IRAQI “sleeper cells” in the Philippines were discovered as a result of intense surveillance that led to the arrest of 11 Iraqis suspected of links to terror groups, immigration officials said. The arrest came after intelligence reports confirmed that “terrorist groups sympathetic to the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein were planning attacks against several American targets in the country in retaliation for the US-led war against Iraq,” Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo said. Immigration anti-terrorism officer Winnie Quidato said the Iraqis were arrested after intense surveillance, leading to the discovery of an alleged network of Iraqi “sleeper cells” in the country. The United States had warned the Philippines that Iraqi militants in this country could launch attacks on US interests when Washington moved to oust Saddam. “A typical sleeper cell usually involves people living an ordinary life and remaining on the sidelines but with a mission to do something based on a given timetable,” Quidato told Agence France-Presse. “We already have pieces of evidence against them but we are still digging deeper into this,” he said. Full Story
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