BRITISH AUTHORITIES ARREST TERRORISTS WHO FOUGHT IN SYRIA
Jun 19, 2013
London, (SANA)- Amid a state of media blackout, British authorities
arrested a group of terrorists who participated in the fighting
in Syria.
Special informed sources from London revealed to the Palestinian
al-Manar newspaper that the British security forces arrested early
June a group of 11 terrorists in London who had come back from Syria
where they were involved in the fighting there.
The sources noted that the group’s members held meetings in Britain
and were carrying out suspicious activities, which led to their arrest.
A number of American and European officials recently warned of the
danger of the European gunmen who are involved in the fighting in
Syria once they return to their home countries having acquired a
great combat experience.
Those gunmen are fighting within the ranks of the armed terrorist
groups coming into Syria across Turkey and funded by the Gulf money.
Al-Manar newspaper quoted the British sources as saying that four of
the arrested terrorists carry the German and Belgian nationalities.
Britain, along with its partner France, have embraced the European
project to supply the terrorists in Syria with arms and sought hard
to recently lift the embargo on providing weapons to the “armed
opposition”.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, recently warned British Prime Minister
David Cameron in an article of the gravity of the step to arm the
“opposition”, saying such a move would be catastrophic as Britain
would be pushing forward with the weapons falling in the hands of
extremist members of al-Qaeda.
In the same context, Belgian Interior Minister, Joëlle Milquet,
recently announced the arrest of four Belgians in Turkey who were
preparing to infiltrate into Syria and fight along the terrorist
groups.
The number of Belgian terrorists who went to fight in Syria is
estimated at 80-100.
British terrorist to Reuters: There is a “waiting list” of people
who volunteered to blow themselves up in Syria
A British terrorist who joined Jabhat al-Nusra five months ago said
that there is a “waiting list” of terrorists who volunteered to carry
out suicide operations in Syria.
The 23-years-old British terrorist, nicknamed Abu Khaled, confessed
in an interview with Reuters correspondent in Salqin city in Idleb
countryside that “sometimes, half of the fighters in the frontlines
are foreigners, especially Libyans and Saudis.”
The Syrian cities have seen scores of suicide attacks by car bombs and
explosive devices that claimed hundreds of lives. The terrorist attacks
drew no condemnation from several countries that back terrorism in
Syria, especially Britain, France, US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Abu Khaled lived in England his whole life, he says, but came to Syria
four or five months ago and joined fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra who
put him on the front lines outside Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
British intelligence officials estimate the numbers of Britons who
have taken up arms alongside Syria’s “armed opposition” at’ dozens,’
which triggered concerns inside the British society.
“His parents were afraid. To call them, he had to ask permission –
his commanders took his cell phone and passport which they said was
to guard against spies,” Reuters said.
When he arrived he found other foreigners in the brigades. Englishmen
from London and Birmingham, an Irishman, Russians from the Chechnya
region, Chinese, Egyptians, Tunisians, Saudi Arabians, Libyans,
others from Denmark, France, and, he tells Reuters, a lot from Sweden.
Abu Khaled said he joined Jabhat al-Nusra, al Qaeda’s affiliate
in Syria which the United States calls a “terrorist organization,”
because he was “drawn to its piety and determination.”
Reuters says that Abu Khaled lived in a barracks, which the group
called a “house,” set up in an abandoned school, villa or hospital
to house 40 or 50 armed men.
The terrorists turned schools, hospitals and houses in Syria into
centers for launching their terrorist attacks as they know that the
Syrian army cares that these institutions are not destroyed, for they
belong to the Syrian people.
When the events broke out in Libya and Syria in 2011, Abu Khaled
went to religious lectures in London, he said. “Some speakers talked
about Syria’s importance in Islamic history, and encouraged Muslims
to go fight.”
Syria has always urged neighboring countries to control borders,
especially that they claim to be seeking a political solution, namely
Turkey that trains terrorists and sends them to join fighting against
the Syrian army.
Syria has repeatedly provided the UN Security Council and the UN
secretary-general with documents and confessions about big numbers
of terrorists who take advantage of neighboring countries’ measures
that facilitate their flow into Syria.
M. Ismael /H. Said