Attack In Saudi Arabia

One can't help wondering if the killing of three Frenchmen in Saudi Arabia wasn't retribution for the arrests of 11 Al-Qaida agents in Toulouse, Ariège, Orly and Seine-et-Marne two weeks ago. An e-mail from Via-Resistancia arrived on February 14 about the arrests, giving only AP as its source. In summary it says:

Eleven persons, including four women, were arrested, mainly in Southwest France, for suspicion of being liaisons with the terrorist organization Al-Qaida.

The operation was led by SDAT (Anti-terrorism police) within the framework of a 2005 investigation by Paris prosecutors of anonymous letters threatening attacks in supermarkets in the region of Toulouse. An anonymous tip put the authorities on the track of the suspects who apparently have ties with the Salafist movement and wish to spread jihad in Iraq.

The ages of the eleven persons range from 20 to 61.

It is typical of Al-Qaida to stage sudden unexpected acts of terrorism in revenge for any act of justice against its operatives. Thus, the killing of three Frenchmen in Saudi Arabia two days ago could be an act of revenge against the apprehension of the 11 agents, though for now it is only speculation.

For those interested in reading about the murders of the three, all family men with children, the BBC has an English version while Actualité AOL has a slightly more detailed version in French.

The article from Via-Resistancia mentioned above opened with a comment about the village of Artigat in Ariège where several of the 11 suspects were arrested. It seems the villagers of this little town lost in the tranquil landscape could not get over the fact that their "charming Muslim neighbors, so quiet and so polite" were actually terrorists. According to police, the leader of the network was a venerable 61-year old Muslim, also praised by all his neighbors...