Documents: Dubai Threatened by Extremists

Documents: Dubai Threatened by Extremists

By SALLY BUZBEE, Associated Press Writer
Thu Mar 16, 4:11 PM ET

CAIRO, Egypt - An Islamic extremist group warned Dubai and other sheikdoms of the United Arab Emirates that it would attack the crucial tourism industry if authorities persisted in arresting militants wanted by the West.

The threat, contained in a letter dated 2002 and newly declassified by the U.S. military, shows the intimidation Arab countries face if they cooperate with the West. The letter came the same year the Emirates turned over to the United States a suspected mastermind of the deadly bombing of the USS Cole.

The UAE has kept making arrests, including the detention and handover to Pakistan in 2004 of a Pakistani suspect who allegedly trained thousands of al-Qaida fighters.

However, the issue of whether the country does enough to fight terrorism was at the center of a dispute in the United States over a Dubai company's plans — since abandoned — to run U.S. ports.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060316/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arabs_al_qaida_threat