| 13 February 2012 | 5 Comments
 
 

Tunisian Interior Minister Ali Larayedh

Tunisian Minister of the Interior Ali Larayedh announced during the evening of February 13, that 12 Tunisian suspects from an alleged Islamic extremist group with ties to Al Qaeda have been detained. Larayedh reported that the Ministry of Interior has discovered that the group had been stockpiling cash and weapons with the aim of building an Islamic emirate in Tunisia during its ongoing investigation.

Most of the arrested suspects, who were under the age of 30, already had a record of involvement in terrorist activities, and had been released from Tunisian prisons after being granted presidential amnesty immediately following the revolution.

Many Tunisians affiliated with groups suspected of being linked to Al Qaeda were imprisoned under Tunisia’s previous anti-terror law during the regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

According to Larayedh, most of the suspects were trained in Libya during the armed revolution that overthrew former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

“Even though we cannot rule out the possibility that arms were to be transferred to another country, after our interrogations we have learned that the suspects were stockpiling arms to be used when the time was ripe to impose an Islamic Emirate on Tunisia,” said Larayedh.

Eight suspects are still at large, who are believed to be in Libya, and two were killed in skirmishes with authorities.

Larayedh also announced that Tunisian authorities confiscated 32 Kalashnikov automatic rifles, 2500 bullets, and over $60,000.

The swift arrests were possible due to the cooperation and assistance of the Tunisian public throughout the investigation, Larayedh noted.

On February 1st, Tunisian authorities killed two gunmen and arrested a third near the town of Bir Ali Ben Khalifa, in the governorate of Sfax (located in southern Tunisia), after the gunmen wounded a National Guard officer and three members of the National Army. The Tunisian border with Libya was closed for 24 hours shortly after the incident.


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  1. Discovery of a Tunisian terrorist cell – more questions than answers « A 21st Century Social Contract | 14 February 2012
  1. Ferid says:
    15 February 2012 at 08:58

    Okay, so your solution is either to eliminate islam as a religion or to change it’s scripture? That’s not very realistic, and it sounds kind of authoritarian and scary if you ask me.

    I think it’s more realistic and more constructive to support reform within islamism and support interpretation within islam.

    It’s all about interpretation. The Qur’an can be a source of empowering women or subjugating women depending on your interpretation of the text. Haven’t you heard about ‘gender jihad’? ;-)

    Reply
  2. markjuliansmith says:
    14 February 2012 at 12:05

    @ Ferid “..a new kind of islamist movement the whole world may benefit from it.”

    I do appreciate your sentiment but the trouble is with best intentions as a recent survey on support for ‘Freedom of Religion’ in Indonesia shows ‘Yes’ but only if it is my religion.

    Also if you have not noticed the ‘promise’ with an Islamic construct is ‘we will recognize Other’ to get control of the levers of power then what happens – what is happening.

    As is being pointed out by Tunisians themselves what is being said outside the Mosques by the Ennahda leaders is quite different from what is being said inside and what has been said previously.

    More importantly Foundation text precludes in the end ‘the modern, democratic and non-violent movement’ as does history.

    There can never be an ‘..islamist movement the whole world may benefit from..’ as there has never been, because of the foundation text against Other and the subjugation of women.

    There have certainly been Islamic philosophers and leaders who have tried to mollify the effect but this is a brief respite in a sea of oppression against Other – Blasphemy the key stone of genocide is only one example. Alas the foundation text, so clear in its vilification of Other, smothers their attempts because they did not change the foundation text itself.

    I wish it were different but it is not going to be. Change the foundation text against Other or as it has always been the Islamic Terror against Other continues.

    Reply
  3. markjuliansmith says:
    13 February 2012 at 21:05

    The absurdity of this act to accuse a “terrorist organisation” of ‘seeking to set up an Islamic state’ is so does the Tunisian interior Minister Ali Larayed, a senior member of Ennahda. Should he not therefore be arrested or shot in the process?

    Reply
    • Ferid says:
      13 February 2012 at 23:35

      We must give Ennahdha a fair chance to be the modern, democratic and non-violent movement they say they want to be. If Ennahda succeeds in creating a new kind of islamist movement the whole world may benefit from it.

      Don’t forget there are worse hypocrites in the world than Ennahda in the fight against terrorism. No offense, Westerners and Israelis, but it’s true.

      Reply

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