[International Institute for Counter-Terrorism-IDC Herzliya] According to a 2002 report released by the Library of Congress, radical Islam has become prominent throughout the Latin American region, and Venezuela, specifically Margarita Island, has become a focal point for the Arab population. However, under the government of President Hugo Chavez, Hizbullah has begun to pose an even larger threat to the Western world. Hizbullah is prominent in the small village of Maicao on the Columbia-Venezuela border in the Guajira peninsula. There, Islamics control 70 percent of commerce. Venezuela's Margarita Island is another popular tourist spot for orthodox Islamics. Eighty percent of businesses on Margarita Island are owned by the Arab population and the island is reported to be the center of a "terrorist financial network." In 2003, an analyst visiting the island described it as a "'fortress' with armed guards outside."
2008-08-22 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive