Notes:
* Syria claims group which recently attempted to car-bomb the US Embassy in Damascus last month is not affiliated with any terrorist group (internal or external.) But the men were planning to release a video claim about their action, calling themselves the "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Brigade" in reference to the late al-Qa'ida in Iraq leader * Syria said the attackers were all Syrians, and acting alone. * Names the attackers as: * Abdel Raouf Mustafa Saleh, 31 * Bilal Mustafa Saleh, 25, Abdel's brother * Samir Abdel Ghani Saleh, 25, cousin to Abdel and Bilal * Ramzi Atef al-Chalabi, 25, NFI. * Two more men may be implicated in the attacks, for acquiring weapons and delivering them to the Salehs in Syria by way of Lebanese smugglers: * Taher Saleh, related to Abdel and Bilal, NFI. * Anas Saleh, related to Abdel and Bilal, NFI * The Salehs had worked in Saudi Arabia, where they apparently attended "religious lessons" at which they were radicalized * The attackers had planned to blow up the Embassy entrance, storm into the offices, and execute those inside. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/05/africa/ME_GEN_Syria_Embassy_Attack .php Syrian interior ministry says U.S. Embassy attackers were not affiliated with any external terrorist group The Associated Press Published: October 5, 2006 DAMASCUS, Syria Gunmen who tried to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Syria last month were not affiliated with any external terrorist group but had attended religious lessons in Saudi Arabia and were influenced by the United States' role in the region and perceived bias for Israel, Syria's interior ministry said Thursday. A statement issued by the ministry and carried by Syria's state-run news agency SANA said the investigations showed that the attackers were all Syrian and were working alone. Three attackers and a Syrian guard were killed in the Sept. 12 assault on the embassy when the guards exchanged gunfire outside the compound's walls with the attackers who tried to storm in with automatic weapons and hand grenades. A fourth attacker who was shot as he fled an explosives-laden truck without detonating it died a day later in hospital before he could be questioned by investigators. No Americans were hurt in the attack, but a dozen other people were wounded. The statement identified the attackers as Abdel Raouf Mustafa Saleh, 31, his brother Bilal Mustafa Saleh, 25, their cousin Samir Abdel Ghani Saleh, 25 and a fourth man named Ramzi Atef Al-Chalabi, 25. "It does not appear that the terrorist group had an organizational relationship or links with extremist organizations outside Syria," the statement said. It said the Salehs had attended "religious lessons and zealous sermons by a Saudi cleric in Saudi Arabia where they worked." "Their extremism increased as a result of the political circumstances in the region and America's bias for Israel against the Arabs and Muslims, especially in Iraq, Palestine and south Lebanon," the statement said. The Interior Ministry also identified Abdel Raouf Saleh as the mastermind and financier of the operation, which he began preparing for in 2004. The attackers also had planned to release following the operation a videotape titled "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Brigade" after the Jordanian-born leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in a June 7 U.S. airstrike in Iraq. The statement stressed, however, that the group had no links with Al-Qaida and had intended to use al-Zarqawi to link its attack to other anti-U.S. terrorist attacks. The rapid response by Syrian guards won rare praise from the United States, which accuses Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime of supporting terrorism in its backing of Hezbollah guerrillas and Palestinian militants. But Syria at the same time responded with a sharp criticism of Washington, blaming its policies in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories for increasing Islamic militancy. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion immediately fell on a little-known al-Qaida offshoot called Jund al-Sham, Arabic for Soldiers of Syria. The statement issued Thursday by the Interior Ministry, however, did not mention Jund al-Sham. It said investigations with people linked to the attackers showed that Abdel-Raouf Saleh, while in Saudi Arabia, had instructed his relatives, Taher and Anas Saleh, to buy weapons and explosives from neighboring Lebanon and transport them to Damascus through Lebanese smugglers. Both men were now in Syrian custody, it said. Abdel-Raouf returned to Syria the summer and began preparing for the operation. The statement said the attackers had planned to blow up the entrance to the embassy, storm its offices and kill those inside. The U.S. State Department had said on Sept. 20 that FBI and security experts would go to Damascus to assist in the investigations. DAMASCUS, Syria Gunmen who tried to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Syria last month were not affiliated with any external terrorist group but had attended religious lessons in Saudi Arabia and were influenced by the United States' role in the region and perceived bias for Israel, Syria's interior ministry said Thursday. A statement issued by the ministry and carried by Syria's state-run news agency SANA said the investigations showed that the attackers were all Syrian and were working alone. Three attackers and a Syrian guard were killed in the Sept. 12 assault on the embassy when the guards exchanged gunfire outside the compound's walls with the attackers who tried to storm in with automatic weapons and hand grenades. A fourth attacker who was shot as he fled an explosives-laden truck without detonating it died a day later in hospital before he could be questioned by investigators. No Americans were hurt in the attack, but a dozen other people were wounded. The statement identified the attackers as Abdel Raouf Mustafa Saleh, 31, his brother Bilal Mustafa Saleh, 25, their cousin Samir Abdel Ghani Saleh, 25 and a fourth man named Ramzi Atef Al-Chalabi, 25. "It does not appear that the terrorist group had an organizational relationship or links with extremist organizations outside Syria," the statement said. It said the Salehs had attended "religious lessons and zealous sermons by a Saudi cleric in Saudi Arabia where they worked." "Their extremism increased as a result of the political circumstances in the region and America's bias for Israel against the Arabs and Muslims, especially in Iraq, Palestine and south Lebanon," the statement said. The Interior Ministry also identified Abdel Raouf Saleh as the mastermind and financier of the operation, which he began preparing for in 2004. The attackers also had planned to release following the operation a videotape titled "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Brigade" after the Jordanian-born leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in a June 7 U.S. airstrike in Iraq. The statement stressed, however, that the group had no links with Al-Qaida and had intended to use al-Zarqawi to link its attack to other anti-U.S. terrorist attacks. The rapid response by Syrian guards won rare praise from the United States, which accuses Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime of supporting terrorism in its backing of Hezbollah guerrillas and Palestinian militants. But Syria at the same time responded with a sharp criticism of Washington, blaming its policies in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories for increasing Islamic militancy. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion immediately fell on a little-known al-Qaida offshoot called Jund al-Sham, Arabic for Soldiers of Syria. The statement issued Thursday by the Interior Ministry, however, did not mention Jund al-Sham. It said investigations with people linked to the attackers showed that Abdel-Raouf Saleh, while in Saudi Arabia, had instructed his relatives, Taher and Anas Saleh, to buy weapons and explosives from neighboring Lebanon and transport them to Damascus through Lebanese smugglers. Both men were now in Syrian custody, it said. Abdel-Raouf returned to Syria the summer and began preparing for the operation. The statement said the attackers had planned to blow up the entrance to the embassy, storm its offices and kill those inside. The U.S. State Department had said on Sept. 20 that FBI and security experts would go to Damascus to assist in the investigations. FAIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. 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