Al-Qaeda Threatens Japan If Troops Sent to Iraq

[John Lindsey]

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The al-Qaeda terrorist network said it will carry out an attack in Tokyo if Japan sends troops to join the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, Agence France-Presse said, citing a statement sent to an Arabic-language magazine.

``Our strikes will reach the heart of Tokyo,'' AFP said, citing an e-mailed statement sent by Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj to the London-based weekly magazine al-Majallah. ``If they want to destroy their economic power and be trampled under the feet of the combatants of Allah, let them come to Iraq.'' Al-Ablaj was identified as an al-Qaeda operative who is in regular contact with the magazine, AFP said.

Japan is considering sending 550 members of its Self-Defense Force to Iraq. The government said it may delay the deployment until next year after increasing attacks in Iraq, including last week's bombing at an Italian military base in the southern Iraqi town of Nasiriyah.

Al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack in Nasiriyah, al- Ablaj said in his statement to the magazine, according to AFP. The terrorist network said it was behind attacks on Saturday at two synagogues in Turkey that killed at least 23 people, AFP said, citing a statement sent to the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

[StanLee]

The problem is that all these nutcases are hiding in London living the "free" life they so hate (I believe). And the sadest thing is that the government seems to be doing bugger all to get rid of them quickly.

I live near (well a short bus ride) to the mosque where they found members of the al-Qaeda network and had a clerick who openly preached for war against the west in London, Finsbury Park. They ended up closing the place down.

The whole of that area seems really dodgy to me and has an air of uneasiness whenever I pass though to and fro from work.

Just my thoughts.

[John Lindsey]

You think al-Qaeda is sensing weakness on the part of the Japanese?

So, they scare them with threats...

[Jock Armstrong]

The JSDF had an engineer battalion in cambodia clearing mines in the 90's till some bandits shot at them and they squealed so long that the government withdrew them.The Japanese government wants to be in with the "big boys" and please the Yanks and Brits to encourage trding links but they are deathly afraid of a backlash at home if they take a single casualty [which is kind of hypocritical considering the Japanese government is willing to send troops to Taiwan and South Korea if the commies get naughty]. It would be really hard for the Islamic terrs to do much in Tokyo- they'd stand out like dogs balls amongst the locals, not like London or Paris where there are so many people from the middle east that the baddies can come and go as they please.

[StanLee]

I guess that it could be like that scene in the film Airplane where a load of terrorist with guns and RPG launchers walk past the guards unnoticed but an old granny gets tackled!:D

[Vapour]

Well the Japanese translator of the Satanic Verse got wacked in Japan by a Bangladesh guy. You can find fanatic anwyere and bomb is not that difficult to get.

If you get few dinamites and detonate it with yourself in rushhour subway or whereever it is crowded, which is pretty much everywhere in metropolitan area, you can hit +100 death counts easy. Japan has relatively little terrorist attack not because police do good work but there are little reason for such act to be committed.

It is more than likely that Japanese government will chicken out..

[Steve Delaney]

That's what I was thinking too. If the terrorists were to Attack Japanese soil, it would have to be a Subway at rush hour. Especially one of the more packed subway lines, like the Tozai line, or the Marunouchi line.

A small charge in a carriage or just dropped near a track could be devastating. Foreigners in the Tokyo area are a dime a dozen and identifying one who would more than likely be wearing a disguise would be quite hard I think.

I think it's been said before about the Japanese police by other expats; They couldn't find their own arse with both hands and a flashlight. Security is very lax and Tokyo would be like Disneyland for a terrorist.

Just my HO

[Exorcist_Fist]

Just fly a plane into roppongi hills. There is almost zero security at Narita.

And Jock, not all muslim terrorists are arabic, but for the record there are plenty of Arabs here in Tokyo. Its not like the Japanese government is following them all.

Judging by the current state of the police I would be surprised if they have even though of what happens outside their koban.

As for the bomb, you don't even need one. Think about what happened in Taegu a few months back in the subway fire.