June 27,
2008: In the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
the British and American embassies have warned their citizens there that that
Al Qaeda is believed to be targeting the UAE (and to behave accordingly). The terrorists say that the UAE has been too
close to the West. Some interpret this as al Qaeda being so beaten that they
are seeking a soft target. But the UAE has been on the terrorist target list
since 2001, when the emirates allowed USAF aircraft to operate out of air ports
there. The current al Qaeda threats are more likely related to the crack down
on fund raising for "Islamic Charities" in the UAE. The U.S. has been
pressuring UAE banks, and others in the region, to stop tolerating customers
that move terrorist money around. Apparently the new rules are working, and it's
hurting. So al Qaeda is looking to scare the UAE back into line. That won't be
easy, as security has been getting tighter since September 11, 2001, and
especially since the U.S. went into Iraq in 2003. Al Qaeda is not very popular
in the emirates, and terrorists that show up, tend to get spotted and turned in
quickly. But not instantly, and if al Qaeda throws enough people into the UAE, something
might work.
