al-Qaeda And The Nuclear Threat

Update: Excellent background on this guy here.

CHARLIEVILLE, Trinidad and Tobago – Five years ago, as 19 al-Qaida operatives in the United States put the finishing touches on what would become the Sept. 11 attacks, a frail, asthmatic computer engineer from South Florida paid a visit to this tiny Muslim enclave where he’d lived as a boy.

The FBI also began chasing Shukrijumah through the back alleys of cyberspace. Within hours of the FBI’s public announcement, Shukrijumah might have given them a lead.

Just after midnight that day, an e-mail popped up in the guestbook section of MasterArabic.com, a Web site Shukrijumah had set up to promote his father’s Arabic tutoring business and Islamic teachings. Routed to obscure the identity of the sender, the message said only, “I am safe.”

Meanwhile, Shukrijumah continues to cause many a sleepless night.

Special Agent Andrew Lenzen, the lead case agent and a veteran of the FBI’s Miami counterterrorism squad, has amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of Shukrijumah’s actions and personality quirks. He has even compiled a timeline of his life, beginning with the day he was born.

“I know him almost like his mother,” said Lenzen. “I’ve lived, slept and dreamed him for the past three years.”

There's been a recent alert in Trinidad / Guyana for an al-Qaeda operative linked to a possible Dirty Bomb attack in the US to coincide with Ramadan, which I believe begins September 24th.

Yesterday, Trinidad law enforcement officials said they were aware that Shukrijumah was in Trinidad and confirmed they were contacted by the FBI for assistance in the matter.

However, they declined to go further into the matter "because of its nature".

ONE OF THE WORLD'S most wanted terrorists, Al Qaeda operative Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el Shukrijumah, may be hiding in Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana and has, in his possession, a T&T passport.

Shukrijumah, 31, is one of the most wanted terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which said he was "wanted in connection with possible terrorist threats against the United States".

He has several "personal ties" to both Trinidad and Guyana, theFBI said, according to an Los Angeles Times Sunday. US law enforcement described the elusive terrorist as an "ultimate sleeper agent".

The LA Times report quoted FBI sources as saying that Shukrijumah could be anywhere, including Trinidad and Guyana, because of his ties in both places and the fact that he is believed to have passports of both countries. The FBI also believes that Shukrijumah may attempt to enter the United States using a Trinidad passport.

Several Muslims in the twin island republic have already been questioned by the FBI about their links to Shukrijumah.

AllahPundit has an interesting post at Hot Air.

1. Hamid Mir, the reporter with whom this story originated, is the only journalist to have interviewed Bin Laden after 9/11. Obviously, his sources would be in a position to know what the top ranks of AQ are thinking. He’s been consistent, too: I wrote a post in late May about an interview Mir had given in which he identified Al Qaeda’s nuclear ambitions and even the operative they’ve entrusted to mastermind the attack — Adnan al-Shukrijumah, who inspired a special national terror APB by the FBI back in 2002.

He builds onto Rusty's post here by pointing out that Brian Ross' ABC Blotter has recently run a couple of stories on Adnan al-Shukrijumah. Net net, there's at least some buzz being generated about a possible nuclear attack of some sort in America to coincide with Ramadan, which starts September 24, I believe.

From other reports, Adnan al-Shurrijumah appears to be one of the al-Qaeda operatives called back to Afghanistan before the 9/11 attack, no doubt to protect the resource. He is well trained in chemicals and engineering and isn't someone al-Qaeda is likely to throw away on a military battlefield.

According to Gertz in the Washington Times, he's been spotted in Canada allegedly in search of Dirty Bomb materials.

A key al Qaeda terrorism suspect was in Canada looking for nuclear material
for a "dirty bomb," The Washington Times has learned.

Adnan El Shukrijumah is being sought by the FBI and CIA in connection
with a plot to detonate a dirty bomb - a conventional explosive laced with
radioactive material.

Interestingly enough, Ross also recently did a video on al-Qaeda operatives trying to access domestic reactors aligned with educational facilities, including MIT. Scroll down at this page to find that news video.

An excerpt from this page links Adnan al-Shurrijumah to MIT.

In late 2002, it was announced that authorities were urgently seeking a Florida pilot El Shukrijumah, who worshiped at this same Fort Lauderdale mosque across from Franklin Park and had possible ties to Adham Hassoun. The pilot El Shukrijumah is said to be at the level of Mohammed Atta and is thought to have been associated with Aafia Siddiqui, an MIT-trained biologist.

Developing ... perhaps.

Comments

[Alan Clerkin]

Here is more information from an article on 1st June 2006 on Shukrijumah

http://www.crusade-media.com/news5.html

[indga]

Al Shukrijumah has ties from the U.S. down to South America. Apart from having been in Guyana and Trinidad (where he has relatives in Central Trinidad), Al Shukrijumah also has relatives or connections in Guyana; he has someone in Panama, too. Here's what we've been overlooking for some time: the Iranian influence in Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, the Muslim Triangle of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (could be Uruguay). That means that Adnan Al Shukrijumah has a lot of places to hide. The last time he was seen in Trinidad, he had gone there from Panama and Guyana, then he dropped off of the map. The possibility exists that he could have been in the bush in Trinidad, or he could have left that country by boat back into the hinterlands of Guyana (there's a lot of people-smuggling going on from Guyana to Trinidad; from Trinidad, the smuggled travel to Barbados on their Guyanese passport, and from Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados to the U.S. under a falsified Trinidad & Tobago passport. The TT government had busted a smuggling ring and changed their passport, but the ring is back in action again, likely with the aid of someone in Immigration. The possibilities are endless for Al Shukrijumah.

Therefore, if the U.S. wants to find Adnan Al Shukrijumah, they should be watching Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados and the sea traffic between Trinidad and Guyana. Grantley Adams is the He's unlikely to go out on the Atlantic side either in the north or the east because the waters are horribly rough. His likeliest points of egress would be the west on the Gulf of Paria side because of its calm waters and proximity to Guyana and Venezuela. The shortest exit point between Venezuela and Trinidad is Cedros (when the tide is out, locals can see trees in Venezuela).

Several years ago, I contacted INS about this; I think that the FBI followed through, but were so clumsy about it that it is possible they might not have got the full assistance they could have got. FBI types need to relax and stop going in to tropical places looking official in business suits.

The U.S. should keep watch on the western coast line from Point Lisas down to Cedros and monitor the speed boats that come in from South America to Cedros because they just might catch terrorists other than Al Shukrijumah. After all, Hezbollah is running the drug trade in South America.

[indga]

Al Shukrijumah has ties from the U.S. down to South America. Apart from having been in Guyana and Trinidad (where he has relatives in Central Trinidad), Al Shukrijumah also has relatives or connections in Guyana; he has someone in Panama, too. Here's what we've been overlooking for some time: the Iranian influence in Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, the Muslim Triangle of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (could be Uruguay). That means that Adnan Al Shukrijumah has a lot of places to hide. The last time he was seen in Trinidad, he had gone there from Panama and Guyana, then he dropped off of the map. The possibility exists that he could have been in the bush in Trinidad, or he could have left that country by boat back into the hinterlands of Guyana (there's a lot of people-smuggling going on from Guyana to Trinidad; from Trinidad, the smuggled travel to Barbados on their Guyanese passport, and from Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados to the U.S. under a falsified Trinidad & Tobago passport. The TT government had busted a smuggling ring and changed their passport, but the ring is back in action again, likely with the aid of someone in Immigration. The possibilities are endless for Al Shukrijumah.

Therefore, if the U.S. wants to find Adnan Al Shukrijumah, they should be watching Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados and the sea traffic between Trinidad and Guyana. He's unlikely to go out on the Atlantic side either in the north or the east because the waters are horribly rough. His likeliest points of egress would be the west on the Gulf of Paria side because of its calm waters and proximity to Guyana and Venezuela. The shortest exit point between Venezuela and Trinidad is Cedros (when the tide is out, locals can see trees in Venezuela).

Several years ago, I contacted INS about this; I think that the FBI followed through, but were so clumsy about it that it is possible they might not have got the full assistance they could have got. FBI types need to relax and stop going in to tropical places looking official in business suits.

The U.S. should keep watch on the western coast line from Point Lisas down to Cedros and monitor the speed boats that come in from South America to Cedros because they just might catch terrorists other than Al Shukrijumah. After all, Hezbollah is running the drug trade in South America.

[Hucbald]

Excellent post, Dan.

[j callaway]

how can you think this is the same person? the structure of the jaw and chin are not the same and the nose is way off. i didn't even bother to read your entire expose, due to the fact that these two pictures are not even relatives. i actually have personal experience with very interesting relative features and these guys look like perfect strangers to each other.

[stan]

If and I mean If they are turning the heat up on this man..then they need to consider that he may in fact be a "red herring" ..Whatever material he has at his disposal will in spite of the claims be locally sourced..More likely from Canada than Mexico..If the desire is to create a radiological catastophe..low level radiation sources are..just about everywhere..watch out for breakins at dentist's and hospitals..Non Destrucitve Testing Facilities, Industrial X-Ray transport vehicles etc.
The next plot will evolve from little pieces..its up to us to recognize them and put them together.
If the FBI & CIA and the NSA cant do it..WE MAY HAVE TO.
Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Freedom

[RMVilla]

I'd have to agree with Hucbald, that the two pictures referenced above are not the same person. The distance between the eyes (even on my admittedly non-high resolution monitor) are clearly different, in addition to the jaw and chin. While this doesn't make me necessarily disbelieve your story about this guy Al Shukrijumah, whom I consider a real threat, it would make you posts more believeable if you don't include these kinds of discrepancied. If they are the same person, at least tells us why the difference in appearance.

[Mr. Potatohead]

Actually, these are very plausibly the same person. If so, the photo on the right was simply taken with the subject closer to the camera, causing all the facial features to appear larger (wider & taller). The facial hair on the chin is also trimmed differently at the outer edges, and only extends solidly up to the mustache in one iamge, causing something of an optical illusion which may be confusing your impression of the shape of the chin and size of the mouth. The head tilt is more pronounced in the right photo but also present in the left one. The lighting is different, causing differences in shading which can also cause apparent distortion of shapes. Finally, the white shirt on one and dark shirt on the other tends to make the head, neck & ears appear different -- a 2nd optical illusion which confuses the mind when it tries to compare widths & lengths.

I took some quick millimeter measurements which satisfied me that the proportions are comparable; but you can do a better job and help us settle this by enlarging the left image more than the other, rotating it less than the other, and making a fair, direct comparison.

* * * I would also like to ask the subject to send in several custom postcards featuring his most common poses and favorite clothing. (Please be sure to include your return address for our convenience. Thanks!) [Hopefully it's amazing how much information you can get from these guys merely by asking politely....] * * *