Annie
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- Nov 22, 2003
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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto.../ap_on_re_eu/britain_terror_arrests&printer=1
Suspect May Have Sparked U.S. Terror Alert
12 minutes ago
By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer
LONDON - One of the terror suspects arrested in Britain is an alleged key al-Qaida operative suspected of authoring the surveillance documents that sparked terror alerts in the United States, an official said Thursday, as Pakistan passed on new intelligence suggesting al-Qaida also plotted to attack London's Heathrow airport.
The documents of surveillance of five U.S. financial institutions were found on the computers of two accused members of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network arrested in Pakistan last month. Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press the computers also held images of Heathrow, and that this information was passed to British officials.
The revelations draw a link between two major sweeps against suspected al-Qaida networks in Pakistan and Britain as well as the alerts announced Sunday in New York, New Jersey and Washington.
At least 20 people have been detained in Pakistan in the past month, and Britain is holding 12 men from raids on Tuesday. British police on Thursday announced the arrest of another man, wanted in the United States for allegedly helping finance terrorist activity.
Among the 12 arrested in Britain was a senior al-Qaida member, known as Abu Eisa al-Hindi or Abu Musa al-Hindi, who the official said is suspected of having written the surveillance reports detailing security, construction and other features of the five U.S. financial buildings.
The official called al-Hindi "a key al-Qaida operative." A counterterrorism official, speaking on the condition of anonymity earlier this week, said much of the documentary evidence for the alerts, including surveillance reports, was in fluent English, indicating the author spent significant time in the West.