5 European Airports Targeted in Terror Plot
Ahmad Siddiqui, a German terrorist who was captured in Afghanistan in July, told his interrogators that he met with Said Bahaji after joining al Qaeda’s ranks in Pakistan. Siddiqui also told interrogators that Osama bin Laden had ordered and financed the Mumbai-like terror plot in Europe.
Said Bahaji is wanted by Western authorities for his involvement in the 9/11 plot and has been on the lam for years.
Five major European airports are possible targets in a suspected Islamic terror attack.
ABC’s The Blotter reported:
Among the possible targets in the suspected European terror plot are pre-security areas in at least five major European airports, a law enforcement official told ABC News. Authorities believe terror teams are preparing to mount a commando like attack featuring small units and small firearms modeled after the Mumbai attack two years ago.
The State Department issued a highly unusual “Travel Alert” Sunday for “potential terrorist attacks in Europe,” saying U.S. citizens are “reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure.”
One scenario authorities fear is a repeat of the 1985 attack on the Rome and Vienna airports, when Palestinian extremists threw grenades and opened fire on travelers waiting at ticket counters injuring 140 and killing 19, including a small child.
European and U.S. officials first learned of the current terror threat over the summer following the capture of a suspected German terrorist (Ahmad Siddiqui) who had been training in Pakistan.
“I think that several people who were involved in the plotting have been targeted, and the others are certainly on the radar of U.S., Pakistani and European intelligence services,” Haqqani said.
The 9/11 hijackers’ mosque is tied to the recent terror plot against Europe. Captured terrorist Siddiqui was among a “total of around a dozen” terror suspects who disappeared from the Hamburg mosque during a short period of time in 2009.
