DATE= OCTOBER 4, 1998
TYPE= EDITORIAL
NUMBER= 0-07990
TITLE= EDITORIAL: CRACKING BIN LADEN'S TERROR NETWORK
CONTENT=THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED FOR BROADCAST
OCTOBER 4, 1998.
ANNCR:
THE VOICE OF AMERICA PRESENTS DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON A WIDE
VARIETY OF ISSUES. NEXT, AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
VOICE:
THE U.S., IN COOPERATION WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER COUNTRIES, IS
CRACKING DOWN ON THE AL-QAIDA TERRORIST NETWORK. AL-QAIDA WAS
FOUNDED BY OSAMA BIN LADEN, ONE OF THE CHIEF INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS
OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS. AL-QAIDA HAS TRAINED TERRORISTS
FROM AFGHANISTAN, TAJIKISTAN, BOSNIA, CHECHNYA, SOMALIA, SUDAN,
YEMEN, EGYPT, LIBYA, ERITREA AND THE PHILIPPINES.
OSAMA BIN LADIN, THE SON OF A SAUDI CONSTRUCTION MAGNATE, HAS
BEEN DISOWNED BY HIS FAMILY AND HAS LOST HIS SAUDI CITIZENSHIP.
HE MOVED TO SUDAN IN 1991, BUT INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE FORCED HIS
MOVE TO AFGHANISTAN IN 1996. HE HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR
BOMBING ATTEMPTS AGAINST U.S. PERSONNEL IN YEMEN IN 1992 AND
ATTACKS IN SOMALIA IN 1993. HIS ORGANIZATION IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
AIDED IN THE 1995 ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST EGYPTIAN
PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK IN ETHIOPIA. BIN LADEN OPERATIVES ARE
NOW BEING SOUGHT IN CONNECTION WITH SAVAGE BOMB ATTACKS ON THE
U.S. EMBASSIES IN NAIROBI, KENYA, AND DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, ON
AUGUST 7TH.
IN RECENT WEEKS, COORDINATED INTERNATIONAL COUNTERTERRORIST
EFFORTS HAVE RESULTED IN THE ARREST OF SEVEN SUSPECTED BIN LADEN
AGENTS IN BRITAIN, EIGHTEEN IN UGANDA, AND ONE IN GERMANY. THE
U.S. HAS ARRESTED TWO SUSPECTS, MOHAMMED SADDIQ ODEH AND MOHAMED
RASHED DAOUD, IN CONNECTION WITH THE AFRICAN EMBASSY BOMBINGS. A
WARRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ARREST OF A THIRD SUSPECT, HAROUN
FAZIL. WADIH EL HAGE, ANOTHER BIN LADEN OPERATIVE, WAS RECENTLY
CHARGED WITH PERJURY CONCERNING HIS ACTIVITIES WITH THE BIN LADEN
NETWORK. HE IS NOW IN JAIL. ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, A FEDERAL GRAND
JURY INDICTED A SENIOR DEPUTY OF BIN LADEN, MAMDOUH MAGMUD SALIM,
ON CONSPIRACY TO MURDER AND TO OBTAIN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR THE
TERRORIST GROUP.
OSAMA BIN LADEN'S TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IS A THREAT NOT ONLY
TO AMERICANS BUT TO THE PEOPLE OF MANY NATIONS. THE U.S. WILL
NOT REST UNTIL ALL THE PERPETRATORS OF THE KENYA AND TANZANIA
BOMBINGS AND OTHER ACTS OF TERRORISM AGAINST U.S. CITIZENS ARE
BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.
ANNCR:
THAT WAS AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE WRITE TO EDITORIALS,
V-O-A, WASHINGTON, D-C, 20547, U-S-A. YOU MAY ALSO COMMENT AT
WWW-DOT-VOA-DOT-GOV-SLASH-EDITORIALS, OR FAX US AT (202)
619-1043.
02-Oct-98 11:56 AM EDT (1556 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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