In October 1993, Guido Olimpio, Deputy Foreign Desk, Corriere della Sera, Milan, Italy wrote his first article for ASA on the New Realities of Terrorism. Since that time he has written 10 additional articles on terrorism for ASA and he has toured the US and has provided briefings to the US Congress on terrorism. Unfortunately, the primary players and their organizations have not changed; osama was pointed out by Mr. Olimpio many, many years ago.

The Trail of the Terrorists and 11 September
by Guido Olimpio

          The 11 September attack on Manhattan and Washington graphically demonstrated to the world - Al Qaida's strategic power. Their terrorist network could strike targets located thousand of miles from their home base through a series of multiple and carefully coordinated actions. Al Qaida's actions also brought into the open and spotlighted their very sophisticated logistic and financial apparatus. It was very apparent that Al Qaida also acted as or had the use of a high level intelligence agency.
          When reviewing the information to date on the terrorists networks, some basics stand out:
1. Training. The kamikazes have been able to live for years like common people, unnoticed by the general public. They could very easily travel abroad, attend schools, and move from one town to another and from one section of their 'unwitting' host country to another with impunity - all without being questioned. They received military and psychological training in Afghanistan as well as a continuing terrorist indoctrination in their 'host' countries. Their ring leaders voluntarily left their tracks throughout the US and Europe, perhaps in order to create uncertainty behind them and complicate the investigations. They might involve the authorities of countries such as Iraq. Until now, also the specific identities of many of the suicide pilots is unclear, and this is a further proof of their ability to evade the system. Their modus operandi reminds us of the KGB and Stasi "sleeper agents for years" and this could spell serious trouble for many years into the future.
2. Finance. The network has been able to rely on unlimited economic resources. It used both cash and credit cards. The funding came from a unique source, hidden in Dubai. It has been confirmed that the Emirates are the advanced strategic Al Qaida base, a crossroad between Afghanistan and Europe, as well.
3. The European Base. It is possible that part of the plot was formulated in Germany, England, and Italy. The leaders of the network and the cells are based in London. Their action is primarily related to propaganda and recruitment. London also links the European cells with Afghanistan. Germany, where the radical muslims are very strong, is a parking and financing area. Milan, where is based the main station house of Al Qaida, is a bridge from Middle East to Europe and America. Some cells are linked to groups hidden in Canada, where it is easier to go before trying to get into the United States.
4. The Men. The Algerian extremists of the salafite fighters, make up the majority of the Al Qaida groups in Europe and they are also fairly strong in Canada. In the States most of of the Al Qaida groups are Egyptians and Saudis. Each cell can act in an independent way and all offer to cooperate with Osama Bin Laden. They have developed a very sophisticated communication system through the Internet and Call centers.
5. Saudi Arabia. The investigations have revealed a connection between Osama and some Saudi Princes who have financed and perhaps continue to finance Al Qaida. This particular Saudi relationship stands at a very high level. This relationship could also help focus Al Qaida's aim, i.e., to take over the power in the Gulf.

Previous Guido Olimpio ASA articles show what we should have been paying attention to: a threat that now appears inevitable.

From Mr. Olimpio's first ASA article on terrorism in October 1993 (ASA 93-5):

"Terrorism's New Reality"

          Several groups of terrorists have settled in the U.S. and they are either prepared or preparing to attack. What they do in the U.S. can and will be repeated many times over in many countries. And the reality of our times is that all of us will live with terrorism for the foreseeable future.
          A couple of identity items are:
1. Definitely of the Islamic faith. Please note that although these groups are of the Islamic faith, they do not represent the hundreds of millions of Muslims any more than Neo-Nazis represent hundreds of millions of Christians. These groups are well interwoven in Western countries' Muslim communities. They frequent the mosques and Islamic centres, sites of prayers that they have turned into operating bases. Group members come from North Africa (Egypt, the Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria...) and from the Middle East. They rarely engage in work or jobs that may be considered suspect activities; they are shop-keepers, taxi drivers, etc., and, they remain in a sleep mode to become terrorists only when the occasion demands.
2. Small groups. Because of economic reasons, these groups split quite frequently and the teams are rarely composed of more than twenty people. They try to avoid outward relationships with countries with a suspect terrorist label. Instead they prefer to maintain relationships through "intermediaries" with good connections in several capitals.

And in August 1996, Mr. Olimpio wrote:

"A Report on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare"

          Washington, 18 July 1996. The recent attack in Dharan has shown how the West is called upon to face yet one more offensive action by "Afghan terrorism" in the Middle East. The soldiers who lost their raison d'être after the conflict with the Russians have now found a new war front, the Western countries, where they get to demonstrate their expertise. These Afghan fighters (from many countries) operate in small groups .... They have an extraordinary supporting network they can count on for considerable financial aid as well as support.
          Although independent to a degree, they make themselves available for actions on behalf of third parties. Confirmation of the danger the Afghans represent is readily apparent when one considers their involvement in the major terrorist attacks carried out around the world during recent times:

• New York World Trade Center
• Conspiracy to kill the Pope in the Philippines
• Conspiracy to sabotage American civil aircraft
• Attacks in Saudi Arabia
• Numerous subversive actions throughout Western Europe
• Creation of a terrorist core in Bosnia and Chechnya
• Creation of terrorist networks throughout the Middle East
• Leadership in the armed fight in Algeria
• Involvement in several attacks in France

          Unfortunately, as in the case of the Afghan fighters from many countries, this underlines the fact that terrorists have been able to obtain political asylum and hospitality in the Western countries, where they can count on business and financial resources which are indispensable to Jihad. Infiltration in Europe
          Since the beginning of the '90s, the fundamentalist groups have begun to enter Europe using Bosnia as a base. In this action, three main wings can be identified:
1. Jamaa's Egyptians, who have organized Islamic centers and bases to finance the armed fight in Egypt and to send forces to Bosnia and Chechnya. The Egyptian network has its heart in Milan at the Islamic center on viale Jenner, in Vienna at the great mosque and in Copenhagen. From Europe, contacts to New York, Pakistan and Afghanistan (faction of Hekmatiare), North Africa and the Far East (Philippines and Malaysia). Not coincidentally, the sheikh of Viale Jenner Islamic Center, Anwar Saban, became the emir of the mujaheddins battalion in Bosnia - where he was later killed in an action by the Croats. It also emerged that there were connections with Osama bin Ladin and financial institutes of the Gulf that deposited large sums of money in Switzerland.
2. The FIS and GIA Algerians created a network to equip Bosnian raiders with weapons, documents and money. This strategy was developed in November '92 at a summit in Tirana, Albania which was attended by three factions of the Algerian guerrilla: the pro-Saudites, the Islamic nationalists and GIA. Two high GIA figures, Boudjema Bunua and Eddine Kerbane, then settled in Zagreb to direct traffic in arms and men to Bosnia and Europe.
3. Many Afghans, expelled from Bosnia, infiltrated into the main European cities where they await instructions from abroad. Interesting to note their increasing contacts with members of the Algerian GIA in Europe.

And in October 1996, Mr. Olimpio wrote:

"Report on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare: Part II - Ex Yugoslavia"

Milan, Italy. As the war broke out and engulfed the ex-Yugoslavia, the opportunity arose for the Islamic groups to create an extraordinary bridgehead into Europe. Hundreds of Arabian volunteers began to pour into the region of Zeneca, where they formed the Mujahaddin Battalion. In fact, Bosnia became the "European Lebanon" with four major goals:
- to help their Bosnian compatriots,
- to create bases for clandestine actions in Europe,
- to attract non-Arabian volunteers, and
- to have a training base for European extremists.
          Many Europeans, after conversion to Islam, did attend training courses in Bosnia and many stayed to fight with their brothers. Others were sent to their home countries to infiltrate, set up and prepare new networks. The figure of one of the mujahaddin leaders in Bosnia is quite symbolic: Issa Abdullah Ali, alias Abu Abdullah, 48 years old, an American veteran Marine, lived in Lebanon during the '80s, and served with the Shiite Amal movement. He was then with the Hezbollah and moved to Afghanistan where he joined with other Arabian combatants. Then back to the U.S. in '89 where he was in contact with the blind sheikh. Then in '93, he and about a dozen of his compatriots settled in Zagreb where under the cover of a 'charity' they set up the stream of Afghan raiders. He has had contact with Pasadaran units and today lives in Sarajevo under an assumed name. Funding is covered in part by Osama Ben Ladin.