks which might have led to significant loss of life have also been prevented, most notably a planned attack on Strasbourg Christmas Market in December 2000 and other attacks planned a year earlier against targets in the US and Jordan.

26-Feb-93
USA (New York)
First World Trade Center bombing planned by Ramzi Youssef. 6 killed, over 1000 injured.

11-Dec-94
Philippines
Small bomb on Philippines Airlines flight; 1 Japanese businessman killed, 10 people injured.

29-Jul-95
France (Paris and Lyon)
4-month bombing campaign. Attacks on the Paris metro, the Arc de Triomphe and outside a Jewish school in Lyon.

13-Nov-95
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)
Car bombs at military compound.

18-Sep-97
Egypt(Cairo)
Gunmen attack a tourist bus. 9 Germans and 1 Egyptian killed.

17-Nov-97
Egypt (Luxor)
Gunmen attack tourists. c.70 killed.

7-Aug-98
Kenya (Nairobi) and Tanzania (Dar-es-Salaam)
Truck bomb attack against US embassies. Over 200 people killed, thousands injured.

12-Oct-00
Yemen
Boat bomb attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden. 17 US soldiers killed, 39 wounded.

11-Sep-01
USA (New York and Washington)
Hijacked planes crashed into the two World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashes into a field in Pittsburgh. c. 3000 killed.

11-Apr-02
Tunisia
Vehicle bomb attack against a synagogue on the resort island of Djerba. c.21 killed.

8-May-02
Pakistan (Karachi)
Bomb attack against bus carrying French engineers near Sheraton Hotel.

14-Jun-02
Pakistan (Karachi)
Truck bomb attack against US Consulate. 12 killed, 51 injured.

6-Oct-02
Yemen
Boat bomb attack against French oil tanker MV Limburg off Ash Shahir port. 1 killed.

12-Oct-02
Indonesia (Bali)
Attacks against US Consulate, Sari Club and Paddy's Bar. 202 killed, including 26 Britons.

28-Nov-02
Kenya (Mombasa)
Attack on an Israeli-owned hotel. 12 killed. Surface-to-air missile launched at Israeli airliner the same day.

12-May-03
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)
Attacks at 3 compounds housing expatriates. Over 30 killed.

16-May-03
Morocco (Casablanca)
Multiple suicide bombings against Spanish club, hotel and sites. 45 dead, c.100 injured.

5-Aug-03
Indonesia
Vehicle bomb attack against Marriott Hotel. c. 12 killed, 100 injured.

8-Nov-03
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)
Major vehicle bomb attack against residential compound housing mainly expatriate workers from other Arab countries. 17 killed, over 80 injured.

15-Nov-03
Turkey (Istanbul)
2 vehicle bomb attacks at Jewish synagogues.

20-Nov-03
Turkey (Istanbul)
2 vehicle bombs at HSBC Bank and British Consulate. Together with 15 Nov attack, over 60 people killed (including 2 Britons).

11-Mar-04
Spain (Madrid)
Bomb attacks against 4 trains. Terrorists blew themselves up when confronted by police. 199 killed.

1-May-04
Saudi Arabia (Yanbu)
Attack on expatriate oil workers. 6 foreign nationals and 1 Saudi killed.

30-May-05
Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar)
4 attacks in Al Khobbar target oil companies and compound.

9-Sep-04
Indonesia (Jakarta)
Vehicle bomb outside Australian Embassy. 9 killed, over 100 injured.

8-Oct-04
Egypt
Large explosions at Hilton Hotel in Taba and at 2 campsites in the Sinai area. Over 30 killed.

28-Oct-04
Pakistan (Islamabad)
Explosion at Marriott Hotel. 7 injured.

19-Mar-05
Qatar (Doha)
Vehicle bomb attack outside the Doha Players' Theatre. 1 (British national) killed, 12 injured.

07-Apr-05
Egypt (Cairo)
Attack near tourist bazaar in Cairo. 2 French nationals and one American killed, c.18 injured.

30-Apr-05
Egypt (Cairo)
Tourist bus fired on in Cairo. 8 injured.

07-Jul-05
UK (London)
4 explosions - 3 in tube trains, one in bus. At least 52 dead, 700 injured.
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