Posted on 06/14/2002 7:41:28 AM PDT by scarface367
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Since 1995, at least 27 Americans have attended four Pakistani religious schools, called madrassas, that preach a radical form of Islam calling for the destruction of the United States, say U.S. and Pakistani officials and clerics at the schools. Most of those students are Arab-Americans or African-Americans who joined and, in some cases, fought for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the Taliban militia or Islamic guerrillas in Kashmir. At least three of the Americans are believed to have been killed in battle. The whereabouts of the others are unknown.
The same officials confirmed Thursday they had arrested several suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban members here who claim to be or could be Americans.
Questions about the involvement of Americans in Islamic terror groups have intensified since Monday's arrest in Chicago of Abdullah Al Muhajir. The former Chicago street gang member allegedly plotted with al-Qaeda operatives to attack the USA, including detonating a radioactive "dirty bomb." U.S. authorities have launched a worldwide search for accomplices.
The number, citizenship and status of those in custody here are unclear. International law requires Pakistan to notify the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad when it arrests or detains Americans on criminal charges. Once Pakistani and U.S. authorities verify that an American is being held, the detainee can invoke rights that could restrict his interrogation.
The attendance of so many Americans in the madrassas indicates a more extensive involvement than had been recognized.
The Pakistani officials spoke on condition that their names not be used but showed USA TODAY records and cited intelligence files indicating that since 1995:
At least 12 Americans studied at the Jamia Abi-Bakr madrassa in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. The school is linked to the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is fighting in the disputed region of Kashmir. Among the students are individuals from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Dayton, Ohio.
An Atlanta man enrolled at the school was killed fighting in Kashmir in 1998, Pakistani officials say.
At least 11 Americans have attended the Dar-ul-Uloom Haqquania madrassa in the border city of Peshawar. The school, run by radical cleric Maulana Sami ul-Haq, also taught most of the Taliban's top leaders. Bin Laden and Taliban leader Mohammed Omar are known to have visited the school. Among its students were those who said they were from North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and Washington, D.C.
One of the school's students, a Michigan native, was killed while fighting Northern Alliance rebels for the Taliban near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif in 2000, the seized records show.
At least four Americans studied at two madrassas in Quetta, Pakistan. A Pakistani intelligence official says one, a 25-year-old from Chicago, was killed while fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan in 1999.
"Most of the Americans go on to fight for Islam after their education," says Mufti Muhammad Iltimas, a radical cleric who runs the Arabia Husa school in the Pakistani tribal city of Bannu. "They are told to go into all parts of the world to spread the message. The American authorities will not find them until they want to be found."
NOT the "War on Terrorism'
Precisely as Lou Dobbs has called it.
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