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Thursday, February 3, 2000
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CIA Warns Of Alliances Among Anti-American Muslims
WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (AFP) - A wide-ranging network of anti-American Sunni Muslim "extremists" poses a threat to U.S. security, CIA Director George Tenet told Congress Wednesday.
"There is now an intricate web of alliances among Sunni extremists worldwide, including North Africans, radical Palestinians, Pakistanis and Central Asians," the Central Intelligence Agency chief said in testimony before the Senate.
Tenet said a central role in the global network is played by Osama bin Laden, the multi-millionaire Saudi exile who currently lives in Afghanistan and is suspected of orchestrating the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies, in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 224 people - mostly Africans - were killed.
"For example, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad is linked closely to bin Laden's organization and has operatives located around the world, including in Europe, Yemen, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Afghanistan," Tenet said.
"Everything we have learned recently confirms our conviction that he wants to strike further blows against America ... Bin Laden has shown a strong interest in chemical weapons. His operatives have trained to conduct attacks with toxic chemicals or biological toxins."
Tenet noted that Iran is still regarded by the CIA to be the most active state sponsor of anti-American terrorism.
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