- News>
- World
Hambali was targeting embassies, planes, tourist spots
Bangkok, Sept 21: Alleged terror chief Hambali has admitted planning to bomb embassies and use missiles to attack commercial airliners in Bangkok, said a Thai security official involved in his August arrest.
Bangkok, Sept 21: Alleged terror chief Hambali has admitted planning to bomb embassies and use missiles to attack commercial airliners in Bangkok, said a Thai security official involved in his August arrest.
"During interrogation, Hambali admitted that he was
preparing to bomb (backpacker area) Khao San road, and the
embassies of the United States, Israel and Japan," the source
said, adding that he had already scouted the sites.
"He was also planning to use missiles to attack planes at Bangkok international airport," the source told, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source said the attacks were not necessarily timed for the October 20-21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, when 21 leaders including US President George W Bush will converge on the Thai capital.
"He said that the planned attacks could have been executed as soon as he was ready, not necessarily during the APEC summit," he said, referring to reports the attacks were planned to disrupt the meeting.
Asia's most wanted man was arrested in Thailand on August 11 during a raid on his modest rented apartment in the central town of Ayutthaya.
Hambali is believed to be the Asian Pointman for the al-Qaeda group which is blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States, and the operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian terror network accused of carrying out last October's Bali bombings and a string of other attacks.
Bureau Report
"He was also planning to use missiles to attack planes at Bangkok international airport," the source told, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source said the attacks were not necessarily timed for the October 20-21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, when 21 leaders including US President George W Bush will converge on the Thai capital.
"He said that the planned attacks could have been executed as soon as he was ready, not necessarily during the APEC summit," he said, referring to reports the attacks were planned to disrupt the meeting.
Asia's most wanted man was arrested in Thailand on August 11 during a raid on his modest rented apartment in the central town of Ayutthaya.
Hambali is believed to be the Asian Pointman for the al-Qaeda group which is blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States, and the operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian terror network accused of carrying out last October's Bali bombings and a string of other attacks.
Bureau Report