Author: Nick Fielding
Publication: The Times of India
Date: November 5, 2001
A unique manual for Islamic terrorists,
detailing every aspect of how to fight a guerrilla war, from biochemical
attacks to finding the fatal pressure point during hand-to-hand combat,
has been obtained by western intelligence agencies.
The 7,000-page guide - titled Encyclopedia
of jehad - provides an insight into how terrorists from Osama bin Laden's
Al-Qaida network operate in both urban environments and on the battlefield.
Filling 11 volumes and circulated
both in book form and on CD-Rom to terrorist instructors, it offers guidance
on how to inject frozen food with biochemical agents to create mass panic,
rig up a door lock to explode when the handle is turned, and bring down
a plane with a missile.
The encyclopedia is dedicated to
bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam, a charismatic preacher who was a formative
influence on the Saudi terrorist. It distils the experience of 10 years
of guerrilla fighting against the Russians in Afghanistan and draws on
stolen CIA and special 'services' handbooks.
The most chilling volume is the
11th, which deals with bio-terrorism, which is on a separate CD-Rom. It
explains how to disperse potentially lethal organisms and poisons, ranging
from botulism and viral infections to anthrax and training camp in Pakistan
where toxins are manufactured.
It details targets such as water
and food supplies, and advocates maximizing public panic by poisoning medicine,
thereby jeopardising treatment of the sick and injured. Sources of biological
material include a list of countries that produce anthrax and a training
camp in Pakistan where toxins are manufactured.
The encyclopedia was found in 1999
in the home of Khalil Deek when he was arrested in connection with an alleged
plot to bomb Jordan's main airport in the capital, Amman, on the eve of
the millennium.
Each of the 10 volumes of the main
encyclopedia carries a picture showing a belt-fed machinegun standing in
a window next to a copy of the Koran. One, on security and intelligence,
shows the long-term planning involved in operations, with "sleeper" cells
set up years in advance. "The mujaheed should be young, so he can start
the mission 10 years before the start of the jehad," it states.
Surveillance of potential targets
-with video cameras, still cameras and mini-microphones -is critical. They
include:
* Symbolic targets, such as the
Statue of Liberty in New York or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where attacks
would cause psychological damage but would be largely victimless;
* Key infrastructure, such as nuclear
power stations, skyscrapers, ports and train stations;
* Human targets, including stadiums
where large numbers of people congregate and, particularly in Arabic countries,
influential public figures.
The construction of booby- trapped
explosive devices that would not be out of place in a James Bond film is
explained in minute detail. One page, from the volume on explosives, shows
how to turn a packet of cigarettes into a bomb. It goes on to detail how
individual cigarettes can be primed with explosives as well as cigarette
lighters, mattresses, chairs and even chocolate bars, toothpaste tubes
and hairbrushes.
Another page shows how an envelope
can be booby-trapped with a slim lead of C4 explosive, a desk drawer sprung
to explode when it is opened, and a barbecue or fireplace prepared to set
off a hidden bomb when the fuel is lit.
A carefully drawn picture of a motorcycle
helmet shows how it can be lined with explosive, then remotely controlled
to blow up when the intended victim puts it on. One section shows how to
turn cameras into bombs. It was the method used to kill Ahmed Shah Masoud.
The encyclopedia contains instructions
on the ingredients needed to make explosives, including innocuous substances
bought from supermarkets. It begins with the basic chemical compounds and
then lays out the exact quantities to be combined. One suggestion even
includes Nescafe coffee and sugar.
Each volume is comprehensive. In
discussing timers, the section on explosives ranges from complex loop,
tremor and tilting switches to cruder versions that can be made from mousetraps,
clothes pegs or light switches.
Unlike other Islamic terrorist manuals,
previously revealed in court papers, there is little religious direction
in the encyclopedia. Everything is presented factually, almost every page
carries a diagram.
At least four of the chapters are
devoted to the military, from showing how to create an assault gun in a
field forge from metal scavenged from the battlefield to mounting an attack
on combat vehicles.
Another section covers first aid,
including how to prevent blood loss from wounds. Alongside are further
diagrams demonstrating how to kill an opponent by pinching pressure points
on the back of the neck and the windpipe.
The book outlines how bridges can
be blown up using conventional military explosives. Last week America was
put on high alert over the possibility of attacks on bridges such as the
Golden Gate in San Francisco.
Other volumes teach typography,
map reading and how to use the stars to work out your location. The importance
of propaganda and misinformation is outlined, telling operatives of plans
to "penetrate certain Arabic papers and also western ones". The aim is
to sow trouble and confusion by spreading false rumours.
The sophistication of some parts
of the manual has alarmed intelligence agencies, which have asked counter-terrorism
experts given access to the document not to discuss or release key elements,
particularly on bio-terrorism. (The Sunday Times)
