IPT IO N SC R SU B
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2013
No: 15900
14
13
47
New Zealand cities rocked by earthquake
Party over as Goa bans dance bars
150 Fils
SHAWWAL 10, 1434 AH
Dawn breaks over all-new Premier League
Egypt’s ‘Day of Rage’ turns violent; 70 die Saudi backs Egypt against ‘terrorism’
Max 48º Min 29º
Online forums provide havens for terror plots WASHINGTON: In secretive chat rooms and on encrypted Internet message boards, Al-Qaeda fighters have been planning and coordinating attacks - including a threatened if vague plot that US officials say closed 19 diplomatic posts across Africa and the Middle East for more than a week. It’s highly unlikely that Al-Qaeda’s top leader, Ayman Al-Zawahri, or his chief lieutenant in Yemen, Nasser Al-Wahishi, were personally part of the Internet chatter or, given the intense manhunt for both by US spy agencies, that they ever go online or pick up the phone to discuss terror plots, experts say. But the unspecified call to arms by the Al-Qaeda leaders, using a multilayered subterfuge to pass messages from couriers to tech-savvy underlings to attackers, provoked a quick reaction by the US to protect Americans in far-flung corners of the world where the terror network is evolving into regional hubs. For years, extremists have used online forums to share information and drum up support, and over the past decade they have developed systems that blend encryption programs with anonymity software to hide their tracks. Jihadist technology may now be so sophisticated and secretive, experts say, that many communications avoid detection by National Security Agency programs that were designed to uncover terror plots. “This creates a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between terrorist groups that can buy commercial technology and intelligence agencies that are trying to find ways to continue to monitor,” said Seth Jones, a former adviser to US special operations forces and counterterrorism expert at Rand Corp, a Washington-based think tank that receives US government funding. “Some of the technology you can buy is pretty good, and it evolves, and it is a game that is constantly evolving.” A US intelligence official said the unspecified threat was discussed in an online forum joined by so many jihadist groups that it included a representative from Boko Haram, the Nigerian insurgency that has loose ties to AlQaeda. Two other intelligence officials characterized the threat as more of an alert to get ready to launch potential attacks than a discussion of specific targets. One of the officials said the threat began with a message from Al-Wahishi, head of the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to Al-Zawahri, who replaced Osama bin Laden as the core Al-Qaeda leader. The message essentially sought out Al-Zawahri’s blessing to launch attacks. Al-Zawahri, in turn, sent out a response that was shared on the secretive online jihadi forum. All three intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the threat. Continued on Page 11
CAIRO: An Egyptian youth mourns over the dead bodies at a mosque in Cairo yesterday as clashes broke out during a demonstration in support of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi. — AFP CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood protests plunged into violence across Egypt yesterday, with around 50 killed in Cairo alone on a “Day of Rage” called by Islamist followers of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to denounce a police crackdown. Automatic gunfire echoed across Cairo and black smoke billowed from the capital’s huge Ramses Square, a military helicopter hovering low overhead looking down on the chaos. A Reuters witness saw the bodies of 27 people, apparently hit by gunfire and birdshot, wrapped in white sheets in a mosque. A Reuters photographer said security forces opened fire from numerous directions when a police station was attacked. At least 20 people died in clashes elsewhere in Egypt. The violence
followed Wednesday’s assault by security forces on two Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo that left hundreds dead, as the military-backed government tried to end weeks of turbulence that has pushed the Arab world’s most populous state to the brink of disaster. Western governments urged restraint and Germany cautioned the new government that it was reviewing its ties. By contrast, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah said his country stood with Egypt in its battle against “terrorism”. The army deployed armored vehicles on major roads around the capital and the Interior Ministry said police would use live ammunition against anyone threatening public buildings. “Sooner or later I will die. Better to
die for my rights than in my bed. Guns don’t scare us anymore,” said Sara Ahmed, 28, a business manager who joined the demonstrators in Cairo. “It’s not about the Brotherhood, it’s about human rights,” said Ahmed, one of the few women in the crowd not wearing a headscarf, a sign of piety for Muslim women. Anger on the streets was directed at army commander General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who moved against Morsi last month after massive street rallies against the his administration that had been dogged by accusations of incompetence and partisanship. “The people want the butcher executed,” said Mustafa Ibrahim, 37, referring to Sisi, as he marched with a crowd Continued on Page 11
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