DATE=        OCTOBER 4, 1998
TYPE=        EDITORIAL
NUMBER=      0-07990
TITLE=       EDITORIAL: CRACKING   BIN  LADEN'S TERROR NETWORK

CONTENT=THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED FOR BROADCAST 
OCTOBER 4, 1998.

ANNCR:
THE VOICE OF AMERICA PRESENTS DIFFERING POINTS OF VIEW ON A WIDE 
VARIETY OF ISSUES.  NEXT, AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

VOICE:

    THE U.S., IN COOPERATION WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER COUNTRIES, IS
CRACKING DOWN ON THE AL-QAIDA TERRORIST NETWORK.  AL-QAIDA WAS 
FOUNDED BY OSAMA BIN LADEN, ONE OF THE CHIEF INDIVIDUAL SPONSORS 
OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISTS.  AL-QAIDA HAS TRAINED TERRORISTS 
FROM AFGHANISTAN, TAJIKISTAN, BOSNIA, CHECHNYA, SOMALIA, SUDAN, 
YEMEN, EGYPT, LIBYA, ERITREA AND THE PHILIPPINES.

    OSAMA BIN LADIN, THE SON OF A SAUDI CONSTRUCTION MAGNATE, HAS
BEEN DISOWNED BY HIS FAMILY AND HAS LOST HIS SAUDI CITIZENSHIP.  
HE MOVED TO SUDAN IN 1991, BUT INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE FORCED HIS 
MOVE TO AFGHANISTAN IN 1996.  HE HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR 
BOMBING ATTEMPTS AGAINST U.S. PERSONNEL IN YEMEN IN 1992 AND 
ATTACKS IN SOMALIA IN 1993.  HIS ORGANIZATION IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
AIDED IN THE 1995 ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST EGYPTIAN 
PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK IN ETHIOPIA.  BIN LADEN OPERATIVES ARE 
NOW BEING SOUGHT IN CONNECTION WITH SAVAGE BOMB ATTACKS ON THE 
U.S. EMBASSIES IN NAIROBI, KENYA, AND DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA, ON
AUGUST 7TH.

    IN RECENT WEEKS, COORDINATED INTERNATIONAL COUNTERTERRORIST 
EFFORTS HAVE RESULTED IN THE ARREST OF SEVEN SUSPECTED BIN LADEN 
AGENTS IN BRITAIN, EIGHTEEN IN UGANDA, AND ONE IN GERMANY.  THE 
U.S. HAS ARRESTED TWO SUSPECTS, MOHAMMED SADDIQ ODEH AND MOHAMED 
RASHED DAOUD, IN CONNECTION WITH THE AFRICAN EMBASSY BOMBINGS.  A
WARRANT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ARREST OF A THIRD SUSPECT, HAROUN
FAZIL.  WADIH EL HAGE, ANOTHER BIN LADEN OPERATIVE, WAS RECENTLY 
CHARGED WITH PERJURY CONCERNING HIS ACTIVITIES WITH THE BIN LADEN
NETWORK.  HE IS NOW IN JAIL.  ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, A FEDERAL GRAND 
JURY INDICTED A SENIOR DEPUTY OF BIN LADEN, MAMDOUH MAGMUD SALIM,
ON CONSPIRACY TO MURDER AND TO OBTAIN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR THE 
TERRORIST GROUP.

    OSAMA BIN LADEN'S TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IS A THREAT NOT ONLY
TO AMERICANS BUT TO THE PEOPLE OF MANY NATIONS.  THE U.S. WILL 
NOT REST UNTIL ALL THE PERPETRATORS OF THE KENYA AND TANZANIA 
BOMBINGS AND OTHER ACTS OF TERRORISM AGAINST U.S. CITIZENS ARE 
BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

ANNCR:

    THAT WAS AN EDITORIAL EXPRESSING THE POLICIES OF THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT.  IF YOU HAVE A COMMENT, PLEASE WRITE TO EDITORIALS, 
V-O-A, WASHINGTON, D-C, 20547, U-S-A.  YOU MAY ALSO COMMENT AT 
WWW-DOT-VOA-DOT-GOV-SLASH-EDITORIALS, OR  FAX US AT (202) 
619-1043.  

02-Oct-98 11:56 AM EDT (1556 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.