Iran threatens Gulf blitz if US hits nuclear plants

(Times Online) IRAN has threatened to launch a missile blitz against the Gulf states and plunge the entire Middle East into war if America attacks its nuclear facilities.  Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a senior defence adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that Gulf states providing the US with military cooperation would be the key targets of a barrage of ballistic missiles.  Shamkhani told the US journal Defense News that missiles would be launched not only at US military bases but also at strategic targets such as oil refineries and power stations.  Qatar, Bahrain and Oman all host important US bases and British forces are based in all three countries. Any Iranian attack would be bound to draw in the other Gulf Cooperation Council states: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.  The attacks on Arab states would be in addition to airstrikes on Israel, which have been threatened repeatedly. An Iranian foreign ministry official said: “The objective would be to overwhelm US missile defence systems with dozens and maybe hundreds of missiles fired simultaneously at specific targets.”  Shamkhani, a former Iranian defence minister, accused the Gulf states of “helping the US establish legitimacy for its anticipated aggression against Iran”.  Shamkhani is the head of Iran’s Centre for Strategic Studies, a think tank made up of former foreign, defence and interior ministers that advises the supreme leader.  Another Iranian official said to be familiar with the “retaliation plan” claimed it would be launched within an hour of a US attack and would be accompanied by increased support for terrorist groups. “The US will be as surprised with Iranian military capabilities as the Israelis were with Hezbollah in last summer’s war in Lebanon,” he said.  Iran claims its nuclear programme is designed to generate electricity. It has, however, failed to answer questions from the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, about elements of the programme that suggest it is developing nuclear weapons.  President Mahmoud Ahmad-inejad said last week it was too late to stop Iran’s nuclear programme. He likened his country to a cornered lion and warned America “not to play with the lion’s tail”.  President George W Bush is said to be determined to resolve the issue before he leaves office and there have been repeated suggestions that the US could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Security experts to meet on preventing nuclear terrorism

(AFP) Security experts from around the world will meet here Monday to discuss how to boost cooperation between governments to better confront the threat of nuclear terrorism.  The International Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement Conference aims to provide “law enforcement and Homeland Security officials with the proper tools to prevent, detect, disrupt, and deny terrorists from seeking, acquiring, or using nuclear materials,” said the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is organizing the event. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is scheduled to address the meeting at 11:30 am (1530 GMT).  The meeting falls under the scope of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism announced last year by US President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. The two leaders said the initiative was aimed at motivating all nations to cooperate in preventing access to nuclear materials by terrorist groups. The meeting, lasting nearly a week, will include conferences on smuggling trends and detection of nuclear material around the world, border security, improvised nuclear devices and “dirty bombs” (bombs that spread radiation). “The evolving terrorist methodology — a reliance on suicide missions and a premium on the spectacular — leaves many experts worried that the next 9-11 might include nuclear materials,” said The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, referring to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The bulletin last year moved its “Doomsday Clock” from seven minutes to five minutes to midnight, to stress the increased threat of nuclear catastrophe the world is facing. Security experts agree that a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons is highly unlikely but not impossible, and that it is much easier than imagined. To prevent it, countries that stock nuclear-weapons-grade materials, such as highly enriched uranium or plutonium, must do everything in their power to keep them out of reach of potential terrorists, experts say. “If the terrorists don’t get nuclear material they can’t make a nuclear weapon. And that is the thing that we do have within our capacity to make a lot harder,” said Laura Holgate, from the Nuclear Threat Initiative founded in 2000 by billionaire Ted Turner to research the issue. “If they get that material, then it’s not simple but it’s certainly doable that they turn that material into a weapon,” Holgate said. When the US Manhattan Project began investigating the atomic bomb in the 1940s, most of the work focused on developing explosive material, she said. “The bomb design … was so straightforward that we didn’t even test the design of the bomb we used in Hiroshima, and that design has been in the public realm for years,” Holgate added. All you need to build an atomic bomb is money, an organization, a supply chain, experts in electronics, high explosives and machining metal, and transportation, she said. The fuel for a nuclear device can be found in civilian research facilities, including university research centers with nuclear reactors, that are “not protected at the level of a military installation,” Holgate said. The United States is focusing on security measures at port facilities here and abroad where more than 20 million US-bound containers arrive each year. There are security arrangements with 40 nations and nuclear material detectors at many facilities. But it’s too dangerous to wait for smuggled nuclear material to reach US territory before seizing it, Holgate said.  “The real point is to secure it where it sits,” she added.

Trial Resumes For Man Accused Of Hoarding Terror Manuals

(Press Association File) The trial of a man accused of hoarding “chilling” terror manuals on his computer will continue today. Omar Altimimi, 37, had information on his home computer describing how to hide bombs in boxes of Persil washing powder and sweets, Manchester Crown Court heard. He also kept video clips from Muslim extremists showing Osama bin Laden and praising the “Knights of London” for the 7/7 outrage – along with advice for suicide bombings on a bus, it is alleged. Altimimi, who came to the UK in 2004, tried to “blend in” to his community in Bolton, Greater Manchester, applying for jobs in teaching and with the police, the jury has been told. But the father of three, who created three “parallel” identities, also hoarded information on terrorism, found after he was arrested on money laundering charges in February last year. The computer files detailed suitable targets such as markets, stadium exits, colleges, cinemas, buses and bus stops. Altimimi faces six charges of possession of the material for a purpose connected with terrorism. He claims no knowledge of the material and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The defendant also denies the acquisition and attempted possession of criminal property – £3,000 stolen from the authorities in Yemen. All the alleged offences are said to have taken place between February and June last year. The trial, scheduled to last another two weeks, will continue today.

US Arming Sunnis To Fight Al Qaeda

(The New York Times) (6/11, Burns, Rubin, 1.16M) reports, “With the four-month-old increase in American troops showing only modest success in curbing insurgent attacks, American commanders are turning to another strategy that they acknowledge is fraught with risk: arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight militants linked with Al Qaeda who have been their allies in the past.” The Times adds, “American commanders say they have successfully tested the strategy in Anbar Province west of Baghdad and have held talks with Sunni groups in at least four areas of central and north-central Iraq where the insurgency has been strong. In some cases, the American commanders say, the Sunni groups are suspected of involvement in past attacks on American troops or of having links to such groups.  Some of these groups, they say, have been provided, usually through Iraqi military units allied with the Americans, with arms, ammunition, cash, fuel and supplies.” But “critics of the strategy, including some American officers, say it could amount to the Americans’ arming both sides in a future civil war. … An Iraqi government official who was reached by telephone on Sunday said the government was uncomfortable with the American negotiations with the Sunni groups because they offered no guarantee that the militias would be loyal to anyone other than the American commander in their immediate area.” Anbar Tribal Coalition Against Al Qaeda Said To Be Weakening. The Washington Post (6/11, A11, Partlow, Anderson, 690K) reports, “A tribal coalition formed to oppose the extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq, a development that U.S. officials say has reduced violence in Iraq’s troubled Anbar province, is beginning to splinter, according to an Anbar tribal leader and a U.S. military official familiar with tribal politics.” The Post adds, “In an interview in his Baghdad office, Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman, 35, a leader of the Dulaim confederation, the largest tribal organization in Anbar, said that the Anbar Salvation Council would be dissolved because of growing internal dissatisfaction over its cooperation with US soldiers and the behavior of the council’s most prominent member, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha” Abu Risha, “who enjoys the support of US military commanders…said the council is not at risk of breaking apart. ‘There is no such thing going on,’ he said in a telephone interview from Jordan.” Lt. Col. Richard D. Welch, “a US military official who works closely with the tribal leaders in Iraq, said that relations inside the group were strained and that he expected a complete overhaul of the coalition in coming days.”

Capture of JI leader a harsh blow to terrorists

(AAP) The capture of Indonesia’s most wanted terrorist Abu Dujana would be a severe blow to terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah, but would not spell its end, an analyst said today. A source in Indonesia’s anti-terror squad Detachment 88 told AAP Dujana was arrested in one of a series of weekend raids, but police have officially refused to confirm his capture. Dujana’s right-hand man Mahfud, aka Yusron, was among a number of people being questioned after being arrested in the raids. Mahfud was taken into custody after being shot in the thigh at a raid on a house in the central Java district of Banyumas on Saturday. The Detachment 88 source said Dujana was also being interrogated in a secret location but refused to provide further details. Asked if Dujana was in custody, the source said “Yes, correct.” Indonesian police spokesman Sisno Adiwinoto said Dujana was at the same location prior to Mahfud’s arrest, but declined to confirm Dujana had been caught. However Adiwinoto was confident if Dujana hadn’t been caught, he soon would be. “According to our calculations of the target, (with the) solid information that we have got, we are sure that we can catch him,” Adiwinoto said. “Hopefully he is one of the people we have caught, or he is very close (to being captured).” Jemaah Islamiah (JI) has been blamed for several deadly attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombing that killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australians. Dujana is wanted in connection with a series of deadly bombings, including the 2004 attack on Australia’s Embassy in Jakarta. Terrorism expert John Harrison, of Singapore’s International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said the capture of either Dujana, or his close allies, would be a serious blow to JI. He said there would likely be a period of inactivity in the short term, as the group dealt with the “severe security breach”. “It suggests either they (the police) have got incredible luck or they have got extremely good intelligence that these people are going to be in a particular area at a particular time,” Harrison said. “If they have got the two top leaders that’s going to be very difficult to replace, but certainly they would have a successor structure in place.” Harrison said if Dujana had been captured, another JI leader would be appointed within the year. While a blow to JI, Dujana’s arrest would not spell the end of the terrorist network, he said. “It won’t be the end of JI, but certainly it would be a dramatic reduction in their capability unless they can replace that individual,” he said. “JI has shown its ability to replenish its leadership. “At each stage (of arrests) there seems to be a decreased capability, and at some point JI will move from a security threat to security nuisance. “They will not be at the stage they were in 2001 and 2002, but they will still be able to conduct operations (against soft targets) like in Bali and Bali two.” Harrison said a new leader, once appointed, would likely want to conduct a large operation to establish his credentials. The weekend arrests follow a series of raids in March, where authorities uncovered a huge stash of hundreds of kilograms of explosives, weapons and chemicals. Terrorism expert Sidney Jones said Dujana could offer a “goldmine of information” about JI if he had been arrested. “If it’s true, the police deserve huge congratulations,” she said.“But it’s also going to be an enormous windfall in terms of information about JI and its structure.”

MI6 probes UK link to nuclear trade with Iran

(Guardian Unlimited) A British company has been closed down after being caught in an apparent attempt to sell black-market weapons-grade uranium to Iran and Sudan, The Observer can reveal.  Anti-terrorist officers and MI6 are now investigating a wider British-based plot allegedly to supply Iran with material for use in a nuclear weapons programme. One person has already been charged with attempting to proliferate ‘weapons of mass destruction’.  During the 20-month investigation, which also involved MI5 and Customs and Excise, a group of Britons was tracked as they obtained weapons-grade uranium from the black market in Russia. Investigators believe it was intended for export to Sudan and on to Iran. A number of Britons, who are understood to have links with Islamic terrorists abroad, remain under surveillance. Investigators believe they have uncovered the first proof that al-Qaeda supporters have been actively engaged in developing an atomic capability. The British company, whose identity is known to The Observer but cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, has been wound up.  A Customs and Excise spokesman said: ‘We continue to investigate allegations related to the supply of components for nuclear programmes including related activities of British nationals.’  It is not clear whether all of those involved in the alleged nuclear conspiracy were aware of the uranium’s ultimate destination or of any intended use.  British agents believe Russian black-market uranium was destined for Sudan, described as a ‘trans-shipment’ point. The alleged plot, however, was disrupted in early 2006, before the nuclear material reached its final destination.  Roger Berry, chairman of Parliament’s Quadripartite Committee, which monitors arms exports, said: ‘With the collapse of the Soviet Union there was always the question over not just uranium but where other WMD components were going and how this could be controlled. Real credit must go to the enforcement authorities that they have disrupted this. The really worrying aspect is that if one company is involved, are there others out there?’  Politically, the allegations hold potentially huge ramifications for diplomatic relations between the West and Tehran. Already, tensions are running high between Iran, the US and the European Union over the true extent of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran refuses to suspend its nuclear programme in the face of mounting pressure, arguing its intent is entirely peaceful and solely aimed at producing power for civilian use.  Investigators are understood to have evidence that Iran was to receive the uranium to help develop a nuclear weapons capability. ‘They may argue that the material is for civilian use but it does seem an extremely odd way to procure uranium,’ said Berry.  Alleged evidence of Sudan’s role will concern British security services. The East African state has long been suspected of offering a haven for Islamist terrorists and has been accused of harbouring figures including Osama bin Laden who, during the mid-Nineties, set up a number of al-Qaeda training camps in the country.  Details of the plot arrive against a backdrop of increasing co-operation between Sudan and Iran on defence issues, although the level of involvement, if any, of the governments in Khartoum and Tehran in the alleged nuclear plot is unclear.  However, circumstantial evidence suggesting that elements within both countries might be colluding on military matters has been mounting in recent months. A Sudanese delegation visited Iran’s uranium conversion facility in February, while the East African country reportedly recently signed a mutual defence co-operation pact with Iran, allowing Tehran to deploy ballistic missiles in Sudan.