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Al-Qaeda urges attacks on Canadians

A new al-Qaeda manual posted on the Internet is calling for terrorist attacks against Canadians, and specifies that businessmen, politicians, scientists, soldiers and tourists should be targeted, according to U.S. researchers. Canada is one of six nations whose citizens are identified as "human targets" in the Arabic-language publication, which is reported to be the work of senior Egyptian al-Qaeda figure Saif al-Adel. The manual, called The Al-Battar Military Camp, ranks Canadians as the fifth most important "Christian" terrorist targets, behind Americans, Britons, Spaniards and Australians. Italians were ranked sixth. The manual was obtained and translated by the SITE Institute, a terrorism research centre in Washington, D.C. It is the latest edition of a publication that is said to be aimed at new al-Qaeda adherents scattered around the world. "This al-Qaeda magazine is published and circulated through the terrorist group's Web site, along with other propaganda," said Rita Katz, executive director of the institute. "It contains specific military guidance and instructions on how to effectively target al- Qaeda's enemies. There are physical training programs, diagrams of weapons and chapters dedicated to combat strategy. Canadians should take very seriously the fact that their country is identified as a top potential target by al-Qaeda."

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 
IRAN:

 TERRORISM SPECIAL REPORT  

 

Al-Arabiya TV Report: Iranian Volunteer Suicide Bomber Organization of 40,000 "Time Bombs" Recruited to Target Americans in Iraq and Israel


 Al-Arabiya TV broadcasted a report on an Iranian movement of suicide bombers with the aim of targeting Americans in Iraq and Israel. The  volunteers said they wanted to carry out martyrdom operations to liberate Islamic lands and stated that so far 40,000 "time bombs" have been recruited.   According to the chairman and spokesman of The World Islamic Organization's  Headquarters for Remembering the Shahids, Mohammad 'Ali Samedi, his  organization began recruiting suicide bombers about a year and a half ago,  as reported by MEMRI last year.(1) Since then, he has engaged in organizing  conventions, registering volunteer suicide bombers online, and providing  guidance and training for martyrdom operations. The organization's supporters, and those participating in its activities,  include public figures, such as veteran MP Mahdi Kuchak-Zadeh, from the  prominent conservative party Coalition of Iran's Developers (Abadgoran)  which backed Iranian President-Elect Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad and Revolutionary  Guards officers such as General Salami, head of The Revolutionary Guards  Headquarters for Strategic Operations. As they did a year ago, spokesmen for the organization are trying to  emphasize that it is not a government organization and does not have the  support of the Iranian government. However, at the same time, they hint at  help given to them by the government.(2)Although Firooz Rajai, one of the leaders of the organization, stated that  volunteers have not been sent to carry out missions, the London  Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported in June 2004 that a group  sent from Iran on a suicide mission to Iraq had apparently been apprehended  and handed over to British forces in Iraq.(3) Endnotes: The interviewees on the program also underlined the "successful" cooperation  between the organization and the Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic  Jihad.
 

On the Iranian Movement of "Martyrdom Seekers"

The following are excerpts from a report about the movement of "martyrdom seekers" in Iran. Lat week, Al-Arabiya TV aired this report.

Martyrdom-seeking movement member Vesaly: My name is Vesaly... We are first and foremost Muslims and it is our duty to defend our brothers and sisters throughout the world. We don't need permission from anybody. This has to do with our religious duty and responsibilities. This is our choice, and we have no fear. We adhere to the legacy of our late leader, Imam Khomeini.

Crowd: There is no God but Allah. There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's messenger.

 

 

Reporter: These young women have forsaken the temptations of life, and have taken the hard way. Indeed, they have chosen martyrdom as a way of liberating the Islamic lands. This is what they say. 40,000 time bombs in Iran - this is the number of volunteers so far, and the registration is still open. There is no distinction between men and women, Sunnis or Shiites. "We all sacrifice for the sake of Islam," they chant. This is the movement of martyrdom seekers, whose goals and organizational structure are still unclear. They refused to give further details, but did not conceal their determination to sacrifice their lives. The reason - what America has done in the holy places of Najaf and Karbala.

Firooz Rajai, a movement leader : In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The movement of martyrdom seekers began after the American campaign against Najaf and Karbala in Iraq over a year ago. The religious scholars decided that such a movement should be established in this country, whose majority are Shiites, in order to support their brothers, especially following the experience of the war that was forced on Iran by the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.

Reporter: This is a symbolic grave of the first man who tried to get rid of Salman Rushdi. Here, there are also symbolic graves commemorating the people who killed hundreds of American and French soldiers in Lebanon, in 1983. This young mother from Palestine, who sacrificed her life and blew herself up at an Israeli checkpost, is a role model for the movement's members, who believe this is the only way to liberate the Palestinian lands, and especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Firooz Rajai : In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. We will not allow the Zionists to build their Solomon Temple in the place where the Al-Aqsa Mosque stands. They have not succeeded so far, and they never will. We are willing to sacrifice our bodies and souls to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Our goal is to achieve martyrdom by way of true Jihad.

 

 

This is the true path to which we strive. We don't need a fatwa on this, since we get our fatwas from the Koran and from all the authorities on Islamic law. We vow to turn into bombs that will explode at anyone who wishes to desecrate our holy places.

Reporter: The movement denies any connection to the Iranian government, and considers itself an independent organization. Although the government occasionally expresses reservations about the movement of martyrdom seekers and its operations, the movement has used government buildings for its training, and some Revolutionary Guards members have publicly defended them.

Iranian MP Hamid-Reza Haji-Babai: Martyrdom seekers may exist in every country, and in Iran, they have beliefs that they hold sacred. This is a popular movement, which cannot take the form of an organization. Iran has so far managed, in a democratic and diplomatic way, to maintain relations with all countries, and preserve its status, despite the American hostility.

The American oppressive, inhuman, and undemocratic behavior in recent years has led to the creation of martyrdom-seeking movements everywhere.

Reporter: After receiving theory lessons, the volunteers undergo secret training, far from the media. Even though the movement's leaders refrain from disclosing what kind of activities are included in this training, they emphasize that this is not a military organization, and that no special or complex training is required – A few days are enough to train the volunteers.

Firooz Rajai : So far, we have not sent any brigade out of the country, and have not clashed with government opposition to us. We law and order, and our activity is clear and serves Islam. This does not mean that we are not prepared to report for duty anywhere, any time.


 

 

We believe in combining ideology and action. Our movement is not a symbolic one. Our goal is well known. When the time comes, martyrdom will be inevitable. There are many NGO's in Iran that support the Palestinian cause, and we maintain relations and cooperate with them, as well as with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. We meet with the representatives of the two movements in Tehran, and we hope this will be successful.

Reporter: Whether in Iraq, Palestine, or any Islamic country, the movement of martyrdom seekers is ready for action, but the Iranian government still does not know whether the movement has already sent volunteers to Iraq or even to Israel.

Ali Samadi, a movement leader: As everyone can see, the Zionists attribute no significance to the Arab and Islamic governments. They continue their aggressive policies to fulfill their goals. The world considers the Israeli military to be the fifth most powerful force and its security apparatus to be the second most powerful in the world. Since they only understand the language of force, our new weapon of martyrdom operations is bound to change the balance of power. Even the separation wall they are building won't prevent the martyrdom operations and the changing of the balance. The Iranian youth takes pride in the foundation of this movement after the Islamic revolution in order to create a core of resistance against the occupiers in a way that is not marred by flaws, as was the case with the Al-Qaeda organization, for example. We are not afraid of the American fleets or the British weapons in Iraq. We vow to become time bombs in the event of every aggression on our land.

Reporter: Thus, they await death with happiness and joy. In their view, martyrdom for the sake of Allah is the sweetest thing.

Sources: MEMRI, IMRA, Monthly Herald, Al Arabiya TV, Al Jazeera

 

  

SECOND REPORT

Iran recruits suicide bombers against Israel, the Jews and the USA. An advertisement in the  Iranian press has called for people to come forward for "martyrdom operations" against the enemies of Islam.: Israel, the Jews and the United States. The message focused on the  necessity of eliminating Israel and fighting the Jews worldwide. A large segment of the advertisement preached the urgent need of establishing Islam as "the only religion" in the world. It is published by an institute managed by one of Iran's most conservative and radical clerics, Ayatollah Masbah Yazdi, who has declared his support for Iran's new President, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. The advertisement calls for men and women to enlist with the "Martyrdom Lovers' Headquarters". It says the idea is to achieve "all-out readiness" against the enemies of Islam - and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Those who are picked will be specially trained for their missions in different divisions in every province. To apply, all that is needed are photographs, a form and a copy of a birth certificate. Symbolic: This is not the first time Iranians have registered for suicide missions - though in Islam a clear distinction is made between ordinary suicide and martyrdom for a religious cause. Several people have signed up with different organizations to defend the holy shrines in Iraq and the rights of Palestinians. But in practice, their pledges are merely symbolic and it is highly unlikely that they would actually go on suicide missions. One function was held earlier this year to honor dead Palestinian women suicide bombers, and a huge mural in central Tehran still depicts one Palestinian woman who had two children, yet chose to die.

Iran: Campaign to Recruit Suicide Bombers Spreading

Photo: "It is a short distance to Karbala" ... "registration for martyrdom operations", as written on this Iranian poster appearing at Shiraz University campus.

Iranian domestic media and opposition websites have provided new details about Iran's ongoing campaign to recruit suicide bombers and have suggested the campaign is spreading throughout the country. Media have also reported statements by Iran's leaders encouraging the suicide bomber campaign.  This week,  the weekly Ya Lesarat , the organ of the Iranian Ansar-e Hizballah [supporters of Hizballah], published an extensive report on the 2 June meeting organized by the General Staff for Glorification of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign to recruit "martyrdom seekers."  According to the weekly, a Majlis deputy from Tehran, Mehdi Kuchekzadeh, spoke on the martyrdom culture and "declared his readiness to become a martyr seeker."  The paper said General Salami, deputy commander of operations at the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters, appeared in full military uniform. He declared that the "Global Arrogance [the US and its allies] would come to its knees in the face of martyrdom operations, despite its technological superiority."  Ya Lesarat also reported that "charismatic" speaker Hasan 'Abbasi, the director of the Centre for Doctrinal Studies of Security Across Frontiers, an IRGC Imam Hussein University institution, gave the "most effective" presentation. According to the weekly, 'Abbasi said: "The West needs to know that we cannot stop our youth, and there will remain no security for the Jewish and Christian worlds . . . We will not and cannot stop the disruption of the present order." Before his departure, Dr. 'Abbasi "filled out the form to become a martyr."  Ya Lesarat also reported that IRGC General Sa'id Qasemi and Hojjat ol-Eslam Hamid Sabzevari addressed the gathering. Sabzevari spoke on the "religious basis and justification for seeking martyrdom." In addition, the weekly interviewed Mohammad 'Ali Samadi, an organizer of the campaign, who characterized the campaign as "global" in nature, embracing "all Islamic movements and both Shia and Sunni Muslims," and identified the "US, Israel, and their lackeys" as the targets of the "martyrs."

 Ya Lesarat also carried an interview with Mrs. Foruz Raja'eifar, the director of the recruitment campaign. A former US Embassy hostage taker, Raja'eifar stressed that "through this event, we are sending a message both to the Islamic world and its enemies." Raja'eifar is the editor of the hardline publication Sobhe-e Dukoheh , directed by the prominent Iranian Hizballah figure Masoud Dehnamaki. Raja'eifar had also expounded on the campaign in an  interview with Hamshahri, the daily of Tehran Municipality. In that interview, she stressed the need to "adopt martyrdom-seeking as a strategic struggle, educate the Iranian youth until it becomes a fundamental cultural movement, and defend its religious and legal basis." She added that martyrs "don't lose anything but gain God's Paradise and eternal joy."  ILNA also carried a report pointing out that IRGC deputy commander Salami spoke on "martyrdom and military and security strategies," while Hasan 'Abbasi addressed "martyrdom as the last weapon." It also reported the presence of IRGC General Sa'id Qasemi.

Media Report Campaign Spreading

Since the 2 June meeting, Iranian media and opposition websites have offered further insights into the campaign to recruit suicide bombers. According to the opposition website R ouydad , located at www.rouydad.info , the General Staff for Glorification of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign issued a statement on 18 June declaring that they are ready to move like "burning arrows targeting the heart of Americans." The statement added that "Iranian Muslim youth have their own special method to respond to the enemy."  The opposition website Peiknet suggested that posters for the campaign, which it said "involves the Basij and Hizballah elements," have been appearing at Shiraz University campus. The posters announce a campaign to recruit bombers by the Basij forces, headed by an individual named Puryazdanparast ( www.peiknet.com, 23 June). The poster reads: "It is a short distance to Karbala" and "registration for martyrdom operations." Pictures of President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon are featured on the poster.  Opposition websites are carrying the application to register to become a suicide bomber. The application provides options for attacking Coalition forces in Iraq, Israel, and author Salman Rushdi, condemned to death by Imam Khomeyni in 1989 for writing Satanic Verses. The first reference to the General Staff for Glorification of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign was observed in February when, according to the daily Jomhuri-ye Eslami , the group offered a ,000 reward for the "killing of British novelist Salman Rushdi"

Leaders Support Suicide Bomber Campaign

Opposition websites have also reported Iranian leadership support for the campaign. -- The Gooya news website reported that Hashemi-Rafsanjani spoke about "the capacity and preparation of mosques for organizing Kafanpushan [literally shroud wearers, those ready to be martyred]" at the same meeting where a member of the General Staff for Glorification of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign "referred to the Japanese kamikaze during WWII and stressed that they should have targeted the civilians"-- The opposition website Peiknet reported on 8 June that Mayor of Tehran Ahmadinejad is one of the principal forces behind the campaign. [In recent weeks, a number of conservative dailies, including Resalat , have been widely promoting Ahmadinejad the President of Iran.]  -- Reporting on the suicide bomber recruitment campaign, the Rouydad website wrote that "Mohammad Mohammadi Golpaygani, the chief of staff of Leader Khamene'i, declared at a mosque in the western Province of Ilam that the Leader has soldiers in the four corners of the Earth who are ready to sacrifice their lives for him, and some of them live in the United States".  In an unusual move, the Keyhan , the hardline semi-official daily directed by Hussein Shariatmadari, representative of Leader Khamene'i, carried an unsigned editorial which called for a decisive stance against the West, similar to "Imam Khomeyni's handling of the Salman Rushdi affair." It added, "It is not right to think of defense and ignore operating deep in their land . . . and waging Islamic resistance." The editorial stressed that "we need to make them understand that we can disrupt their security, not necessarily with military action but with Basij [mobilization but also a reference to the Islamic militia in Iran] and concentrated effort . . . we can challenge them deep in their homeland." Encouraging action on the part of the "lovers of Velayat [Leader Khamene'i]," Keyhan urged them to get their cue from "his hints" [eshareh: love-glance] and not wait for his orders and "assignment of duties to the detriment of the religion, nation, and country." [Editorials in Kehyan are usually signed by Hussein Shariatmadari or his deputies.]