The al Qaeda Magazine and other AQIY updates
- dated 2/14/10, Newsweek: In late January, an Al Qaeda operative headed from Pakistan on his way to Yemen was arrested in the Persian Gulf country of Oman, a U.S. counter-terrorism official confirmed…Even more noteworthy, the postings -written by a fellow Al Qaeda “brother” – reported that Al Eidan had with him 300 “important phone numbers” as well as pictures, names and documents from Afghanistan.
Reuters: “Today, you have attacked us in the middle of our household, so wait for what will befall you in the middle of yours … We will blow up the earth from beneath your feet,” Qasim al-Raymi, the wing’s military commander, said in an article posted earlier this month on a website used by Islamist militants. (Originally published in the mag.) AQIY Video dated late 09 posted in Feb blasts Yemeni govt corruption. “The man, Saeed Ali Shihri, also known as Abu Sufyan Azdi, is from Saudi Arabia. Abu Baseer Nasir al-Wahayshi, the alleged leader of the group, also appears in the video. The video ends with an old message from Osama Bin Laden saying, “We will never let you down until we taste victory. The wave of jihad is coming and the Yemeni wave will always be there.” Bin Laden also repeatedly said to his followers, “if you meet a Yemeni soldier, surrender,” an old story recently recounted again in al Wasat.
- Yemen Post: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed on Thursday that it had shot down a U.S. spy plane after the terror operation against its members in south Yemen in late 2009. In its monthly periodical issued by the Sada Almalhim Corporation, the group also denied that the raid that took place in Rafadh district in southern Shabwa province targeted Abu Basir Al-Wuhaishi and his deputy Abu Sufyan Al-Ozdi along with preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki. Official statements about this were lies and aimed at slighting the people, the group said. However, the group admitted the killing of some of its members including Abu Musab Muhammad Umair Al-Kalwai Al-Awlaki in Shabwa and Noor Al-Din Bin Al-Sheikh Muhammad Al-Haniq in Arhab, Sana’a.
- al Shihri’s wife cranky, lonely and full of regrets after she left Saudi Arabia to be with her terrorist husband: al Arabiya, more women recruited in a shift of ideology to suit its needs. In this instance, authorizing female suicide bombers. Previous women were thought to inferior to be in the esteemed position of martyrs.
- WaTi: Nigerian claims he met or saw many English speakers while training in Yemen
- The Yemen News Agency SABA is trying to push the idea that Wahishi is dead, (also see Yemen Observer for similiar analysis) based on the fact that Shihri has been making the statements recently. Also they claimed for the fourth time that al Reimi is dead.
-Al Jazeera: Yemen increases airport security. After plane loads of jihaddis were flying to Damascus from Sana’a on an all too regular basis, Yemen transferred airport authority from the PSO to the National Security several years ago. Since then, several journalists and activists have been prevented from leaving Yemen. The head of Yemenia airlines shown in the clip is President Saleh’s son-in-law.
-AQIY claims they have dozens of bombs ready to go. And they began building these type of explosive devices four years ago. But the series of terror attacks in Yemen that followed the 2006 escape of the 23 al Qaeda were attributed to gas canisters wrapped in TNT and other standard explosive devices according to Yemeni government reports at the time, including a bomb in a picture frame, remote controlled devices, car bombs and suicide vests in the case of the embassy attack. The first use of the “non-detectable” explosives was the attack on Prince Naif in August 2009. Also see Memri
18 Feb. (AKI) – Al-Qaeda has prepared “dozens” more bombs like the one used by the young Nigerian accused of trying to blow up an airliner in the United States on 25 December last year. The claim was allegedly made by the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terror cell in a message posted in its online magazine ‘al-Malamih’. “We have dozens of sophisticated explosive devices which are similar to that used by the Nigerian,Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on the Christmas Day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit,” said the message in ‘al-Malamih’….. “Four years ago, we began producing similar devices to that used by Umar Farouk,” the ‘al-Malamih’ message said.
-Al Shehri claims in the latest issue of their internet magazine that AQIY’s aspirations of seizing the Bab al Mendab are validated by the group’s maritime experience (the 2000 USS Cole and 2002 Limburgh bombings) indicating AQIY’s continuity with or at least integration of what was categorized as the pacified generation of “jihaddists willing to deal.”
- Yemen unable to monitor coastline, maybe if they stop renting out the Coast Guard, they might have better success.
- I thought Sami Dhyan made a deal with Saleh in early 2009, and his militia was fighting on the government’s side during that free-for-all in Jahr but now they say he’s a separatist. SABA: (Lahj) Local sources accused the so-called Taher Tamah gang of being behind the murder, saying that gang members were inside two cars when they suddenly came and shot heavy fire on the guard… Earlier, reports surfaced on armed groups that were formed by Taher Tamah and Sami Dayan, two prominent leader in the secessionist movement, to cut roads and commit banditry, kidnap cars and loot public and private properties.
- Al Qaeda analyst Abdulelah al Shayer talks to Ashaq Alawasat about his various meetings with al Qaeda leadership. Al Shayer is quoted in this piece by Jamestown which is a good article and interesting reading. However the level of tribal support may be overblown. Also from Jamestown a profile of al Shihri. Also Governor of Marib says al Qaeda usually are just passing through and don’t have established camps there.
- Al Masdar Online reports the “11 captured al Qaeda” began as a raid on the home of a former military officer by plain clothes police who failed to identify themselves. This is how they “arrest” journalists too, armed men break into the house in the middle of the night.
- Reuters: religious schools under scrutiny which dovetails into the statement released by Al Masiri in Marib, the Egyptian also know as al Maribi who heads the Dar al Hadeth institute there.
Somali/ German al Qaeda in Yemen kills guard trying to escape hospital but was recaptured: Official 26sep.net said a security source as saying that the suspect, identified as Shareef Mubaili, is German of Somali origin.
