Armies of Liberation

Update: Yemen Officials report he was not killed.

Original: Nice! The death of Ibrahim al Asiri is huge and should quell any whining doubting the threat from Anwar, who in reality was fully operational, focused on the US and associated with numerous plots. Al Asiri was responsible for the bomb in the assassination plot on Saudi Prince Naif, the Nigerian’s underwear bomb, the toner cartridges on the UPS plane, and they were experimenting with poisons including the poison perfume plot and there was the warning about riacin and the castor beans. Bad news dudes all around.

The fact that the Saudi bomb maker al Asiri was in the car with two American al Qaeda jihaddists shows in itself what they were up to. The drone strike likely saved the lives of untold thousands and whether Yemenis believe it or not, saved a lot of misery for the Yemeni people. Also the strike was executed perfectly in that there were no civilians anywhere around.

There has been some confusion that the location of Awlaki’s death (al Jawf en route to Marib) means he wasn’t involved in AQAP (??!! really I read that today) or their occupation of Zinjibar; however, earlier reports indicated the terrorists brought items looted from Abyan residents to Marib to be divided up there, causing tension along regional lines.

Now that they are dead, lets get back to the war of ideas and support representative democracy, equal rights and freedom of the press.

There’s less much grumbling about the strike in Yemen than there is in the US, beyond the expected statement by HOOD. Actually many Yemenis are happy to be free of the burden of Anwar and all are cursing AQAP because of the atrocities the fanatics are committing in Abyan, including executing a suspected witch and another man after a dispute ( link to vid here) and cutting off a teen’s arm for stealing. The boy later died. Over 100,000 fled al Qaeda when they took control of, and looted, the provincial capital Zinjibar and the families are living in schools in Aden since May.

Yesterday’s anti-government protests by millions around Yemen was themed in unity with and support of the Syrian people’s struggle against Assad. A secondary theme was in rejection of the fatwa, requested by President Saleh and delivered by 500 state clerics, that finds public demonstrations against the state and for regime change are illegitimate under Islam. I am quite concerned by the fatwa; through the years, Saleh fatwa’d his opposition before attacking them. Nonetheless I am trying to convince the Yemeni protesters to adopt AC/DC’s Highway to Hell as a theme song.

Saleh continues to dissemble, as he will unto infinity, saying that the protests have to end before the VP can sign the GCC initiative: He pointed out that signing of the Vice President to the initiate depends on the readiness of the other side, adding that the Gulf initiative states to remove the causes of tension as tension elements are known to all and power can not be transferred without implementing this item. Saleh also says General Ali Mohsen and Hamid al Ahmar should leave Yemen before he does. The only bright spot is that Sec. Clinton appears to have moved off the GCC plan to an agreement of principles; nonetheless Saleh has never been motivated to any action by what is in the best interests of the Yemeni people. He only operates in self-interest although not in a rational manner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two US officials say the drone strike in Yemen that killed Anward al-Awlaki appears to have also killed al-Qaida’s top Saudi bomb-maker.

Officials say intelligence indicates Ibrahim al-Asiri also died in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the death has not been officially confirmed.

Al-Asiri is the bomb-maker believed to have made the explosives used in the foiled Christmas Day airline attack in 2009 and last year’s attempted cargo plane bombing.

Al-Asiri’s death would make the attack perhaps the most successful single drone strike ever.

(HT: Weasel Zippers)

Excellent lets hop ehe brought back a substantial amount of inside information on AQAP. Maybe all their questionable practices like dressing up like women,

Riyadh, 4 Aug. (AKI) – A Saudi fugitive accused of being a member Al-Qaeda and hiding in neighbouring Yemen recently turned himself in to police in Saudi Arabia, according to newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat. (Read on …)

If so, then why didn’t they add it to the toner cartridges? On the other hand the now deceased Pakistani expert that came a while ago to Marib in theory trained them also on CW as well as explosives.

Znews: Riyadh: Al Qaeda planned to use a powerful poison in a failed attempt to blow up a Saudi deputy interior minister in 2009, a former militant from the terror network said in reports on Wednesday. (Read on …)

16 in Yemen they say, names below

Kingdom seeks Interpol help to arrest 47 terror suspects ARAB NEWS Published: Jan 10, 2011

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia on Sunday published a list of 47 wanted terror suspects abroad who are believed to be planning attacks in the country. The Kingdom has asked for Interpol’s help to track them down. (Read on …)

Well one would assume if you go infiltrate al Qaeda, thwart a plot of mass murder and then make it back alive, you would get a few perks like performing Hajj and getting your name dropped off the MWT list.

Shamar Press – Nasser Hagbani

بين المليونين الذين أدوا الركن الخامس من أركان الإسلام، حاج يحتفظ بأسرار تنظيم إرهابي يعمل على استهداف أمن المملكة ويتخذ اليمن مقراً. Among the two million who performed the fifth pillar of Islam, the pilgrim keeps the secrets of a terrorist organization works to target the security of Saudi Arabia and Yemen to take home. فقد مكّنت السلطات السعودية التائب جابر الفيفي من أداء مناسك الحج هذا العام. Saudi authorities have allowed the penitent Jaber Alfaifi of performing Hajj this year. وكان سلّم نفسه إلى السلطات السعودية بعد التنسيق مع نظيرتها اليمنية في محافظة لودر في أيلول (سبتمبر) الماضي، وأسقط اسمه من قائمة المطلوبين من عناصر تنظيم «القاعدة». He surrendered to Saudi authorities in coordination with counterparts in the Yemeni province of Lauder in September (September) the past, dropped his name from the list of most wanted members of the organization «base». (Read on …)

There have been many false and/or unsubstantiated statements from Yemen to the Saudis, one such incident prompted the canceling of the third donors conference in February 2009 when Yemen had to retract their announcement of seven arrested Saudis. The al Masdar article notes Yemen’s announcement of the arrest of a Saudi financier without notifying the Saudis (and they still have no confirmation) and during the Saada war giving coordinates for the Houthi leadership but really the location was General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar… Part of the difficulty in unpacking the “terror attacks” in and from Yemen is that sometimes different factions of the (Yemeni) royal family acts through their jihaddist proxies.

al Masdar: What is behind the deterioration of the relationship and lack of trust between the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia?

Along with several other things, the incident revealed “packages” recent deep crisis of confidence between the security of Yemen and the Saudi government, and apparently it is a reflection of the deteriorating relationship between the two regimes, or vice versa. (Read on …)

Ammar Al Waeli is apparently multi-tasking in Saada, plotting with Qatani on Saudi while fighting the Houthis for Saleh. Naif al Qatani was reported dead in May by Abdulelah Shaea, normally a credible source on AQAP. The US sanctioned Qatani the same week. The attack was planned for 12/09, about the same time that the US resumed air strikes after a seven year lull.

Al Qaeda Planned to Attack Saudi Arabia during Saudi – Huthi Conflict – Report 21/10/2010
Awasat: Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Documents obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat reveal that Saudi Arabian national, Ahmed Abdel Aziz al-Jasser – who Yemen yesterday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest – was planning to carry out a terrorist operation on Saudi soil during the conflict that took place between the Saudi military and the Huthi insurgents in late 2009. These documents also reveal that al-Jasser was working with 4 other Saudi nationals whose names are included on the Saudi Arabian list of 85 suspected militants wanted around the world. (Read on …)

Qatani was designated as a member of a terror group this week by the US. State Dept. and the UN along with Qasim al Reimi.

Guardian A senior leader of the al-Qaida cell which attempted to assassinate the British ambassador to Sanaa and blow up a US passenger jet last Christmas has been killed in Saudi Arabia, according to a Yemeni source close to the group.

Nayif Mohammed Saeed al-Qahtani, described as the link man between the Saudi and Yemeni branches of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in a shoot-out last month with Saudi security forces, according to a Yemeni journalist, AbdulElah Shaea. (Read on …)

This is all coming from the governor of Abyan, al Maseri. A Pakistani expert came to Yemen last year to train them on smaller, undetectable explosives and he died at some point in a work accident. Another Pakistani gave training on poisen gases. Four months ago they got aid with the help of non-Yemenis in the organization. Al Maseri says the security forces found a similiar substance to that used to attack Prince Naif.

Saudi Gazette Pakistani built bomb to kill Prince, says Yemeni official
By Abdullah Al-Oraifij
ABYAN, Yemen – Dramatic new claims have been made that a Pakistani explosives expert was responsible for manufacturing the bomb that was used by a suicide bomber in a failed attempt to assassinate Prince Muhammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs at his palace in Jeddah last August.
Talking to Okaz, Ahmad Al-Maseeri, Governor of Abyan in Yemen, said that the man who made the explosive capsule, used by Abdullah Hasan Al-Asiri in his attempt to kill the Prince, was a Pakistani. (Read on …)

PETN, our new vocabulary word, was used in both the attack of Prince Naif and in the recent airliner incident. In both cases the explosive device was sewn into underware. The Nigerian says he was trained at a camp near Sana’a (Arhab?), and recruited online by a “radical cleric” who facilitated contact with al Qaeda in Yemen. The Yemeni government hasn’t yet recieved any official communications from the US on the matter. Full coverage of the earlier attack on Prince Naif here in my category, Attacks-Prince.

MSNBC: U.S. agencies are looking into whether al-Qaida extremists in Yemen directed Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and provided him with the explosives used in the failed bombing of Northwest Flight 253, senior administration officials told NBC News on Saturday. (Read on …)

Article dated Oct 12, haven’t gotten to it until now.

Dawn:

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over to Saudi Arabia two sons of top Yemeni Al Qaeda leader Alawi who masterminded the suicide attack on Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammad bin Nayef in Jeddah last month. (Read on …)

Related: al Alawi’s sons in PK arrested, said to be involved in failed keister bombing of Prince Naif: (Read on …)

I guess they couldn’t do a trial run on this one:

Bomber had half kilo of explosives inside his body
Saudi Gazette:
JEDDAH – Suicide bomber Abdullah Asiri had inserted around half a kilogram of explosives into his own body to carry out his failed assassination attempt of Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, last week.
As more details emerged of the events surrounding the attack that took place at the Prince’s home in Obhur, sources told Okaz newspaper Friday that Asiri’s mobile telephone was equipped with two SIM cards, one of which was used to speak to call members of the terrorist organization in Yemen, and the other to detonate the device located inside Asiri’s rectum via a call from the group. (Read on …)

The arrest of the 44 Saudi al Qaeda raises the question if these 44 were elements of AQAP based in Yemen and, considering their age and education, what is their role in the organization. Who is taking orders from who? As in the bombing of the US embassy in Sept 08, the assassination attempt on SA’s counter-terror chief likely required approval from the leadership of Al Qaeda Central. Conversely, considering the loose cell structure of Al Qaeda, were these 44 a semi-autonomous Saudi group with little to no relationship to AQAP in Yemen? The attack on Prince Naif certainly does re-direct focus on the inability of President Saleh’s regime to maintain a consistent posture on counter-terror. Just as the Southerners and the Houthis do not have a partner for peace in Saleh, Saudi Arabia and the US don’t have a sincere ally in regional efforts to diminish al Qaeda.

AFP

In the latest blow to Al-Qaeda, Saudi security forces last month arrested 44 members, many of whom were described as highly educated, and uncovered large arms caches.

“The new tactic for Al-Qaeda is to be based in Yemen and execute attacks in Saudi Arabia,” said Saudi writer Faress bin Hezam.

“It is clear that the Yemeni government has limited capabilities to combat Al-Qaeda. They are also not able to benefit from the Saudi experience in this field… There isn’t a serious fight against Al-Qaeda in Yemen,” added Hezam who specialises in monitoring Islamist groups.

Government capabilities in impoverished Yemen are already stretched thin, with a Shiite rebellion in the north demanding its troops, and a growing separatist mood in the former South Yemen.

“Trouble in Yemen makes it a suitable environment for Al-Qaeda to grow,” said Khsheiban, stressing that such territorial growth should be contained.

Sounds a bit teh gay to me, bad gay not good gay.

Strafor: The third tactical shift is perhaps the most interesting, and that is the use of an IED hidden in the anal cavity of the bomber…Such keistered items can be very difficult to detect using standard search methods, especially if they do not contain much metal…Having wires protruding from the bomber’s body would be a sure giveaway.

Yemen Post An expert in Al-Qaeda affairs who spoke in anonymity said that disguising oneself in women’s clothing such as Abaya remained one of the most successful ways that Al-Qaeda cells freely move around in Islamic countries.

He said that the suspect’s capture is expected to reduce the number of locations used for fatal aid smuggling and hinder facilitator operations in the Saudi lands.

He further said that smugglers were able to freely move from one region to another as they could vary their external appearance and said a person would see them in beards, and in others without. “The use cosmetic tools to change the color of his skin,” he added.

Aha, getting to the actual roots of the issue, Takfir and the legitimizing of others deaths based on doctrinal disagreements. AFP follows up on the assassination attempt on Prince Naif.

“We need to restructure Islamic teaching at schools,” said Hezam, arguing that the fight has been confined to the security front and did not address the real threat.

Another Saudi analyst, who did not wish to be named, said the “roots of the problem have so far not been addressed,” insisting that the Takfiri discourse, which accuses opponents of being apostates, continues to flourish in Saudi Arabia.

“People who promote Takfiri thoughts are not held accountable unless they start to form a danger to the government,” he told AFP. “There has not been a serious strategy to combat this ideology.”

Khsheiban argued that AL-Qaeda ideology in Saudi Arabia should be tackled by allowing more space for moderates.

“The best way to combat the extremist ideology is not just through military confrontation, but also through strengthening the moderate discourse… It is there, but it needs the support of society and the state,” he said.

“The open religious discourse in Saudi Arabia is moderate, but the danger is in the extremist discourse… This creates extremist elements and nourishes terrorism,” he added.

But hope of seeing a change appears dim, said Hezam.

“Nothing will change in Saudi Arabia in the next 30 years. Even if change (strategy) starts right now, it would take at least 15 years to start seeing results,” he said.

And the Hashemite king of Jordan sat in as well… Just a friendly get together so they both could praise Saleh and brotherly relations. Prince
Sultan Abdul Aziz is the Saudi Defense Minister.

Almotamar.net, Saba – President Ali Abdullah Saleh held talks IN THE Moroccan city of Agadir on Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz and King of Jordan Abdullah II. (Read on …)

so they pick up any random three and call it an investigation….

Saudi Gazette MAREB, Yemen – Three suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have been arrested in the Yemeni region of Marib since the beginning of the week.

Governor of Mareb Naji Al-Zayedi told Okaz newspaper Tuesday said that the arrests were the result of security campaigns following the attempted assassination of Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs last Thursday.

“The security services are investigating the three detained to discover their links with the terrorist organization and if they have been involved in terrorist acts,” Al-Zayedi said.

Al-Zayedi admitted that there had been a presence in the region of leading members of Al-Qaeda, headed by Yemeni Nasser Al-Wohaishi, alias “Abu Basir,” and large numbers of followers, among them Yemenis, Saudis, Libyans, Moroccans, Egyptians and Algerians.

“The tightening of security, however, has forced them to flee to other areas,” Al-Zayedi said, indicating their movements as conducted between the regions of Marib, Shabwa, Abyan and Al-Jouf.

Al-Zayed said the three followed the “between 30 and 40” suspects detained last month. – Okaz/SG

akkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Fill in the blank: “What an _______!”

Gulf Daily News: KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has tightened security at oil facilities after the country’s anti-terror chief, Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, escaped a suicide attack, guards at Abqaiq, the world’s biggest oil processing plant, said yesterday….

Al Qaeda, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack and said that the bomber, Abdullah Hassan Taleh Al Asiri, had managed to pass security checkpoints and board a private aircraft, Site Intelligence said yesterday…Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said Asiri was a 23-year-old Saudi whose brother Ibrahim was also on the wanted list.

It said the attacker concealed the explosives in his anus, allowing him to evade detection.

The network also quoted an expert as saying that the method of concealment aimed the blast away from the target, while blowing the bomber to bits….

awwwwwwwww

NEFA: Al-Qaida also claimed to have uncovered “a network of spies and collaborators who are in league with that criminal [Nayef] and which the government of Yemen is oblivious to. There are exciting details that we will announce later, Allah-willing.”

But where’s Saleh’s network of spies? That was always the justification given for all the terrorist releases, they were going to report back to the Yemeni government.