http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2005/07/26/nat.l.security.adviser.says. 10.would.be.suicide.bombers.being.sought.(7.30.p.m.).html Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Nat'l security adviser says 10 would-be suicide bombers being sought (7:30 p.m.)
MANILA -- Philippine security forces are hunting 10 would-be suicide bombers and have already foiled a plot for a major attack, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's national security adviser said Tuesday. Norberto Gonzales said he was worried about possible new attacks in Manila following the recent terror bombings in London and Egypt. "From intelligence information we have gathered from our neighbors, we know that there are suicide bombers now in the Philippines, at least 10 of them, preparing for a terrorist attack," he told ANC television as he pushed for passage of an anti-terrorism law. He said one intelligence unit has been "solely dedicated to pursuing the terrorists." He did not identify the alleged terrorists or the groups they belong to and gave no other details. Gonzales also said Philippine security forces foiled a "huge plot" to bomb unspecified targets with the seizure of 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) of explosives earlier this year. At the time, police said bombings planned by the al-Qaida-linked Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group were pre-empted with the arrest of a suspected militant whose information led to the explosives cache in March. The military said the explosives were intended for terror attacks in Manila during the Easter holidays. Terror bombings have hit the capital and other parts of the country in recent years. On Valentine's Day, three almost simultaneous attack in Manila and the southern Philippines killed four people and wounded 63 others. In her state of the nation speech Monday, Arroyo urged "swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction." She also reported that anti-terror operations have hurt the Abu Sayyaf and the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, leaving the terror movement to "only pick up the pieces of its broken backbone" in the southern Mindanao region. Several draft anti-terrorism bills are pending in Congress. Some would set up a controversial national ID system or allow electronic surveillance and arrests without warrants. Opponents warn of erosion of civil liberties. "We are writing a law intended for terrorists, it's not intended for citizens," Gonzales said. "We are dealing with a very, very specialized group, a very small minority imbedded in the societies of the world... They seem to want to achieve their purpose by murdering as many civilians, as many innocents as possible." (AP) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/