Posted on 07/25/2005 3:57:35 AM PDT by Wiz
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Police investigators said Monday that they were searching for six Pakistani men as the probe into the weekend's terrorist attack at this Red Sea resort widened.
Police were circulating photographs of the six, who have apparently been missing since before the attacks, at checkpoints in and around this southern Sinai resort city. An Associated Press correspondent who saw the images said the men appeared to be between the ages of 20 and 30.
The involvement of Pakistanis in the attack in Sharm el-Sheik would be unprecedented, as non-Egyptians have rarely been linked to attacks here. It would also be extremely difficult for a group of young Pakistanis not to be noticed in Sharm, one of the heaviest policed cities in Egypt and a favorite place of residence for President Hosni Mubarak.
An official at the Pakistan Embassy in Cairo said his embassy was in contact with Egyptian authorities over the issue of the missing Pakistanis.
"But they have not officially informed us that the Pakistanis are suspected of involvement in the bombing. They are only saying: 'We are searching for them. We cannot trace them,"' said Khalid Ahmed, a counselor at the Pakistani mission.
"It is very difficult for us to confirm whether any Pakistani was in Sharm el-Sheik but it is possible that someone may have been there. I have a strong belief that Pakistanis cannot be involved in terrorism here," he said.
Many Pakistanis use Egypt as a route to travel to Europe to find jobs, he said. Last week, police arrested between 40 and 45 Pakistanis in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for being illegal immigrants.
Police have detained more than 70 people in Sharm and other parts of the Sinai Peninsula during the investigation, which is also following different threads, including possible Palestinian involvement and whether the attacks were linked to last October's bombings in two other Sinai resorts.
The investigators, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the inquiry, said they are looking into whether the six men had any involvement in carrying out Saturday's attack, Egypt's deadliest ever.
Police were to conduct DNA testing on the remains of a suicide bomber found in a car that rammed into the Ghazala Gardens Hotel in Naama Bay, the city's main tourist area, early Saturday. Two other blasts rocked a car park near the hotel and an area about two miles away called the Old Market.
According to local hospitals, Saturday's pre-dawn bombings killed at least 88 people; Egypt's Health Ministry put the death toll at 64. Hospitals said the ministry count does not include a number of sets of body parts. At least one American was killed.
If independently confirmed, any involvement of Pakistanis would suggest that those behind Saturday's bombings belong to a much wider terror network than previously thought.
Until the latest news broke Monday, suspicions had primarily focused on a Sinai-based network thought responsible for bombings in the area last October that also targeted tourist sites.
The involvement of the Pakistanis, if proven, would also increase suspicions that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida may have been involved in the attacks. The Saudi-born bin Laden is popular among militant Pakistani groups and is known to enjoy support in tribal areas close to the Afghan border.
On Sunday, security officials said the bombers appeared to have entered Sharm in two pickup trucks loaded with explosives hidden under vegetables and that police were searching for three suspects believed to have survived the bombings. It was unclear if police were linking those three in any way to the six Pakistanis being sought.
Before the attacks, the militants rubbed serial numbers off the trucks' engines, the officials said. Such serial numbers had been a key clue Egyptian investigators had used to track down those behind similar vehicle bombings last October against two resorts further north in the Sinai Peninsula, Taba and Ras Shitan.
Investigators were also examining whether the suicide bomber who set off the blast at the Ghazala was one of five suspects still at large from the October attacks that killed 34 people.
Police took DNA samples from the parents of the five Taba suspects to compare with bodies found at the Ghazala, a police official said in el-Arish, where the parents were briefly detained.
Egyptian authorities portrayed the Taba bombings as an extension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rather than a homegrown Islamic militant movement or an al-Qaida-linked operation. They said a Palestinian who died in the attacks had recruited Bedouins and Egyptians to plot the bombings.
But the sophistication of the Sharm bombings — and their timing on the heels of two rounds of explosions in London — raised worries of a wider international connection and possible al-Qaida links.
Two rival claims of responsibility have emerged for the Sharm bombings, but neither statement could be authenticated. One was by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades of al-Qaida in Syria and Egypt, which also claimed responsibility for the October bombings. The other was by the previously unknown Holy Warriors of Egypt.
India only supports efforts which directly benefit India (yet, India complains when other Nation's do this).
Suggesting not supporting the efforts in Iraq because Iraq is not the most serious threat (to India) is foolishness. Bringing freedom and self-worth the the Middle East is the correct answer - This is happening in both Afghanistan and Iraq -
This is our (America) greatest ally in the GWOT - Freedom - (it is certainly not India. Nor do we need you).
Furthermore, Musharraf is doing about as good a job as can be expected of him. Considering the population and views of his Nation. - That is the reality of the real world.
Again, the values of freedom and self worth have for far to long been denied the citizens of the Middle East. Yet now, because of our actions (America) and those within the Coalition of the Willing.....these two values are spreading.
As for India "taking out" any camps - Please - You guys could hardly do more than trade mortars for months on end with a bunch of Pak rebels.
Everything you have said is totaly wrong. You dont even have your facts straight.
"As for India "taking out" any camps - Please - You guys could hardly do more than trade mortars for months on end with a bunch of Pak rebels."
You need to know the facts first. It was the US that put political pressure on India not to escalate the kargil conflict. India has been wanting to take the camps out for a long time.
Yeah, freedom and self worth spreading in the Middle East is a bad thing - (nope, it's you that is wrong).
Iraq is essential to the GWOT - It is the heart of the Middle East (not Pakistan).
Furthermore, India has been of little to no help in the GWOT - and in true substance in fact, The Musharraf Gov't of Pakistan has actually been of more help.
The fact is we (America) don't need India in this GWOT if they are not going to be supportive - (yet, India more than needs America).
Dude you are so out of touch with reality , I wont spend much time educating you. You need to read up more on these issues.
Suffice to say, getting rid of saddam hasnt helped even a bit in fighting terror as most of the alqeida people are in Pak actually.
Read some of the threads here and tryto understand first.
Removing Saddam from power has made the World safer - Anyone who is willing to be intellectually honest must admit this (which of course you aren't - Intellectually honest that is).
We are in a war against terrorism. Not just al Qeade (catch up, this is grade school material having to be covered with you).
You (and India) don't understand the GWOT. Sit back and whine and cry....while the adults and shooters in America (and the Coalition of the Willing) take care of business.
Gee how could that be since Musharraf just said today; "I am saying very clearly that al-Qaeda does not exist any more in Pakistan". Looks like Bagdad Bob and Musharraf both have a BS degree.
"You (and India) don't understand the GWOT. Sit back and whine and cry....while the adults and shooters in America (and the Coalition of the Willing) take care of business."
:-))))))))) .. you know you should do standup. You are quite funny.
Gasp! We can't do that to Pakistan -- our "ally"
Gasp! We can't do that to Pakistan -- our "ally" /sarcasm
The Paki nukes MUSt be taken out -- they are a threat to all forms of civilisation. Take them out, destroy the Paki navy and airforce and artillery and let the Baluchis, Sindhis, Pathans, Punjabis, Mohajirs etc. fight in their internecine wars
you forgot the TrueBornPaki
Nah, not Pakis -- those darn Swiss or maybe the Amish.
really. how do you state that a avowed Islamic republic with Shariah law that has Nuclear weapons that it calls theIslamicBomb along with biological and chemical weapons and known training camps for terrorists as well as the creator of the Taliban, the chief source of recruitment for alQ was BETTER than a secular, (albeit vicious) Baathist state which had no nukes at the time, that had a Christian as foreign minister and that had a crazy BUT secular dictator (Saddam only wanted people to worship HIM) in charge who sawIslamic extremists as a threat to him (remember alQ consider Saddam an enemy as he was secular, not a jihadi, which is one of the few good things you can say about him, besides that he had a bushy moustache). Get real.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the worst countries in term of terrorism.
My point exactly - You guys have kicked a lot of as$ to...haven't you.
Point remains, all India does is complain that OTHERS aren't doing enough - While you (India) sit back and whine.
India has not been fighting extremists anywhere other than Pak (for your own cause) - I didn't see you guys removing the Taliban? - I didn't see you guys stepping up to remove Saddam? - I didn't see you guys helping in the Horn Of Africa? -
India's only focus is on why others are helping you more with Pakistan. If Pakistan is such a threat...Then deal with them (oh wait, you just like to blame others).
We (America) saw Saddam as a threat, and we dealt with him. We saw the Taliban as a threat and we've dealt with them. If India thinks Pakistan is the biggest threat...then deal with them. Stop whining that we (America) aren't doing enough.
Actually there were quite a few of the Stan's that were offering bases rather quickly - And we chose to use a number of those (including Pakistan's).
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