:
CNN.com
Morocco busts al Qaeda-linked terror network funded by
crime
* Story Highlights
* Morocco destroyed network that raised funds
through heists, holdups in Europe
* Terror group plotted to kill Cabinet ministers,
army officials, Jews
* Morocco banned an Islamist political party,
arrests leader
* Police arrested 32 people in sweeps this week
PARIS, France (AP) -- Morocco's government said it has
dismantled a terrorist network that had plotted to
assassinate Cabinet ministers and members of the North
African kingdom's Jewish community.
Authorities believe the network has links to al Qaeda
and local terror groups, the official MAP news agency
said late Wednesday. A total of 32 people were
arrested in sweeps this week, Moroccan newspapers
said.
Morocco also has banned an Islamist political party,
Al Badil Al Hadari, because some members were linked
to the network, the Interior Ministry said.
The network raised money by waging holdups, selling
stolen goods and taking contributions from its
members, the ministry said in a statement issued
Wednesday.
One suspected member of the group, with help from
criminals in Europe, carried out a heist of an armored
truck in Luxembourg in 2000, netting the group $25.65
million, it said.
Gold jewelry stolen in Belgium was melted down by a
goldsmith who belonged to the network and then sold,
the ministry statement said.
The group had plotted to assassinate Cabinet
ministers, army officers and members of the Jewish
community, the ministry said. Only a few thousand Jews
still live in the Muslim kingdom, as many have
emigrated to Israel and elsewhere.
Among those arrested was the group's suspected leader,
Abdelkader Belliraj, who Interior Minister Chakib
Benoussa said had links with al Qaeda and local terror
groups.
Also arrested in the sweeps were political leader
Mostafa Lmouatassime; Abdelhafid Sriti, a
correspondent for the Hezbollah militant group's
Al-Manar television; and a university professor and a
police superintendent, the MAP agency reported.
Morocco, a strong U.S. ally, has been on alert since
2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca killed 45 people
and stunned this relatively moderate Muslim country, a
popular vacation spot. Those bombings targeted a
Jewish community center and cemetery, a hotel, a
restaurant and a Spanish social club.
Authorities have carried out regular anti-terror
sweeps since then, raising concerns among human rights
groups that say many innocent people have been
arrested and tortured.
In March, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a
Casablanca Internet cafe, and investigators later
uncovered an alleged plot targeting tourist sites
across Morocco. Police cornered four suspects,
shooting one dead and prompting the other three to
blow themselves up to avoid capture. The blasts killed
a policeman and wounded 21 other people.
Two brothers strapped with explosives blew themselves
up near the U.S. consulate in April.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved.This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
All AboutAl Qaeda Morocco Hezbollah
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Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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