Al Qaeda in Iraq Suicide Bombing Cell Captured

From a CENTCOM press release:

Marine Regimental Combat Team 2 captured the three cell members, later identified as Muhammad ‘Abd-al-Razaq Muhammad‘ Abd-al-Tariq (aka Abu Jassim), Ali Tariq Muhammad Salih (aka Abu Husayn), and Walid ’Ali Dhiyab Muhanna, and detained them for further questioning as reported Oct. 10.

Husayn told investigators, they were traveling in a vehicle accompanying a vehicle borne improvised explosive device driven by a foreign suicide bomber named Abu Turab, a Saudi national assigned to drive his vehicle bomb into a Coalition convoy and detonate it.

The mission of the terrorists in the second vehicle was to ensure that Abu Turab carried out his attack and to videotape it. They were then to give the footage of the attack to their cell leader, who would in turn give it to the local media cell to be used as terrorist propaganda.

Abu Husayn admitted that after many hours of looking for a target, they had to stop Abu Turab to give him additional guidance on how to complete his mission. The terrorists decided to take him back to a central location in the Anah area and told Turab to follow them. It was at this point that both terrorist vehicles encountered an Iraqi security forces and Coalition checkpoint.

As the first vehicle approached the checkpoint it was stopped and its three occupants searched by Iraqi and Coalition forces. Coalition forces found a video recorder with a recording of Abu Turab’s VBIED, which was recorded earlier that morning with Turab and Abu Jassim on tape.

Immediately afterward, a vehicle resembling the car on the tape moved toward the checkpoint. The driver started to maneuver erratically and accelerated toward the checkpoint. Coalition forces used hand and arm signals to attempt to stop the vehicle. They then fired warning shots to attempt to stop the vehicle. Finally, they shot at the vehicle, attempting to disable it, and the VBIED detonated and killed the driver.

Husayn admitted he and his cell members were each given $100 for each attack they carried out. They were given the vehicle and bomb-making materials, which they took to a central assembly point the night prior. The next morning, they picked up the vehicle with the foreign suicide bomber ready to carry out his mission.

I'm reprinting this story on the off chance that our loyal, unbiased, non-partisan mainstream media completely ignores it.