The arrest of 83 alleged Islamic Jihad members in Egypt and another case when 170 other suspected terrorists were referred to court recently has thrown the US into confusion, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"At a time when America is desperate to identify terrorist threats, recent events [in Egypt] are showing how difficult it is to make sense of new leads - even when they come from an ally," said the paper in a report Friday.
Western diplomats say privately that a wave of much-touted arrests in Egypt is a perfect example of how local politics, genuine security concerns and competing interests can confuse the battle against terrorism.
Two weeks ago, just as the United States was asking Egypt for more cooperation in the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks, state-run media reported that Egyptian secret police had thwarted a massive strike against American interests. The reports said police rounded up 83 "extremists," including a pair of US-trained pilots with possible links to Osama bin Laden.
Egyptian authorities, without commenting on details, quickly confirmed the gist of the accounts, said the paper.
But when Western officials looked more closely, they had a hard time determining what had really happened.
"We're still plumbing the depths," said one diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "When we first heard about American-trained pilots, we were concerned. Then we were told this was old news and there was nothing to it."
Egypt has an influential voice in the Islamic world and has been successfully fighting its own war on terrorism for 20 years. Egyptian security agencies hold extensive files on bin Laden and leaders of his Al Qaeda terrorism network, many of whom are Egyptian.
But Western officials are quoted in the report as saying that Egyptians guard their information very closely, and that they must be careful not to intrude on Egyptian sovereignty. Foreign investigators sometimes get no closer than observer seats at a military trial.
"Sometimes we're just not that well informed," the diplomat said.
This contradicts a statement by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who earlier said that his country was cooperating with the US on a daily basis, in terms of intelligence.
The Egytians might see such reports as part of a campaign, spearheaded by pro-Israel congressmen who want to see US allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia treated in a different way.
The alleged campaign has been condemned by Egyptian officials, and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz was tough two days ago on his country's opponents overseas.
On top of the perceived campaign, human rights groups have accused Egyptian police of making mass arrests with little evidence and branding political opponents "terrorists" or "extremists," further clouding the issue.
"There's a genuine conflict of priorities in Egypt right now," said a former State Department official with many years of experience in the Middle East. "The US needs good information and as much help as we can get in counter-terrorism. The Egyptians need to maintain control. Sometimes, those two run together. Sometimes, they don't."
Government critics have said the timing of this month's news about the terrorist plot is mysterious, since the 83 men have already been held for five months, according to the LA Times.
"This case has become an offering to the [United States]," said Hazem Rushdi Mohammed, a lawyer who represents several of the accused. "Americans want so badly to stop terrorists. But under our system, nobody will ever know who is really a terrorist and who is an innocent man."
Nabil Osman, Mubarak's top spokesman, said no charges had been fabricated. Osman would not discuss specifics of the case, and state security officials declined to be interviewed.
"Don't ask us where we stand on these issues," Osman said. "We have been fighting terrorism single-handedly for 20 years - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
