Some of the tiny minority of extremists seem to have been operating a camp in the Libyan desert. From the New York Times, with thanks to Jeffrey Imm:
PARIS, July 4 — Libyan forces have discovered a terrorist camp with ties to Al Qaeda in the country's southern desert, a French newspaper reported Sunday. The report did not say whether the camp was active or abandoned when it was found 10 days ago.The newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, quoted European antiterrorism officials as saying that the camp, thought to be used by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, was near the border with Chad not far from the region where Chadian rebels are holding one of the terrorist group's most senior members, Amari Saifi, known as Al Para.
They "discovered" a terrorist camp. Really! I'm sure that the Lybians knew it was there all along.
At Best, they 'discovered' this camp as a Sop to the left in this country. It has been clear for some time that Quaddafi's opening up the doors to inspectors and other things is not as 'open' as it seems, so he had to throw some kind of bone to get those who 'feel his pain' in our country to come back around to his side.
Off-topic, but:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040705/ap_on_re_eu/france_millennium_plot_2
Can we really expect France to try and Convict these guys?
i wouldn't put it past the french to take care of business with regard to situations that occur on their own soil. my mind goes to the story of frank abignale who tom cruise portrayed in the movie "catch me if you can." abignale was convicted of check fraud by the french and spent 6 years in solitary confinement in a cell to short for him to stand in and to narrow for him to lay straight in. he had a hole in the floor for bathroom. apparently, the conditions were very medieval, and when he was finally let out (only to be turned over to the swedes who jailed him for a year before turning him over to the u.s.) he was nearly dead from pneumonia and a host of other physical problems.
i would imagine the terrorists would be better off having an american trial where the left wing can turn them into cause célèbres and somehow blame the bush administration for a crime planned while clinton was in office. then, even if they get some penalty like death, for instance, they can be in prisons less medieval than france, and they can appeal until they are old and grey (an end they would surely come to from all the good food american prisons would feed them).
Get this...
Quaddafi has a blood feud with 'our man' the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. And it seems he has been caught trying to kill him. How naughty.
Against all prior behavior, it looks like this dictator has been 'turned': he's been ratting out former terrorist buddies currently kicking it back in the Magic Kingdom.
In the final analysis, don't be surprised to find that the Duck of Death has aligned himself with the 'B team'in Riyadh; and that he is fronting the hit, for a fee.
It has long been rumored that the Lockerbie job was a contract reprisal for the Iranian mullahs over the USS Vincennes, 'robocruiser' shootdown.
If so...then MQ is just playing off his patrons.
We need to play him more than he plays us.