(Washington Post)David Ignatius - In November 2003, at the very time that top Libyan officials were negotiating with U.S. and British diplomats the details of a supposed renunciation of terrorism, Libyan operatives were recruiting a hit team to kill Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and destabilize the oil-rich kingdom. After U.S. Muslim leader Abdurahman Alamoudi pleaded guilty July 30 to violating U.S. sanctions against Libya and other crimes, as part of his plea bargain, Alamoudi provided a "statement of facts" that detailed how he had traveled to Libya in the spring of 2003 and met a "high-ranking Libyan government official," identified by sources familiar with the case as Gaddafi, who directed Alamoudi to tell a Saudi dissident in London "to arrange the assassination of Crown Prince Abdullah." Alamoudi reported back to Gaddafi in September 2003 "that he had delivered the message." About 15 alleged conspirators have been arrested by the Saudis, including six Libyans and about nine Saudi jihadists, who planned to kill Abdullah at a public event or during a motorcade. To finance the plot, Libyan intelligence operatives brought $1.2 million to Mecca in November 2003. The Libyans had already wired $1 million for the conspirators to an account in the kingdom that Saudi officials were monitoring because they suspected it was used by al-Qaeda.
2004-10-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive