Al Qaeda plot to ram suicide boats into ships in the Mediterranean foiled, Algeria says

                                             (pic, USS Cole after 2000 attack)



Algeria says that it has busted an Al Qaeda linked terrorist cell that was planning to carry out suicide boat attacks in the Mediterranean against Western ships. Three members of the terrorist group-— H. Rabeh, T. Belal, and M. Tarek — have been arrested and have confessed to the plot; all belong to the city of Annaba and have links with Al Qaeda, authorities say.

The Algerian newspaper Echorouk quotes sources saying that the mastermind behind the attacks is the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM) Qassemi Salah al-Din, also known as Mohamed Abu Salah. Similar to the USS Cole attack in Aden in 2000 and a later aborted plot in Morocco that aimed to target ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, the Algerian terrorists' plan was to use a boat with a powerful engine, load it up with explosives and put it out to sea. A suicide bomber would then ram it into ships- targets of convenience- that happened to be in the area. 

It is believed that American and European vessels were to be hit. Algerian security says that the aim was to destabilise the Algerian economy and attract media attention, but analysts say that such an attack would have much wider repercussions on shipping and would pose a major threat to world trade. 

The Algerian plot came to light since the three suspects used to frequent internet cafes and browse jihadist websites under fake names; security surveillance was set up to track these men and their activities. The authorities' suspicions hardened after it was found that one of them- H. Rabeh- had got in touch with a known criminal involved in illegal immigration and got details about prices of boats and suitable locations from where a seaborne terrorist attack could be launched. A boat was subsequently purchased according to reports. Algerian authorities now say that the three men have confessed to direct links with Abu Mohamed Salah.

Confirmation of the plot has come from US authorities as well. The New York Daily quotes an anonymous US official saying, “The U.S. was aware of the plot, which looks right now like it was in the early stages, but the Algerians deserve the credit for the arrests,” pointing out that the Malian Foreign Minister had said recently that there was a "confirmed link" between AQIM and Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist group responsible for many bombings and attacks on the Christian population in that country. 

US media- including ABC news- has been quick to remind viewers that the foiled attack plans bear a remarkable similarity to the suicide boat attack in Aden harbour on the USS Cole in October 2000 that left 17 American servicemen dead and many injured (see pic)- the result of two men ramming an explosive laden boat into the warship.

Pirates attack tanker off Indian Coast!

Details sketchy, but incident likely to send shockwaves across the country.

MUMBAI, 24 December: An Indian ship with a 41 member crew was attacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea alarmingly close to the Indian coast on Monday. Although details are yet sketchy, quick and decisive action by the Master is said to have foiled the attack, which saw the Indian Navy and Coast Guard swinging into action.

The Shipping Corporation of India owned tanker Maharaj Agrasen was carrying carrying crude oil to Visakhapatnam from Min Al Ahmadi in Kuwait when she was reportedly attacked by pirates with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns barely 370 miles off the West Coast of India. PTI quoted the National Union of Seafarers of India's General Secretary Abdulgani Y Serang as saying, “"The incident took place late on Monday night when a group of pirates in speedboats attacked the vessel with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. However, quick thinking by the ship's captain saved the crew members."  Other officials have confirmed the attack; one said that the Captain tried to ram the tanker into one of the pirate boats, then altered course and increased speed to prevent any pirates boarding the vessel. The crew is apparently unharmed.

The Times of India quotes officials from the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) saying that SCI had contacted them to report the incident. "The owners contacted the directorate and informed us that the vessel was under attack by eight unlit boats about 366 nautical miles west of Ratnagiri," said a DGS official. The ‘Maharaj Agrasen’ was carrying 1.34 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil when she sent out a security alert at almost midnight that day.

Last Friday, Somali pirates had hijacked the Indian vessel 'MV Neseya' with 13 crew off the coast of Kismayo about 170 nautical miles North East of Mombasa; the vessel is reported to have been taken to one of the pirate havens in the country.

In another incident, the Syrian Master of the Panamanian ship Barwaqo was shot dead when he refused to alter course away from Mogadishu; the attack took place close to the harbour when the vessel was approaching the Somali capital, much of which is not under Somali government control. African Union peacekeepers and Somali forces later took control of the ship after a gun battle. Some reports claim that the master may have been killed by “friendly fire”.

The Agrasen attack will undoubtedly send shock waves across the Indian shipping Industry and the security agencies in the country. This attack, if actually just 370 miles off the coast, is new territory for Somali pirates; questions will be asked if this is some new group operating from closer than Somalia.

Analysts say that it also exposes, as an earlier incident this month where two Indian Coast Guard sailors were kidnapped for 24 hours by Sri Lankan fishermen before the Indian forces freed them, that the country’s coastline remains our Achilles’ Heel. Pirate attacks even a thousand miles from Somalia are one thing; a pirate attack just 366 miles off Ratnagiri is indeed alarming, especially in the backdrop of possible Al Shabaab, Pakistani and Al Qaeda terrorist links to the criminals.

It may be premature to comment since details of the Agrasen attack are not known so far, but it is clear that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard will have to do much more to safeguard our coastlines from any future attacks; one Mumbai is more than enough.

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Al Qaida behind ship hijackings in the Gulf of Aden?

Terrorist group reported to have claimed responsibility. US Navy asks owners to protect themselves.





[Mumbai, 23 September 2008]: In a revelation long suspected but one that will nevertheless have huge consequences for the world maritime fleet, the Al Qaida is reported to have claimed responsibility for hijackings of ships for ransom in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast over the last year.


The Middle East Times’ Oliver Guitta reports that “Al Qaida has claimed responsibility in a communiqué for piracy operations that took place during the past year, off Yemen (and Somalia). The communiqué stressed that "orders were given to the Mujahedeen to monitor maritime waterways, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula." Maritime terrorism requires, according to the document, "a new strategy which permits mujahedeen" to hijack commercial, tourism and oil vessels. According to this strategy, "fighters, who aspire to establish the Caliphate, must control the seas and the waterways."

The Al Qaida strategy seems to be a simple one: Control one of the key shipping lanes in the world; 20000 ships and a large part of the oil trade use the Gulf of Aden annually to transit into the Red Sea and the Suez. Finance operations with ransoms running into millions of dollars. “Al-Qaida believes that "the enemy will not be able to protect its bases scattered on land in the Arabian Peninsula, and subject to mujahedeen attacks, if its waterways were weakened by acts of piracy" says the Middle East Times, quoting the unconfirmed communiqué.

Marex had reported the ascendance of Al Shabaab, a terrorist linked group, in Somalia in its last issue (article on the Stolt Valor hijacking). This organisation is now in control of much of Somalia’s coastline. Attacks in the last few days in areas of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, have also been blamed on them. The organisation, which is almost certainly funded in part by hijackings, has taken over key ports and cities in Somalia, including Kismayo in the South. Born when the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) Somali government was overthrown by US backed Ethiopian and other forces, Al Shabaab is now a major force in war torn and warlord controlled Somalia. Critics accuse the US of collaborating with warlords in the past to keep the ICU out of power.


Across the waters, in Aden, the situation is not much better. The US Embassy in Sanaa was attacked again recently. Aden, like Pakistan, has often been accused of flip flopping with respect to terrorism. The USS Cole was attacked in Aden harbour in 1980. In 2003, the Yemeni regime had a non aggression pact with Al Qaida in place. Osama Bin Laden’s family migrated from Yemen. The Hyundai Fortune was attacked and destroyed in the Gulf of Aden in 2006.


Though pressure from the US and internal politics has made the Yemeni government change to an anti terrorist stance recently, including the killing of at least one Al Qaida leader and a crackdown on many others, the fact remains that Yemen is unstable. Therefore, like Pakistan and Somalia, it is a breeding ground for terrorism.


The Yemeni coast guard has formed units to police pirates recently. 16 boats have been imported from Australia; up to 60 marines would be aboard each one of them. They will have artillery and advanced communications.


In other developments, Reuters has reported from London on Monday that the U.S. Navy says that “allied warships were doing all they could to thwart piracy in the strategic Gulf of Aden, but shipping companies should take their own measures to protect their vessels and crews.”

It quotes Combined Maritime Forces commander, U.S. vice admiral Bill Gortney as saying,
"The coalition does not have the resources to provide 24 hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region. Shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews," he said in a statement, urging merchant ships to employ their own security teams.



It must be stressed that the Al Qaida communiqué has not been widely reported, and Marex has not been able to confirm this development from other sources. Nevertheless and clearly, threat perceptions of the crisis have to change quickly and dramatically within the international community.


With powerful coalitions throwing up their hands admitting defeat and asking owners to take measures to protect their crews and ships themselves, the situation looks bleaker by the minute. If Al Qaida is indeed directly involved, how long do we have before a major catastrophe involving a VLCC?


Meanwhile, maybe we can ask seafarers to throw the ISPS code book at the pirates.