Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Egypt intercepts Somali militant

A man confessed to belonging to a Somali militant group after Egyptian security forces arrested him at Cairo International Airport, security sources said.

The newly formed National Security Service claimed one of its first successful raids when it captured Somali man Youssef Hassan at the international airport, security officials told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Sources told the news agency that intelligence officials had suspected militants would try to use fake diplomatic passports to try to get into the country. Hassan was arrested carrying 15 forged foreign and U.N. diplomatic passports when he arrived in Cairo from Morocco, the news agency added.

He was also carrying nine airline tickets to various destinations. The Egyptian newspaper said a similar method was used by the hijackers behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabaab is from Somalia and security forces claim al-Qaida was responsible for a recent attack on a cafe in Morocco. The Egyptian newspaper didn't indicate if Hassan was linked to al-Qaida, however.

The NSS took over after the Interior Ministry dissolved the country's notorious State Security Investigations Service in March.

Source: The United Press International

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