Somalia: 2010 terror plot: 'SA not ready'

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Somalia: 2010 terror plot: 'SA not ready'

Tuesday 20 October 2009 SMC

An expert on Islamic militancy has warned that the South African intelligence services are "woefully, inadequately prepared" for the potential threat of terrorism during the World Cup next year.

Hussein Solomon, head of the International Institute of Islamic Studies in Pretoria, said militants had already established cells in South Africa.

He was commenting today on reports that Somali terrorists linked to al-Qaeda have been planning to attack US interests here.

The Weekend Argus reported that the US government had closed its embassy in Pretoria and all other US government facilities for two days last month because intelligence agencies had intercepted a call from Khayelitsha to the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab extremist group in Somalia, discussing a plot to blow up American interests.

This was apparently to be in retaliation for the US military killing of an Al-Shabaab commander in southern Somalia. The US suspected the commander of having played a role in the fatal bombing of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar el Salaam in 1998.

The sources added that the efforts by local intelligence agencies to trace the Cape Town Somalis was disrupted when police commissioner Bheki Cele went on national television to say that the country's intelligence structures were on top of the situation. This prompted the Somalis to go further underground.

Solomon said today that he had been trying to warn authorities for some time about the threat of terrorist action during the World Cup.

He said international policing agency Interpol had already warned of such a threat but the South African intelligence services did not seem to be listening.

"Our intelligence services are extremely politicised," Solomon said, adding that they would rather spy on investigative journalists to discover their sources than spy on potential terrorists.

"When I interact with our counter-intelligence people, they are more concerned about the Boeremag than al-Qaeda... But they are acting from an ideological perspective which is fundamentally out of sync with reality."

Solomon pointed to several instances where he said the local intelligence and security leadership had ignored potential terrorist threats for ideological reasons. He said the Pakistan government was convinced that two South Africans arrested in Pakistan after a gunfight between security forces and al-Qaeda elements a few years ago were linked to al-Qaeda.

But they had simply been released on their return to South Africa. This also happened to two South Africans arrested in Uganda more recently.

"Everyone outside this country seems to know who is threatening South Africa. We must not think we are protected because we are far away. Often these things have nothing to do with South Africa. They are just an opportunity to attack America."

Other sources said that Somali terrorists devised the strategy to take on the US in South Africa because it was easier than fighting the superpower in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia.

NIA spokeswoman Lorna Daniels refused to comment on the weekend reports.

A source quoted in the Weekend Argus said: "What has been established is that the Cape guys are linked to al-Qaeda cells in Somalia, who are connected to the group in Afghanistan. We have established that most al-Qaeda operatives are relocating from Afghanistan to Pakistan, attracted by increased lawlessness in Pakistan.

"Our information is that there is a trail that links Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and, most interestingly, Mozambique where Somalis have formed an anti-US cell already. The interception revealed that these people plan to move en masse from Mozambique to here (SA) in 2010 to attack American interests. Their point is that SA is not a target, but if South Africans are caught in the crossfire, then that would be unfortunate.

"Part of the intercepted conversations are on how America was stronger elsewhere but could be vulnerable here in South Africa."

This in spite of the US boosting security at its new premises in Sandton and Pretoria.

US embassy spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean refused to comment on the threat, saying: "We do not comment on intelligence matters."

An NIA official said yesterday: "This is classified information. If you publish it, this will jeopardise an operation already under way." However, the source said Cele had already said publicly that intelligence officers were on the track of the extremists.

"I do not mean to be alarmist, but the US was right to take these people seriously because, we now know that they have links with shady characters who have access to old military hardware in Eastern Europe," said the source.

Source: Sunday Independent

Somaliweyn Media Center “SMC”

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