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CIA Warns of al-Qaeda Resurgence
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
By John J. Lumpkin
Associated Press Writer

"The distinctions between Sunni and Shiia that have traditionally divided terrorist groups are not distinctions you should make anymore, because there is a common interest against the United States and its allies in the region."

WASHINGTON -- AP
Surviving leaders of the al-Qaeda terrorist network are rallying followers to conduct more attacks despite the arrest of hundreds of extremists worldwide, CIA Director George J. Tenet said Tuesday.

Some 1,300 people alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda have been detained by 70 foreign governments since Sept. 11, Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee. But al-Qaeda cells in Europe and in the Middle East remain capable of attacks, he said.

"Al-Qaeda leaders still at large are working to reconstitute the organization and to resume its terrorist operations," he said.

Roughly half of the 1,300 remain in custody, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The rest have been released by foreign governments.

More prisoners are in U.S. hands - in domestic jails, in Afghanistan, or at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba.

Other officials have said al-Qaeda financial activity and communications have increased in recent weeks, suggesting plans for new attacks. The activity is centered in northwestern Pakistan. Al-Qaeda members also continue to seek chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, Tenet said.
(More: NorthJersey.com News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

Dan