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Yoram Schweitzer
Al-Qaeda's affiliates suicide attacks
South East Asia
The regional South East Asian organization of the Jemaa Islamia started using
suicide bombers in its operations following its strengthening relationships with Al-
Qaeda. These relationships were based on personal knowledge and trust between
the senior leaders in both organizations emanated from their previous cooperation
in Afghanistan. Thus Jemma Islamiya which never before used suicide bombers
started its campaign which was financed by Al-Qaeda's money since 2001.
.The first suicide operation was intended to use 7 trucks filled with explosives
driven by suicide bombers into buildings of foreign countries and local economic
sites in Singapore but it was foiled due to intelligence information (December
2001). The second suicide attack was carried out by suicide bombers in nightclubs
in Bali on October 2002 resulted with 202 fatalities.
Europe
Al-Qaeda affiliated independent local networks carried out a chain of suicide
attacks after several attempts which they planned in the past were intercepted.
However on November 15 th 2003 two suicide attacks were carried out by a local
Turkish network against synagogues in Istanbul which caused the death of 23
people and the injuries of few hundreds. On the 20 th of November another
simultaneous suicide attacks hit British targets killing 38 and injured 500 hundred
people.
The network was established by some local Turkish operatives who went to
Afghanistan met Bin Laden and later led the attacks by their own infrastructure and
members but with Al-Qaeda financial assistance.
The next attack in Europe by an Al Qaeda affiliated network which occurred in
Madrid on March 11 th 2004 when ten explosive devices were detonated within a
short span of time in trains and train stations in the capital was not a suicide attack
191 people were killed in these attacks, and approximately 1,400 were injured.
Although the attacks against crowded trains and train stations were not performed
as suicide operations, when some of the fugitives were surrounded by the Spanish
police they chose to kill themselves with an explosives they collected in their safe
house and by that practicing the value of Istishad they were brought up to adhere.
The explosive belt that was in their possession and the rhetoric they used in their
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