While the world focuses on the resurgence of Islamic supremacism in the Middle East, the jihad is advancing in South America as well. More on this story. "Al Qaeda in Brazil?," by Jaime Daremblum in The Weekly Standard via Mexidata, April 11:
The Brazilian magazine Veja is reporting that al Qaeda members have established an active presence in South America's largest country, as have militants associated with Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist groups. They are apparently engaged in fundraising, recruitment, and strategic planning. Earlier this week, Aldo Donzis, a leading figure in the Argentine Jewish community, spoke to the JTA news agency and voiced alarm about the revelations."We have high concern about fundamentalist movements in Latin America and about recruitment activities of fundamentalist movements," Donzis said. "We shared this information with Latin American parliamentarians last July and they agreed with our information. But the situation is getting worse. In Argentina, we have seen graffiti written in Arabic calling for jihad which coincided with the visit of Iranians here. Also, this graffiti was seen in Bolivia. We understand that Brazil needs to feel worried and act."
Terrorists have long found haven in South America's so-called Triple Frontier, which encompasses the intersection of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. This area is known for being a Wild West of lawlessness, drug trafficking, and organized crime. Argentina is especially sensitive to increased terrorist activity in the region. During the 1990s, it suffered two deadly bombings orchestrated by Hezbollah and Iran. The first (in 1992) destroyed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires; the second (in 1994) demolished a Jewish community center in the same city....
