Saudi officer in World Cup terror 'plot'Mon, 17 May 2010 17:19:26 GMT
http://presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=126808§ionid=351020201
Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassem Atta holds up an image of Abdullah al-Qahtani. A high-ranking army officer from Saudi Arabia has been accused of planning an attack during the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, an Iraqi official says.
Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta said Monday Colonel Abdullah al-Qahtani participated in the planning of a terrorist act in South Africa.
Iraqi police arrested Qahtani two weeks ago. He was also in charge of security for the terror network in Baghdad, General Atta said.
He declined to give more details on the plot, AFP reported.
The Saudi national entered Iraq in 2004 and was involved in militant operations in the northern towns of al-Qaim and Husayba.
In 2007, Qahtani was detained by the US military under the false name Muzawar al-Shammari and was released last year.
He also took part in the planning of a series of attacks on Baghdad hotels in January, which killed 36 people, and in the organization of blasts in December that killed 127 people in the Iraqi capital, the report added.
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