Belgian al Qaeda cell found linked to 2006 airline plot

An alleged group of persons arrested last December in one of the largest counter-terrorism operations in Belgian history have been found to have connections to a senior al Qaeda operative who helped orchestrate the 2006 «airline plot.»

A senior counter-terrorism source with detailed knowledge of the investigation found connections to Moez Garsallaoui, a Tunisian Islamist militant who left Belgium for the tribal areas of Pakistan in late 2007. Belgian investigators said that a pro-al-Qaeda website helped radicalize the members of the alleged Brussels terrorist cell. Fourteen individuals were originally arrested in Belgium; six were charged with participation in a terrorist group, and the others were released.

This underscores the need for international cooperation in fighting the radicalization risks posed by those migrating between the West and al-Qaeda training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It also highlights the need for focused, effective anti-terrorism policies, and integration approaches that keep radical Islam from becoming attractive to large European Muslim populations.

February 10-13, 2009

CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/10/belgium.terror/

EuropeNews: http://europenews.dk/en/node/19679

United Press International http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/02/10/Report_Brussels_cell_had_al-Qaida_links/UPI-81721234288868/