Search the Internet          Tips  Links: Terror in America

Jihad manual outlines war tactics, bio attacks

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 Encyclopaedia of Jihad, a 7,000-page guide, provides an insight into how terrorists from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network operate.

Filling 11 volumes and circulated both in the form of a book and on CD-Rom to terrorist instructors, it offers guidance on how to inject frozen food with biochemical agents to create mass panic, rig a door lock to explode when the handle is turned, and bring down a plane with a missile.

"This is an amazing document," said Roland Jacquard, head of the World Terrorism Observatory in Paris. "It gives us a very clear idea of what we are up against."

The encyclopaedia -- extracts of which have been obtained by The Sunday Times -- is dedicated to Laden and his spiritual mentor Abdullah Azzam.

It distils the experience of 10 years of guerrilla fighting against the Russians in Afghanistan and draws on stolen Central Intelligence Agency and special services' handbooks.

The most chilling volume is the 11th, which deals with bio-terrorism.

It explains how to disperse potentially lethal organisms and poisons, ranging from botulism and viral infections to anthrax and ricin, the highly toxic chemical used on the tip of an umbrella by a Bulgarian secret service agent to kill the dissident Georgy Markov in London in 1978.

It details targets such as water and food supplies, and advocates maximising 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 encyclopaedia 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.

A university educated computer expert, Deek, who was born in an Israeli-occupied territory, had spent two years in Peshawar. He told people that he was compiling a CD-Rom on the writings of a well-known Muslim preacher.

Though he denied being part of the Al-Qaeda network, he shared a bank account with Abu Zubaydah, often described as Laden's chief of staff.

Despite his connections, Deek was released by the Jordanian authorities in May this year after 17 months in prison.

PTI

America's War on Terror: The Complete Coverage
The Attack on US Cities: The Complete Coverage

The Terrorism Weblog: Latest Stories from Around the World

External Link:
For further coverage, please visit www.saja.org/roundupsept11.html

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report