Radical Islam in Latin America Dan Murdough PSC NOV 07

Overview  Muslim Demographics in Latin American countries  Islam’s Footprint in Latin America  March 1992: Bombing of Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires  July 1994: Attack against the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires  Tri-Border Activity: Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil  Margarita Island  What outside sources are responsible for this activity in Latin America?

Muslim Demographics in Latin America  Latin America Pop:500 Million  Muslims~ Six Million  Most active countries:  Brazil:1.5 Million (1%)  Argentina:700,000 (2%)

Islam’s Footprint in Latin America  Islamic influence in Latin America has grown significantly since the end of the 20 th Century  1989: Argentina’s President Carlos Manem was originally Muslim before converting to Catholicism  Large Amounts of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants in the region  Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA) based in Buenos Aires  King Fahd Cultural Center in Buenos Aires  IOLA sends thousands of Latin American Muslims to the Hajj every year

March 1992: Bombing of Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires  Carried out by ‘Islamic Jihad’ a sect of Hezbollah  Terrorist drove a pick up truck filled with explosives into the embassy  Killed 29, injured 242, most were Argentine Civilians  At the time it was Argentina’s worst act of terror  Worst attack on Israeli diplomacy outside of Israel

July 1994: Attack against the Argentine- Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires  Worst act of terror in Argentina’s history  Killed 85, injured over 300  Van filled with ammonium nitrate explosives drove through the front gates of the AIMA building  Hezbollah is believed to be responsible under directives from Iran  In Lebanon a group called Ansar Allah claimed responsibility for the attack  Case has been plagued by corruption and lack of a proper investigation including cover ups

Tri-Border Activity: Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil  Seen as a haven for terrorist activity  Almost all terrorist activity that has taken place in South America went through here  Groups: Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad  This area is believed to be funding terrorist organizations  Paraguay is especially dangerous as it has no particular laws on terrorist groups or funding terror

Tri-Border Activity (cont’d)  March 22-23, 2000: A former Iranian intelligence officer testifies at the Argentine Embassy in Mexico and accuses former Argentine president, Carlos Menem, of accepting a bribe of $10 million to conceal Iran’s implications in the AMIA bombing in April 2001: CIA says that al-Qaeda allegedly plans two attacks against U.S. embassies in Quito, Ecuador, and Montevideo, Uruguay. The attacks have not taken place to date. September 19-20: Former Brazilian drug czar Walter Maierovitch alleges that Osama bin Laden is setting up an al-Qaeda cell in the tri-border region. April 18, 2002: Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage speaks to the House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee stating that the U.S. government suspects that al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are operating near Ecuador’s borders with Colombia and Peru. May 21, 2002: The U.S. Department of State annual report on terrorism indicates that intelligence and security organizations have not detected the presence of al- Qai’da, but have found groups linked to Hizballah and the Hamas in the tri-border area. May 24, 2002: Cairo’s Al-Qanat newspaper alleges that the U.S. Army has formed a special commando unit to attack Hezbollah facilities in the region. Late : Using information uncovered in Afghanistan, U.S. intelligence identifies a group of Middle Eastern men in South America suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden.

Margarita Island  No Jimmy Buffet  Has a big Arab and Muslim community  Has been cited by the U.S State Department as a possible terrorist base  It is a free trade zone so flow of money can happen very easily  Could be facilitating illegal drug/weapon sales  Has received a lot of attention in Washington because of the tension between Bush and Chavez

Radical Islam in Latin America  A lot of investigations recently have cited Iran as a major contributor  Argentina’s Jewish pop: 200’000 and also has a strong relationship with Israel  This has made it a target for major terrorist acts  Hezbollah seen as a big contributor under Iran’s directive  Al-Qaeda has been seen as secondary to Hezbollah’s presence  Paraguay’s lawlessness toward terrorism could prove to be a major problem in the future

References  Radical Islam in Latin America d= d=  Understanding Islam and Its’ Impact on Latin America  onnell.pdf onnell.pdf onnell.pdf  Latin America: Terrorism Issues  nAmericaTerrorism.pdf nAmericaTerrorism.pdf nAmericaTerrorism.pdf  Islamist Terrorist Threat in the Tri-Border Region   CNN.com: South America's 'tri-border' back on terrorism radar November 8, 2002  /07/terror.triborder/ /07/terror.triborder/ /07/terror.triborder/

Questions?