THE attack on the US embassy in Damascus last month was planned in Saudi Arabia and the four Syrians who carried it out had no links to al Qaeda, a Syrian investigation has said. Three of the four assailants, 31-year-old Abdel Raouf Saleh, Bilal Saleh, 25, and Samir Saleh, also 25, were close relatives who followed the teachings of a preacher in Saudi Arabia where they had worked, the Interior Ministry report has said.
They started preparing for the operation in 2004, according to the report. "An investigation into the attack has been concluded. The group planned to blow an embassy door, storm the compound and kill whoever was inside. It had no links with extremist organisations outside Syria," the report has said. "They attended lessons by a Saudi man of religion. Their extremism deepened due to the political situation shaking the region and US bias toward Israel."
The report has said the group "had planned to broadcast a video statement after the operation in the name of Abu Musab Zarqawi Brigade, although they had no link to al Qaeda". It has said they were inspired by Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq who was killed in a US air strike in June. Syrian security forces killed the four men who attacked the embassy on September 12, in a gun battle that lasted about 30 minutes. A Syrian guard and a Syrian bystander were also killed. Twelve people were wounded. No Americans were hurt. |