Saudis warned France of another terrorist plot

Aden: In mid-October, several days before authorities intercepted two bombs planted on cargo airliners bound for the US, Saudi Arabian intelligence officials tipped off their French counterparts about another terrorist plot.

An Al Qaida affiliate dispatched a cell of North Africans, who crossed the Mediterranean by boat, to carry out an attack in France, according to an Arab intelligence official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was the latest in a rash of far-flung strikes planned by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemen-based group that operated in relative obscurity for years but more recently has demonstrated an ability for attacks worldwide.

French officials quietly broke up the plot and have not released details about the intended target or the number of suspects involved.

Cargo plot

The operation largely has been overlooked since US, European and Saudi investigators turned their attention to the cargo plot at the end of October, when Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula concealed two powerful bombs in printer cartridges.

Yet the involvement of North Africans in the French plot — which has not been previously reported — marked the first known instance in which Al Qaida's Yemeni arm has partnered with foot soldiers from North Africa.

Counterterrorism officials described it as another sign that the Yemeni chapter has boosted its ambitions and sophistication by drawing on a pool of international recruits.

Bomb skills

The new members come from North America, South Asia, North Africa and Europe and are lending their skills in critical areas, from making bombs to designing propaganda.

About 18 months ago, the group had sent an emissary to North Africa, where he met with leaders of the local affiliate there, known as Al Qaida, according to Major General Abdul Jaber Azzaoui, the director of intelligence and counter-terrorism operations for Morocco.

"He came to try to build a relationship," Azzaoui said in an interview.

It didn't go down well; the Yemeni agent was found out decapitated in Algeria.

"They didn't like anybody besides Al Qaida in Afghanistan," Azzaoui said of the North African group.

Other counter-terrorism officials, however, said that the Yemeni faction has continued to try to build contacts in North Africa because of its proximity to Europe, an effort that eventually culminated in the plot to attack France in October.

French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux confirmed on October 17 that Saudi intelligence officials had sent an urgent warning that "Al Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula was certainly active, or expecting to be active, in Europe, especially France."

He told French television: "The threat is real." The precise number of foreign recruits active in Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is unknown, but officials said it is clearly increasing.