URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi file=/news/archive/2003/04/16/international1153EDT0581.DTL
(04-16) 08:53 PDT MILAN, Italy (AP) --
Italian anti-terrorism investigators say they found a Syrian connection with an Iraqi-based Islamic extremist group suspected of shuttling recruits and money between Europe and the Middle East.
The investigation, which led to the arrests of six people in northern Italy two weeks ago, comes as scrutiny of Syria's alleged ties to terrorism has increased. The probe is headed by prosecutor Stefano Dambruoso, who has won key convictions against al-Qaida suspects arrested in Italy.
The six men arrested in Italy's latest sweep -- an Egyptian, a Somali, two Tunisians and two Iraqi Kurds -- are suspected of links to the extremist Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, which was based in northern Iraq before the war.
U.S. officials believe Ansar al-Islam is linked to al-Qaida, and American special forces, together with Kurdish fighters, destroyed one of the group's bases early in the Iraq war.
The alleged Syrian connection to the men was traced by wiretapped conversations among the suspects in Italy in February and March, according to an investigative report disclosed to The Associated Press.
In one call, the alleged Italian terror cell spoke with a man identified as Sheik Abderazak, believed to be at a camp outside Damascus, Syria's capital, who told them to provide false documents for recruits, an investigator said.
Italian authorities do not allege any official Syrian involvement with the group.
The spotlight has been on Syria since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in neighboring Iraq. The Bush administration has accused Syria of harboring remnants of Saddam's regime, supporting terrorism and possessing chemical weapons.
The Syrian government denies the allegations, and it is known to have cooperated with the U.S. crackdown on al-Qaida since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The six men arrested in raids in Milan, Parma and Cremona were charged with membership in an international terrorist group, forging documents and aiding illegal immigration.
Italian investigators, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had no indication the group was planning an attack in Italy. They were instead suspected of helping militants pass into European countries such as Britain and Germany or to reach northern Iraq.
Dambruoso has said investigations in Italy and elsewhere in Europe had effectively smashed the structure of al-Qaida on this continent, but more loosely connected organizations have attracted recruits from among a large pool of Muslims living on the fringes of society in Europe.
The Italian investigation led in the spring of 2001 to the arrest of Essid Sami Ben Khemais, a Tunisian who investigators believe was sent from Afghanistan to supervise Osama bin Laden's logistical operations in Europe.
He received a maximum sentence of five years in prison under a relatively lenient law in place before Sept. 11. Italy's international terrorism statute now allows for heavy sentences.
©2003 Associated Press