Al-Qaida suspect Arrested in Texas

[Romulus]

http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=236719

A South African woman picked up in Texas almost 10 days ago may turn out to be a key, high-level al-Qaida operative.

Her name is Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed. She was stopped at McAllen Miller International Airport on July 19 headed to New York.

*snip*

Ahmed produced a South African passport to the agents with four pages torn out, and with no U.S. entry stamps. Ahmed reportedly later confessed to investigators that she entered the country illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River. Ahmed was carrying travel itineraries showing a July 8 flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to London. Six days later, Ahmed traveled from London to Mexico City before attempting to travel from McAllen to New York.

Government sources tell FederalNewsRadio.com that capturing this woman could be comparable to the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11. It was revealed in court Tuesday that she was on a watch list and had entered the U.S. possibly as many as 250 times.

*snip/more*

[Minstrel Boy]

1. Not James Bath?

Slippery bastard.

[Parche]

2. TERRA

Maybe she was headed to Crawford?

[geek tragedy]

3. "she entered the country illegally by crossing the Rio Grande River. "

Hoo boy. I think Pat Buchanan's head is going to explode.

[Snazzy]

South African passports--related story

Terrorists illegally got South African passports
By Alexandra Zavis, Associated Press | July 28, 2004

JOHANNESBURG -- Al Qaeda militants and other terrorists traveling through Europe have obtained South African passports, and authorities believe they got them from crime syndicates operating inside the government agency that issues the documents.

The illicit acquisition of the passports, which allow travel through many African countries and Britain without visas, sent shock waves through South Africa after one top police official said ''boxes and boxes" of the documents were discovered in London.

Barry Gilder, director general of the Department of Home Affairs, said he has come across a number of instances in which South African passports were found in the hands of Al Qaeda suspects or their associates in Europe -- both in his current capacity and as a former deputy director in the National Intelligence Agency.

Gilder gave no specifics, and he described these as ''isolated" cases. But he said his department is moving aggressively to counter any threat, dedicating more senior officials to fight corruption and introducing identity cards and passports containing microchips with the owner's fingerprints.

....

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2004/07/28/terrorists_illegally_got_south_african_passports/

[jean]

4. hard to believe a woman would be a top echelon figure in a-Q

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

18. Exactly!

A fundamentalist organization like a-Q with a female "top echelon" figure is a little odd.
Something about this story doesn't feel right. I take that back. Everything about this story doesn't feel right.

[jean]

20. I can buy them using women and children as tools but not as leaders

[0007]

24. I don't believe it!!

Cuz I don't think al Qaeda is that stupid to run around with a passport with pages taken out.

[smirkymonkey]

5. Oh, I thought it was W...

never mind :)

[blm]

6. They should pick up that criminal TRAITOR James Bath in Texas.

I think they'll stress the South Africa part to make it sound more ominous that Teresa Kerry is from there. The freepers wil have her turned into a terrorist by next week.

[Boomer]

7. How many times does it take?

It was revealed in court Tuesday that she was on a watch list and had entered the U.S. possibly as many as 250 times.

So it looks like this round of the War on Terrorism is 1 for 250. Way to go USA!

[KansDem]

26. Isn't that something like "batting 4?"

...if I remember by baseball scoring days. And "batting 4" is not very good as I recall. Even for a pitcher.

[Itchinjim]

8. Texas has an al-Qaida connection!

Invade!

[Sabriel]

12. Texas harbors and provides passage for Al Qaeda!

Plus, they have oil! What are they waiting for?

[Itchinjim]

14. Oh yeah, I forgot about the oil,

Double invade!

[gulliver]

9. Wow! What's with all the Al Qaeda announcements lately?

Dems need to have conventions more often. We don't seem to catch any Al Qaeda people otherwise.

[Beacho]

10. Who the hell is 'FederalNewsRadio.com'?

Just curious

[madrchsod]

19. google-interesting site

[0007]

25. FederalNewsRadio.com

'Tis junior's mouth piece.

[Almost_there]

11. Theresa Heinz Kerry connection?

Will the repugs pick up on the South African connection here with Theresa Heinz Kerry? Perhaps SHE'S the one giving out the passports!

</sarcasm off>

[noonwitch]

16. Don't even suggest it, they have no scruples

Ann Coulter will start suggesting it in her columns, along with accusing all democrats of being fat and ugly.

[Zorra]

13. Pretty sloppy and stupid for a terrorist mastermind, IMO.

Don't you think?

Entered the US 250 times?

But if she's a terrorist, I'm glad they caught her.

[Fovea]

15. Find the others

Single stand alone operations with individual actors is not the AQ MO.
Find the others.

[madrchsod]

17. federal news radio has the link to the south african

news report-this was investigation started in april in south africa. there is no doubt that the southern border is the easiest route into the usa..maybe we should pay the border guards enough money so they don`t take those fat paychecks in iraq...bush has made us safer?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. How many times has this kind of story proven to be a false alarm?....

With the number of times this lady has crossed the border, and based on the country from which she originated, and her destination, she's probably a diamond-smuggler.

The rest of the story is bullshit.

[Eloriel]

22. Awfully goddamned flimsy case so far

No way I believe this based on this one news story. I vote for smuggler too.

[struggle4progress]

23. South African woman's passport prompts federal investigation

Posted on Tue, Jul. 27, 2004
LYNN BREZOSKY
Associated Press

<snip>
Federal authorities are investigating whether Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed has ties to al Qaeda or other terrorists groups but have not substantiated anything so far, a senior federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
<snip>

The Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday that authorities believed crime syndicates operating within the South African government were believed to be selling illegal passports for as little as $77 apiece.

While it's believed the passports mostly go to poor people hoping to get into Europe or the United States a little easier, the director general of South Africa's Department of Home Affairs said South African passports had been found in the hands of al Qaeda militants and other terrorists traveling through Europe.

Eddie Rios, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol in McAllen, said the agency had not been told that South African passports were being used by terrorists.
<snip>

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/9256689.htm?ERIGHTS=4770286898935109673dfw::[e-mail]&KRD_RM=3qqmlrrslsprrmjjjjjjjjkqop|asdoij|N




Terrorists illegally got South African passports

<snip>
The illicit acquisition of the passports, which allow travel through many African countries and Britain without visas, sent shock waves through South Africa after one top police official said ''boxes and boxes" of the documents were discovered in London.
Barry Gilder, director general of the Department of Home Affairs, said he has come across a number of instances in which South African passports were found in the hands of Al Qaeda suspects or their associates in Europe -- both in his current capacity and as a former deputy director in the National Intelligence Agency.

Gilder gave no specifics, and he described these as ''isolated" cases. But he said his department is moving aggressively to counter any threat, dedicating more senior officials to fight corruption and introducing identity cards and passports containing microchips with the owner's fingerprints.
<snip>
Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi of South Africa called attention to the illegal acquisition of passports when he told the National Assembly's safety and security committee that a number of people with ''evil intentions against this country" were arrested here and sent home shortly before April 14 elections. This prompted the arrests of suspected Al Qaeda members in Jordan, Syria, and Britain, he said.

''In part of this operation, in London, the British police found boxes and boxes of South African passports in the home of one of these people, or an associate of these people," Selebi said, according to local news reports. A transcript of his remarks was unavailable, and Selebi's office did not respond to requests for details.
<snip>

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2004/07/28/terrorists_illegally_got_south_african_passports/



Once again, terrorism is charged in the press, while evidence is lacking. And what about all those South African passports? Great little soundbites from Gilder and Selebi, with no corroborating details; meanwhile, "Eddie Rios, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol in McAllen, said the agency had not been told that South African passports were being used by terrorists."

[mom cat]

27. So bushco is just grasping at straws.