11/02/2001
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09502

AL-SIRI ARRESTED

British authorities have arrested Yasser al-Siri [YAH-ser es-SERR-ee] for his part in the murder of Ahmed Shah Massoud [ah-mehd shah mah-sood]. Massoud was killed and a political aide was severely wounded in a September 9^th suicide bombing by al-Qaida terrorists posing as journalists. Massoud had been the military commander of the Northern Alliance, a resistance group fighting the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. He was also a hero of Afghanistan's resistance to the decade-long Soviet occupation.

In an interview with an Arabic newspaper, al-Siri admitted writing the letter of accreditation used by the terrorists to get access to their victims. Al-Siri is also charged under Britain's terrorism act with publishing a book calling for the murder of Jews and for fundraising on behalf of the Egyptian-based al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya [ahl jeh-MAH-ah ahl-is-lah-MEE-yah, or Islamic Group] terrorist group.

In 1994, al-Siri was sentenced to death in absentia by Egyptian authorities for his leadership role in the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, which murdered President Anwar Sadat in 1981. In 1993, the group attempted to assassinate Egypt's Prime Minister Atef Sedky [ah-tehf sehd-kee] and Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi [HAH-sahn ahl-ahl-fee]. Al-Siri fled to Britain the following year, where he established the Islamic Observation Center -- a group he misrepresented as a human rights organization.

In fact, al-Siri's organization has been a mouthpiece for the world's most dangerous terrorists, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. It recently circulated a statement by Muhammad Atef [mow-HAHM-med AH-tef], a top leader of al-Qaida. Atef is wanted by the U.S. for the August 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Thousands of men, women, and children were killed or wounded in those attacks.

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that many in the Western news media have been so easily manipulated by al-Siri. According to the Associated Press, al-Siri "is well-known among journalists in Britain and beyond, who would often call him for a radical Islamic perspective. His quotable responses made their way into many news accounts, including those of The Associated Press." Perhaps the news media have learned a lesson about carelessly trusting such sources' claims to legitimacy and will now investigate terrorist front groups more carefully.

In any case, by presenting extremists and terrorists as representatives of Islam, al-Siri and his ilk are an insult to Muslims throughout the world. For too long, terrorists have abused the hospitality of free societies in order to destroy them. There must be no safe haven -- anywhere -- for terrorists and their front men.