Arrests of Terrorism Suspects Worldwide - 2002-06-19

Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, expressed great satisfaction with the recent arrests of individuals suspected of terrorism around the world. Mr. Rumsfeld stated that global cooperation in the fight against terrorism has yielded positive results, leading to daily arrests. On Tuesday, German security sources reported that a suspect who had introduced at least one of the September 11 hijackers to the al-Qaeda network was in a Syrian prison. According to reports, this individual, named Mohammed Zamar, was handed over to Syria after being arrested in Morocco. On the same Tuesday, the arrest of another active al-Qaeda member was announced in Morocco. Last week, Morocco arrested three Saudi citizens along with three other women who were preparing for a suicide bombing against British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar. In Saudi Arabia, 11 citizens of the country, along with two foreigners, were arrested on charges of plotting terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. Saudi state media reported that seven of these individuals had connections to al-Qaeda and intended to attack key military facilities in the country. Six others helped a Sudanese suspect escape after a plot to launch a missile attack near a Saudi airbase used by U.S. forces was uncovered.