Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Iran

Iranian Official Says Al-Qaeda Leader On The Loose

16 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Iran's intelligence minister said today his country has broken up an Al-Qaeda cell that was active in the country, but that an Al-Qaeda leader has escaped and is at large.

TEXT SIZE - +

July 16, 2005

Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi said Iranian intelligence services prevented attempts by the Al-Qaeda cell to launch attacks in the country.

Younesi said an Al-Qaeda leader he named as Abdul Malek is on the run somewhere inside Iran.

Younesi connected Malek to a group of fighters from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network who are working with drug smugglers in eastern Iran.

He also said Iran has detained, jailed, or expelled 3,000 suspected Al-Qaeda members.

Younesi did not say when these detentions, jailings, and expulsions took place, or give any names or nationalities of those involved.

(Reuters)

See also:

Karzai Says Bin Laden Not In Afghanistan

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (center) looks on as scientists unveil a fuel rod at the Tehran Research Reactor.

Iranian Nuke Still One-To-Three Years Away, Says Expert

Iran on announced on February 15 that it has installed its first domestically produced nuclear fuel rods in a reactor in Tehran. Tehran also announced that it activated a new generation of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. RFE/RL spoke with nuclear physicist Frank Barnaby about what the advances reveal regarding Iran's uranium enrichment abilities, which Western countries allege are aimed at secretly building a nuclear weapon. More

Iran has stepped up its pressure on activists using the Internet

Iranian Activists, Journalists Receive Threatening E-mails

A number of Iranian activists and journalists based inside and outside the country have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda they have been threatened in anonymous e-mails. More

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More