Terrorist plotted attacks on US and Israel embassies

Jerusalem Post:

Philippine authorities have arrested three Middle Eastern terrorists suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the Israeli and US embassies in Manila, officials said Thursday.

"There is a high probability that they are involved in some kind of plan to sow trouble," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters on the sidelines of an annual anti-terrorism and business security conference. All are Middle Eastern nationals, he said.

One of the suspects was arrested in Manila and the two others were separately captured in the southern Philippines recently.

Ermita refused to provide details, but two senior Filipino security officials told The Associated Press that investigators were verifying intelligence information that the three may have been involved in an active plot to bomb the US, British, Australian and Israeli embassies in Manila.

Authorities believe the three may have links with the Indonesia-based terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent southern Philippine-based group blacklisted by Washington.

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Funding for the plot has been secured, indicating that the planned attack against any of the embassies may already be in an advanced stage, one of the security officials said, adding that all the embassies concerned have been notified.

At least one of the three identified himself as Jordanian, but investigators were trying to verify their identities. One was arrested at a Manila airport on February 15 and follow-up operations were under way, he said.

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The story does not indicate the source of the funding for the attacks. With the three in custody that may eventually be revealed as authorities try to run down all leads. The number of failed plots is starting to greatly exceed the successful ones. Eventually this attrition should take a toll on the morale of the Islamic terrorist. Maybe they may even come to the conclusion that God does not want mass murder done in his name.