WASHINGTON - United States intelligence has identified up to 15 cargo ships that are apparently being used by al Qaeda to ferry supplies and operatives around the world.
Some of the ships are being tracked by spy satellite and surveillance planes. In other cases, information is being relayed to the US by the Navies of friendly countries. A large database has also been established to monitor the movement of the ships.
"If all you do is wait for ships to come to you, you're not doing your job," said Frances Fragos-Townsend, chief of US Coastguard intelligence.
The scramble to track vessels highlights concern among Western intelligence agencies about the vulnerability of merchant shipping and maritime targets to terrorist attack.
Ever since al Qaeda suicide bombers rammed an explosives-laden boat into the side of the USS Cole as it was docked in the Yemen port of Aden, killing 17 US sailors, there have increasing signs that the terror network has identified shipping as a target.
In the past 12 months there have been warnings to ships operating off the Horn of Africa and even the Straits of Gibraltar.
The most recent attack took place last October when a French tanker was blasted by a speedboat off Yemen, causing a widespread oil spill. In addition to attacks on merchant ships, there is concern that terrorists could target cruise liners, such as the attack on the Italian cruiser Achille Lauro off Egypt in 1985.
US anti-terror efforts were boosted in November by the capture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, said to be al Qaeda's nautical mastermind.
- INDEPENDENT
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US steps up watch on al Qaeda ships
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