Judge: Al-Qaida ‘management’ in Iran
Al-Qaida has been restructured and has a “board of managers” in Iran, a prominent Spanish judge told a newspaper on Sunday.
Baltasar Garzon, who investigates “terrorism linked to Islamic fundamenatlism”, told El Periodico that although Iran’s al-Qaida cell did not necessarily issue orders, it did coordinate operations.
He said: “Currently there is coordination, a series of objectives clearly established (by al-Qaida), but there is no need for an order for an act to be executed … It’s diffused terrorism.”
Garzon issued an international arrest warrant last September for Usama bin Ladin in the framework of an inquiry into a Spanish al-Qaida cell.
He also hit the headlines in Spain this week as the presiding judge in the case against a Spanish al-Qaida suspect, extradited from the US prison at the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba.
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“Currently there is coordination, a series of objectives clearly established (by al-Qaida), but there is no need for an order for an act to be executed … It’s diffused terrorism” |
Iranian denials
Although Iran has admitted it is detaining al-Qaida suspects, it denies allowing the network to operate from its territory.
Tehran said last December it had arrested 130 suspected members of al-Qaida and was ready to extradite some of them.
President Muhammad Khatami said: “those who have committed crimes in Iran will be judged in Iran and the others will be extradited to their country of origin …
“There is no place for al-Qaida, no place for any terrorist, for those who act against peace in the world.”
Khatami added al-Qaida was “very hostile” to the Iranian government.