ABC Online, 10 Feb 10: One of the men accused of being part of the terrorist cell behind the bombings of two Jakarta hotels last year says the attack was right in the eyes of Allah. Three Australians were among the seven people killed in the blasts. Amir Abdillah is the first of the accused terrorists to face trial over the July 17 bombings. He was allegedly the driver for Noordin Top, the self-styled leader of Al Qaeda in South East Asia who was killed by Indonesia’s anti-terrorist squad last year. Police say Abdillah booked the Marriott Hotel room the bombers used as their base. He also allegedly transported explosives. . . . .
♦ CI CENTRE COURSE: 361–The Global Jihadist Threat Doctrine
AP, 9 Feb 10: Authorities arrested six suspected Taliban militants with a suicide vest and hand grenades who allegedly were on their way yesterday to attack a five-star hotel and kill Americans in Pakistan’s cultural capital, said police. The eastern city of Lahore has suffered a spate of bombings at markets and security installations in recent years as the Taliban have expanded attacks beyond their main sanctuary in the northwest. Militants have also targeted hotels and restaurants in other parts of Pakistan popular with Westerners.
The militants arrested yesterday on the outskirts of Lahore included a 14-year-old male and a prayer leader from Pakistan’s Khyber tribal area near the Afghan border, said Zulfikar Hameed, a police official. The prayer leader was wearing a vest packed with explosives. The two told police they were targeting Americans at the Pearl Continental hotel, he said. . . .
