BBC: Iran announces al-Qaeda arrests

[allemand]

Iran has said more than 1,000 members of al-Qaeda have been apprehended in the country since the Taleban regime collapsed in Afghanistan in 2001.

Intelligence Minister Ali Younessi says most had been jailed or deported. Some 200 suspects remained in custody. (...)

He also said the Iranian authorities had found al-Qaeda terrorist cells in the east of the country in recent days with the help of Sunni clergymen.

Last month, a senior cleric said Iran had arrested and deported nearly 500 al-Qaeda members who had been hiding in the country over the last three years.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4689151.stm

Iran says it has dismantled Al-Qaeda cell

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran dismantled an Al-Qaeda cell in the east of the country in recent days that was preparing to launch attacks, Intelligence Minister Ali Younessi told the student news agency ISNA.

Al-Qaeda had "organized and formed different groups to carry out terrorist acts primarily in the east of the country," the minister said Saturday.

Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan and Pakistan and contains a large Sunni community. The majority of Iran is Shiite. (...)

The militant network had sought out "theology students and religious Sunnis," he added.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050716/wl_afp/iranqaeda_050716141548

[allemand]

1. Qaeda ringleader at large in Iran, says minister

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An al Qaeda ringleader is on the run in Iran after intelligence services thwarted his attempts to launch attacks in Tehran, Iran's official media quoted Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi as saying on Saturday.

Yunesi named the man as "Abdul Malek" and linked him to a group of fighters from Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in eastern Iran who had been collaborating with drug traffickers.

"They intended to sabotage and carry out terrorist attacks in Iranian cities, especially Tehran. Fortunately many of them were apprehended but Abdul Malek is still at large," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Yunesi said another small al Qaeda group, including some theological students from the Sunni school of Islam, had been identified last week. He did not comment on whether Iranian forces had arrested any members of this cell.

More:
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050716/3/241x7.html

[Yupster]

3. What does it mean when an Al Quaida member

is caught and deported?

Does that mean given to another government, or let free?

[ConfuZed]

2. Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb!

Just gives bush an excuse to attack them

[allemand]

4. Why? If the Bush administration accuses Iran of "sheltering al-Qaeda",

they can now say that most al-Qaeda members have either been expelled or are in Iranian prisons...

[ConfuZed]

7. but they are admitting that they do have al qaedas...

They all this admin needs to see.

[sidpleasant]

5. How does Iran identify a member of Al - Queda?

Do the sinister villains carry Al - Queda membership cards?

[Straight Shooter]

6. They probably profess allegiance to AQ and Osama.

Good question. A friend of mine told me that "Qaeda" means "office" in Arabic. In other words, it's about as ambiguous a term as you could choose for an organization. It has about as much specificity as "the church."