Qaddafi, Kadafi, Gadhafi, Qatafi, or is it Gaddafi?

The Strait Times ^ | JULY 2, 2002 TUE

[Tai_Chung]

WASHINGTON - There are at least 60 ways of spelling the name of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

And you thought you had problems? US intelligence agencies have found 60 different spellings for the name of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. -- REUTERS

The variations of an enemy's name are creating a headache for United States intelligence and law-enforcement agencies trying to prevent terrorist attacks.

Computers at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, Immigration and Naturalisation Service and other agencies are full of lists of suspected terrorists.

Some names identify actual terrorists. Others are aliases, misspellings, alternative spellings or misidentifications - and without extensive fieldwork, there is no way to tell them apart.

The confusion over names poses an obstacle for a law- enforcement and intelligence community trying to track obscure operatives in scores of countries and thwart another attack on the US.

There are several problems cited publicly by the FBI and privately by CIA and INS officials.

These include conflicting methods used by agencies to translate and spell the same name; antiquated computer software that will not allow searches for approximate spellings of names, and the prevalence of common names such as Muhammed, Sheik, Atef, Atta, al-Haji and al-Ghamdi.

'I can't tell you how many Mohamed Attas we've run across,' said one intelligence official referring to the name of the lead hijacker in the Sept 11 attacks.

In the weeks after Sept 11, Justice and Treasury officials compiled a list of two dozen alleged Al-Qaeda operatives and financiers.

They asked that the list be passed on to Saudi Arabia with a request that the bank accounts of the individuals be frozen.

When the State Department passed on the list, the Saudis greeted the request with laughter and said the 'names' were of no help in finding terrorist bank accounts.

A State Department official later acknowledged the list had comprised nothing more than nicknames.

There were also several Mohammed al-Hajis - not a family name but a term to indicate a person had been on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Days after the attack, Mr Waleed al-Shehri, a pilot and son of a Saudi diplomat, threatened to sue a US network for televising his picture as a suspect.

The FBI had said that a man with the same name was on one of the hijacked planes.

[martin_fierro]

Qaddafi, Kadafi, Gadhafi, Qatafi, or is it Gaddafi?

Who qares. He's still a jaqass. <|:)~

[gubamyster]

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

Isn't it some rule that he has to be referred to as Libyan Strongman?

[ChadGore]

I prefer to spell it C-L-Y-M-E-R

[BibChr]

Well, at least we can eliminate

Gandalf-i

Dan
(c;

[hchutch]

I prefer to spell it T-A-R-G-E-T.

[Poohbah]

I like D-E-A-D-M-A-N-W-A-L-K-I-N-G.

Next time, Brother Muammar, we'll make sure we frag the tent, too!

[hchutch]

Very true. Very true.

Gee, I wonder if a hacker couldn't get his mitts on some of those frozen Libyan assets. I could think of more... productive uses for them.

[Poohbah]

If I were able to do that, I'd probably hit every shop in North America that deals in out-of-print wargames and build my SPI collection. Just think, owning War in Europe and War in the Pacific, all on that Libyan goat-fornicator's dime!

[far sider]

Just another reason we need a world wide numbering system to identify everyone when they are born. Maybe with a tiny computer chip implanted in the hand or forehead. The technology required would be a beast however.

[hchutch]

I'd be digging up a few of my favorite wargames I never got (Second Fleet and Sixth Fleet for starters, Midway, get a lot of the old Avalon Hill games). Maybe get a better computer and a laptop and load up on flight sims. Get a new car, grab a nice house, and really build up a gun collection in case the goat fornicator decides he wants his money back.

Not to mention a wide-screen TV and a huge collection of DVDs. A good CD collection. Maybe get tickets to the next Britney Spears concert...

[Poohbah]

Which edition of Sixth Fleet? The Victory Games version, or SPI's?

SPI's was just plain WEIRD. They basically took the Napoleon at Waterloo system and grafted it onto modern naval warfare in the Mediterranean.

I mean, c'mon, RETREATS on the Combat Results Table for modern naval combat?

Oddly enough, the game has tremendous value today--I've seen unpunched copies go for $100 or more on eBay.

[hchutch]

Victory Games, not SPI.

Now, where do we find a hacker? ;)

[philosofy123]

Speaking of frozen assets, any body on this board is familiar with an e-mail that is coming from Africa in several forms? I got one from the wife of ex-President of Zaire, she said she has $30Millions and wants me to invest it for her, and she will give me 10 for my good work. Another one from Nigeria, an oil ministry employee who has smuggled some funds, and wants me to invest it for him. And yesterday; one from South Africa with similar idea. What gives? These guys are simply asking for my phone number to give instruction on depositing the funds in my bank account. Suppose, I open a new bank account for only $5, and give them that account? What do you think?

[Poohbah]

Another game you might want is one of SPI's last offerings before they went bust: Task Force. It's modern naval combat, designed by Joe Balkoski (the designer of the Fleet series for Victory Games).

The problem isn't finding a hacker: it's finding a hacker good enough to not get caught AND who knows how to keep his mouth shut. And those folks just don't advertise.

[FreedomFarmer]

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck....

[hchutch]

The easy way is to reply by offering a different proposal. The Secret Service has been looking for these 419 scammers for a while, but it might be possible to open said acount with $5, and tell them that for a fee, we could help out with an arrangement with some elected official who needs help with legal fees, and might be willing to do a favor in return for the help...

Hey, what could be more fun than scamming a scam artist?

[hchutch]

You're right. If you come across one, Freepmail me. I'm in the mood to relieve the target (the Tripoli punk) of his money.

[philosofy123]

You mean ask them to deposit the money in Hillary Clinton's account?

[stylin19a]

yep......Muammar ga-daffy duck !