11th
April 2006
A
terrorist bombing in Algeria today that claimed 30 lives
is just the opening strike of a broad "Spring Offensive"
by al Qaeda, which plans to use a newly-expanded network
of operatives to strike targets throughout southern
Europe and North Africa, according to French and
Algerian intelligence sources.
French intelligence officials tell ABC
News they have recently increased the number of
terrorist cells they have identified operating in their
country to 45, and that they have been on "high alert"
for several months.
Algerian intelligence sources likewise
say they believe "dozens" of terrorist cells linked to
an al Qaeda affiliate have been deployed throughout
North Africa.
The Algerian terrorist group thought to
be at the center of the offensive, known as "Al Qaeda in
the Maghreb," claimed responsibility for today's attacks
in a video statement posted on the Internet. The post
contained three photos of suicide bombers they claimed
carried out the attack, and an ominous note that the
bombing was "the first of its kind."
According to an Algerian security
official close to the investigation, preliminary
evidence collected by investigators indicates that "the
types of explosives and modus operandi" used in the
attack are similar to those used by anti-Western forces
in Iraq.
The security official told ABC News the
evidence appeared to confirm recent intelligence that at
least a dozen Algerians had recently returned from
fighting for al Qaeda in Iraq with instructions to
conduct terrorist attacks.
According to French and Algerian
intelligence officials, Algerian jihadis like these,
veterans of the fight against U.S. forces in Iraq, are
central to the offensive, which has been planned for
months and is believed to target locations in France,
Italy, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
Today's bombing was only the most recent
by the Algerian jihadi group. In February, the group
claimed responsibility for seven simultaneous bombings
outside police facilities in two Algerian provinces,
which reportedly killed six people.
In Morocco, concerns over terrorism are
also running high. Yesterday, four members of a
terrorist cell linked to a bombing at a cybercafe last
month were killed by Moroccan security forces.
