Australians arrested in Yemen for arms smuggling

It has been confirmed that three Australians have been arrested in Yemen. They are charged with arms smuggling. A Danish national was also arrested. The weapons were being smuggled to from Yemen to Somalia. The people that have been detained are suspected of being members of al-Qaeda.




It will be interesting to see how things pan out.
For some reason when the likes of arms smugglers are caught it is always assumed that they have a connection to al-Qaeda. Its almost as if people overlook the fact that other terrorist organizations exist.

Without more details it is diffcult to paint a picture about the people that have been detained. There is the possibility that the people in question smuggled arms for financial gain. Although there recent conversion to Islam would point to more ideological motives.

When the people in question face a trial and sentencing it will be important to bear in mind that these people choose to smuggle arms. They knew the risks they were taking.

Notice that the artice said 'passport holders', so theoretically they could be stolen passports. The increase in stolen passports from countries like New Zealand, Australia and Canada is very worrying. We all remember the Mossad agents who were caught in New Zealand.

Primeminister John Howard has this to say on the subject ....

"If they have broken the law or been involved in terrorism, well they deserve everything they get."

And i for one agree with him.

Heres an update.

The brothers, aged 18 and 21, and another Australian of Polish extraction were arrested two weeks ago, suspected of being members of an al-Qaeda cell and plotting to smuggle arms to Somalia. All three men are from NSW, and security sources say some of them have links to the Ayub brothers, who allegedly set up a Jemaah Islamiah cell in Australia in the late 1990s.
"They wouldn't be out of place in Byron Bay," he said of the brothers, who he confirmed were of Anglo-Saxon background. "The family is very, very upset and they believe there is no doubt the Australian Government is responsible … they used to get hassled in Australia by ASIO and some people intervened when they were flying out of the country."

link

While there isnt a lot of concrete info yet we are starting to get a better picture of the people who were arrested.
Cheers xpert11.

So where these guys religious zealots helping their islamic brothers or just "normal" gun-runners doing business?
If the first choise is true then Australian government may be in serious trouble. If they're just delivering goods to the highest bidder... well nothing new under the sun. Like and old saying goes: "Business is Business and Moses is Moses, don't mix them..."

Maybe they were trying to redistribute some of the windfall from Iraq.



Must be some amature arms traders, who were too lazy to go legit or the CIA is getting real sloppy.

Originally posted by Regenmacher
Maybe they were trying to redistribute some of the windfall from Iraq.

Quarter-million American weapons missing in Iraq
The U.S. military cannot account for about 278,000 weapons destined for 325,500 members of the Iraqi Security Forces.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Must be some amature arms traders, who were too lazy to go legit or the CIA is getting real sloppy.

Someone's getting sloppy...

Two words: RFID chips.

What are they good for?

Heres another update.

THE two Australian brothers arrested in Yemen as suspected al-Qaeda terrorists were under observation over a suicide bomb plot to blow up Sydney's Kings Cross railway station.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that a terrorist cell was last year planning a London-style attack on peak-hour commuters at the busy underground station.

The plot was three months in the planning before it was foiled last year by ASIO and NSW and Federal counter-terrorism police.

Authorities believed the men were linked to plotters stockpiling a range of chemicals including acetone, known as "Mother of Satan", an explosive precursor used in the London bombings.

Mohammed and Abdullah Ayub - arrested in Yemen accused of being members of an al-Qaeda cell and gun-running - were being watched because their father is Abdul Rahim Ayub, the former head of Jemaah Islamiah in Australia.

link

It seems like that arms smuggling was just the tip of the iceberg. Australia seems to be facing the same problems that England dose home grown extremists.