Israeli intelligence rules out Palestinian involvement

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (Bahrain), SEPT. 11. Israel's Intelligence services have, in their initial assessment, played down the possibility of any Palestinian group being involved in today's terrorist attacks on U.S. targets.

While a couple of hitherto-unknown Palestinian groups have expressed their glee at the incidents, these statements are being ruled out as usual crank claims voiced out on such occasions.

Even if the two main Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jehad, had any intention to attack U.S. targets - and that proposition is extremely doubtful - they are not thought to have the capability to carry out such a huge co- ordinated attack.

The Lebanese militant group might have the organisational and operational competence but they are too politically sophisticated and too tied up with regional power games to have been interested in such an action.

So far most indications point towards the network of Mr. Osama bin Laden which had recently boasted of launching ``unprecedented attacks'' against the U.S.

West Asia braces for accusations

As the news broke about two planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York, West Asia has begun bracing for the likelihood that accusatory fingers will be immediately pointed in this direction.

Television news anchors had immediately drawn allusions to the bombing of the same building in 1993.

The leader of an Egyptian religious extremist group and his associates, several of them from West Asia, had been convicted for their involvement in that bombing and the people of this region can expect knee-jerk accusations even though investigations have barely been launched.

The people of West Asia will remember that the U.S. media, and elements in the Government, had immediately drawn a conclusion about terrorism emanating from this region when the Oklahoma bombing took place. It did not come as a big relief when the Oklahoma bomber was eventually found to be disgruntled U.S. citizen, Timothy McVeigh, because the U.S. media had already run with the story of a possible West Asia-Eastern connection for several days after that tragedy.

Similarly the crash of an Egypt Air plane into the sea off the east coast of the U.S. was dubbed a terrorist incident even before any kind of an investigation had been launched. The results of that investigation have yet to be made public but there have been reports in the U.S. media that investigators have confirmed that a pilot aboard that plane had crashed it killing everyone on board.

At this stage while all sorts of rumors are afloat it is worth noting that none of the well-known militant groups in West Asia have threatened to carry out an attack on the U.S. in recent times though rage against Washington has been steadily increasing on account of its blatant support for Israel. However the Al Qaeda network of Mr. Osama bin Laden, which has a presence in several countries of West Asia, had issued such threats.

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Section  : International
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