U.S. Says 'Hambali' Suspected in Bali Bombing Caught

[Newsjock]

Edit with link to Reuters; changed title
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3280026

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - An Indonesian man known as "Hambali," suspected mastermind of the Bali bombings and the more recent JW Marriott blast in Jakarta, has been captured, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.

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Edit: From 'The Nation' in Thailand: a somewhat different version than what CNN is reporting
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=2&theme=A&usrsess=1&id=19088

Hambali, Asia’s most wanted man and second in command of the alleged terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), has been arrested in Ayutthaya on suspicion of plotting to stage a terrorist attack during the Apec summit in October, sources said yesterday.

Hambali, whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, has been held since early this week in a secret location for questioning by Thai authorities and FBI officials from the US, sources said.

... Authorities have confiscated a number of explosive devices and weapons, which Hambali allegedly confessed were being prepared for use in a terrorist attack during Apec, which brings together prime ministers, presidents, and chief executives from 21 Asia-Pacific econo-mies.

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[underpants]

1. Good

That's what they are supposed to be doing.

[Bozola]

2. There's a relief...

for a moment there I thought they captured Saddam's shoe-shine guy(the true link to Osama BinLaden).

[cspiguy]

3. and now they have all the Shinola they want but can't find the shoes

n/t

[underpants]

4. Hmmm ABC says "CIA captured" why is the White house announcing it?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/alqaeda030814_arrest.html

I gues I had missed this before but when the news is really good the White House always gets to announce it but otherwise they either refer reporters to the Pentagon briefing (or other agencies)or they do the "we will get back to you on that" routine.

[Newsjock]

5. U.S. is already whore-spinning this

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/alqaeda030814_arrest.html
The operation was cooperation with an unnamed Southeast Asia country that wants its participation kept secret, officials told ABCNEWS.

It says right up there, in the report from The Nation, that the "unnamed Southeast Asia country" is Thailand.

Dammit, quit overhyping the cloak-and-dagger crap in an attempt to make TV play this as viewer-friendly high drama. Just tell it to us the way it happened.

on edit: Now, gawddammit, they've got Chimpy out there -- standing in front of military planes taking credit for this. I don't give a rat's ass how "big" a capture this may or may not me, the very sight of Chimpy McCokespoon standing here, talking his bluster that's making the rest of the world hate us enough to attack us, is enough to get me foaming at the mouth. Now I'm just mad mad mad.

[Rose Siding]

8. Safer for the other govt

No one wants to be a known US collaberator

[dArKeR]

9. From a legal point, I'm still waiting for the evidence that shows who did

9/11, to WMD, to Iraq, to ... If you watch CNN every person is guilty but they don't produce any evidence. Just a legal observation.

[ScotTissue]

6. Sic semper tyrannis

Good catch.

[Virginian]

7. That story was so Hyped! Now it is eclipsed.

I bet the administration is miffed that the blackout has buried the news of this great accomplishment.

It seems like every other week, we have a new top official of al Qaeda or the Baathist party in custody. How many top officials can an organization have?

That parallels that we hear about one of our boys in Baghdad dying each day, but the count of casualties is half the number of days. Creative accounting like their friends in Enron.

[piece sine]

10. a moment's thought...

forthe 200 dead young people in the horrible nightclub massacre last year and the 15 or so Asians who never got out of the exploding Marriott lobby alive. I'm grateful Thailand "collaborated."

[9215]

11. Bali bombing linked to Saudi Arabia

Saudi princes linked to terror funds
March 5 2003
By Mark Forbes
Canberra
The Australian Federal Police is investigating allegations that European organisations helped fund the Bali bombing operations.
The revelation follows a report on the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program detailing claims that Saudi Arabian funds, funnelled through Europe, were used by the Bali bombers.
Washington-based lawyer Allan Gerson told the program he had evidence that Saudi Arabians gave money to terrorists in Europe who visited Bali.
An AFP spokeswoman confirmed that inquiries were being made. "It is possible there could have been a link between the European groups mentioned by Mr Gerson and those involved in the Bali bombings," she said.
She declined to comment on the claimed links to Saudi Arabia......
Dr Gerson, leading a bid on behalf of September 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabian banks, charities and royal family members, said it was likely the European cells funded by Saudis helped fund the Bali attack.
He could not reveal too many details because his evidence had been uncovered through judicial co-operation with European nations. He said the money from Saudi Arabia went to terrorists connected with that country.
Former FBI analyst Matt Levitt, now with the Washington Institute, told the program that one of Saudi Arabia's largest charities, Al Haramain, was set up to fund terrorism and was now a front for terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.
Confessions of al-Qaeda members revealed that wealthy Saudis had funded Jemaah Islamiah through the Al Haramain foundation, Mr Levitt said. JI is allegedly responsible for the Bali bombings.
Many Saudi charities were directly linked to terrorist activities and several of these had strong links to the Government and the royal family, he said.
The Indonesian and Singaporean governments are expected to resist any efforts by lawyers, acting for September 11 victims, to surrender intelligence material that might assist their civil damages case. A lawyer representing families of 600 people killed in the September 11 attacks said that confidential court documents show a link between Saudi Arabian financial organisations and suspects in the Bali bombings.
The lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court and names as defendants three Saudi princes, seven banks and several international Muslim charities that allegedly gave funds to al-Qaeda.
Diplomatic sources in Washington said there was concern the lawyers may try to use the Bali link to pressure the governments of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia to disclose intelligence material.