East, Central Africa on terror alert

 

Security agencies have warned of a terror threat in the East and Central African region as the month of May ends.

 

According to reliable security analysts in the Central African region, there is heightened threat of a terror attack in the region planned by several terror groups, in retaliation for the killing of their leader Osama bin Laden.

 

The groups include Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Boko Haram, Qods, al-Shabaab, targeting Western interests, especially tourist sites, airports and hotels.

 

“It is believed this could coincide with the first anniversary of the death of Bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, which falls about this time,” sources said.

 

According to the source, one of the key terrorists has been identified as Jose Mario Saladin, a suspected international terrorist and explosives expert.

 

“There are co-ordinated efforts by regional security services and police to locate and apprehend these terrorists, uncover their local networks and weapon caches,” sources said.

 

As a result, they added, there is heightened security alertness near most airports, hotels and tourist sites in several African countries. 

 

Meanwhile, the US Senate has expressed outrage over Pakistan’s conviction of a doctor Shakil Afridi who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, voting to cut aid to Islamabad by $33 million — $1 million for every year of the physician’s 33-year sentence for high treason.

 

The doctor ran a vaccination programme for the CIA to collect DNA and verify bin Laden’s presence at the compound in Abbottabad where US commandos found and killed the al-Qaida leader on May 2, 2011.