It started as something of a lucky break:
A dud cell phone meant to be a detonator for a bombing in the Pakistani port of Karachi led to the recent arrests of al-Qaida suspects.
The Boston Globe, quoting Pakistani police, reports U.S. intelligence officials said the lucky break came when an 18-pound roadside bomb was found after it failed to explode. Police traced its ownership to Musaad Aruchi, thought to be the nephew of a top al-Qaida operative.
His arrest led investigators and their U.S. counterparts to al-Qaida computer operative Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, who in turn led police to Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who then led them to Abu Eisa al-Hindi in London.
Soooooooooo...
For The Want Of A cell phone, a detonator was lost.
For the want of a detonator, an IED was lost.
For the want of an IED, Musaad Aruchi was lost.
Now, let's play Six Degrees Of Sellout:
But indications from across the Atlantic are that one of four men held in Willesden, London, is Abu Eisa al-Hindi or Abu Musa al-Hindi, who uses the code-name Bilal, and is the senior al-Qaeda representative in Britain. One US official described him as "a major player who moved operational information between key components of al-Qaeda".
Who knew you could get so much out of a bum cell phone?
Posted by Chris at August 11, 2004 02:56 PM