Here and here are two confirmations of this story, one of which is mentioned in its first line.
From MSNBC, with thanks to all who sent this in:
In France, Tuesday, security agents detained seven people suspected of helping funnel Islamic militants into Iraq. In Mainz, Germany, this weekend, police arrested an alleged al-Qaida operative who is also accused of recruiting for Iraq. He is alleged to be a key al-Qaida recruiter who was living in an apartment building on a quiet street. Also arrested: a Palestinian allegedly headed to fight in Iraq.U.S. officials tell NBC News that the recruiter, Ibrahim Mohammed Khalil, is an al-Qaida facilitator who trained in camps in Afghanistan, fought there after 9/11 and was sent back to Germany. There, both U.S. and German intelligence monitored him.
"He also had contact to the leadership of al-Qaida, including Osama bin Laden," says Kay Nehm, the German federal prosecutor working the case.
Experts say the arrest underscores al-Qaida's interest in the war in Iraq.
"It demonstrates that Europe is the central recruitment ground for al-Qaida when it comes to finding jihadists to fight in Iraq," says NBC terror analyst Roger Cressey.
But, but, but... according to Adam Curtis who wrote and produced "The Power of Nightmares" (aired in 3 parts and screened TWICE by the BBC), al-Qaida and Islamic terrorism are just a fantasy created by the American neocons to ruthlessly spread Western democracy and corporate capitalism around the world. Or is Islamic terrorism a real response to American imperialism in Iraq? Or is it because of a lack of "even-handedness" in our middle east policies? But wait, Europe is pro-Palestinian! I'm confused...
Dear Mr. Martel,
Thank you for your question. We at the BBC have decided that the best approach to the decline of Europe is to close our eyes, stick our fingers in our ears and repeat again and again, "Al-qaida does not exist. Al-qaida does not exist."
Our other long term strategy includes sticking our fingers in our ears and humming when presented with evidence to the contrary, chanting every so often, "I can't heeeeaaar you."
Your assertion that the our two statements- 1) al-qaida does not exist and 2) that their existence is our fault - contradict one another implies an acceptance of imperialist norms of Western logic.
Very truly,
Your friends at the BBC
New question: now that recruitment is up in Europe, what does a jihadist or a terrorist look like?
As we don't know, everyone is now under suspicion.
"It demonstrates that Europe is the central recruitment ground for al-Qaida when it comes to finding jihadists to fight in Iraq," says NBC terror analyst Roger Cressey.
NO IT MEANS MULSUMS ARE THE CENTER FOR RECRUITMENT!!
IF YOU HAVE MULSUMS BETTER BE ON YOUR GAURD??
I DON'T SEE WHAT GOOD IT DOES TO DEPORT THE MONSTERS JUST LETS THEM START IN ANOTHER PLACE??
IT IS LIKE FIRE ANTS YOU HAVE TO KILL THE MOUND WHEN ANOTHER SPRINGS UP KILL THAT ONE UNTIL THEY STOP POPPING UP AND THEY ARE ALL DEAD??
OUR GUYS CATCH A HUGE CATCH OF WEAPONS!!
GOOD JOB GUYS!!
Part of the American Tribe
Squirrel Hunter
Spider Killer
God Bless the USA and her Fighting Forces and ALL who Fight with her give them Strength, Wisdom, Sight, and Courage to stay the course to Destroy ALL Islamic Terrorist and ALL who Support them Amen
From the looks of things they do need more help, what with war, and that liitle tent city outside of Israel or in Israel and lets not forget the tsunami that had to cost them a lot of potentials.
How long does it take to talk someone into blowing themselves up?
Are they treated with some type of drug while being processed?
The European Union cannot claim the moral high ground vis-a-vis the United States when it comes to dealing with the (critical) issue of global jijad. In fact, the officials of the European Union should shut up about the United States' 'war on terror' and how much they despise it and disagree with American policies. Their recriminations ring hollow in the light of this news.
Admittedly, no one LIKES having to declare war, even if it is to 'take out' scads of 'religious' (for want of a better world) killer-zombies programmed to slaughter untold millions of human beings in the western world. But neither, for that matter, does anyone wish to see more 9-11s happen or learn of yet more genocidal skirmishes taking place in remote areas of Asia and Africa, the Caucasus, or even Eastern Europe. When jihadist networks are permitted to propagate who knows where they will commence jihad war next? On 9-10-01 no one in the US thought it would be on their territory. But it was. There's a lesson to be learned here.
Europe's laxness in its handling of the upward spiral of recruitent of Islamic jihadists and jihad networks is creating at least as many unintended consequences as the US' war on terror. Something they are not really paying attention to or even willing to admit or discuss.
The moral of the story of Europe's failure to recognize the threat of Islamic jihadist networks spawning and festering on its soil is that when you are faced with a problem of truly gigantic proportions, it is necessary to make an effort to understand it thoroughly and frontally assault it and declare war on it. Don't just sit back and blame someone else for it and then stick your head in the sand. And, what, by the way, does a lion call an ostrich with its head buried in the sand?... "Lunch." Need we say more??