-Caveat Lector- Summit city sealed off to foil terrorists Sunday, July 15, 2001 By Ahmed Rashid in Washington http://www.smh.com.au/news/0107/15/world/world1.html European and American intelligence agencies are carrying out a manhunt for Algerian terrorists funded by Osama bin Laden amid fears they are planning to attack the G8 summit in Genoa. At least 17 Algerians, all members of the European-based Meliani terrorist group, have been arrested in Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy since last December. But others are at large, including two couriers who travel between the group in Europe and the wanted Saudi terrorist who is based in Afghanistan. A US counter-terrorism official said: "The group remains a threat even though we have arrested some of the ringleaders." Mohammed Bensakhria, a 34-year-old Algerian, and an accomplice were arrested on June 23 in Alicante. They were caught with a street map of Strasbourg and Spanish officials said they were planning to bomb the European Parliament and Strasbourg Cathedral. Bensakhria, a leader of the Meliani group, had escaped from Berlin to Spain in December after German police arrested four Algerian terrorists. Six Algerians were detained in Britain in February and Italian police caught five in northern Italy in April. All allegedly belonged to the Meliani group. US officials said that Meliani was not an integral part of bin Laden's Al-Qaeda organisation, which is seeking to create an Islamic revolution and drive US forces from the Gulf region. The counter-terrorism official said that Meliani was receiving funding from bin Laden who was encouraging groups to carry out terrorist acts which could not be directly linked to him. Barriers were going up in Genoa yesterday as the Italian city mobilised for this week's Group of Eight summit, where thousands of anti-globalisation protesters are expected. "The only things missing are contingency plans in case of an atomic bomb attack," Turin's La Stampa commented. "Otherwise, everything has been thought of." Altogether 15,000 security forces, including 2,700 members of the Italian armed forces, will patrol the city. Genoa has been carved into two zones. The Red Zone is a 4sqkm no-go area, which wraps tightly round the old port, where a new 58,000-ton cruise liner, European Vision, will accommodate most of the G8 delegations, apart from the Americans. The Yellow Zone, a buffer area that surrounds the Red Zone, will be barred to protesters without police permission to march. The Sun-Herald <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
