Terror cells active in Bosnia - NATO commander
December 12, 2005 -- The Commander of the NATO headquarters in Bosnia,
General Louis Weber, says that terror cells and support for terrorism
exists in Bosnia and that NATO is aware of this.
"Terrorist activities exist and this could also be seen in the media.
NATO is aware of this and we are monitoring the situation," Weber told
the Banja Luka-based Nezavisne novine.
Bosnia has recently become a focus of terror probes that led to arrests
of native Bosnian Muslims implicated in international terrorism.
Stressing that terrorism is a world problem, Weber said that
investigations into terrorist acts often find links with
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Balkan Muslim enclaves such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania are fertile
ground for terror activities and recruitment of local Muslims that
often keep silent when giving logistical support to terror cells, say
experts.
The Italian Intelligence and Security Services, for example, is warning
against the strong influence of Islamic terrorists in Albania
specifying existence of a new Islamic organization in Albania called
"Jihad al Jadid", a cell of al-Qaeda linked to Greece.
Earlier in December the Albanian authorities seized the assets and bank
accounts of Abdul Latif Saleh who allegedly worked with Osama bin Laden
and others to provide support to terror networks in Albania. Saleh
founded an Albanian jihadist group that has been bankrolled by the Al
Haramain Foundation, an Islamic charity with alleged links to al-Qaida.
Saleh is believed to be associated with Yasin al Qadi, a Saudi
businessman that the U.S. accused of being a terrorist in October 2001.
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