Al-Qaeda targeting Middle East oil works over US: terror expert

Washington (Platts)--16Oct2006

Oil facilities in the Middle East have greater potential for terror
attacks than those in the US because Al-Qaeda terrorists have greater
sanctuary in Islamic countries, a US university professor said Monday.

While Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, have hardened
their petroleum infrastructure against terror attacks, this has not necessary
caused Al-Qaeda to waiver in their efforts against them, said Jack Williams, a
professor of law at Georgia State University in Atlanta and an advisor to the
US Homeland Security Department, in remarks at the American Petroleum
Institute's annual meeting in Washington.

Al Qaida targets "are not targets of opportunity," Williams said. "They
are well planned and they have to square with the religious authority."

Williams cited a 65-page fatwa issued in February by Abdul Aziz bin
Rashid al-Anazai, a religious cleric in Saudi Arabia, who has since been
arrested, that said Al-Qaeda has religious authority to attack pipelines,
refineries and other facilities in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, and
in non-Muslim countries, oil wells.

Al-Anazai precluded attacks against oil wells in Muslim countries,
Williams said, because in al-Anazai's words, "at this time, the cost of
attacking oil wells in Muslim lands exceeds the possible benefit."

Of 774 authenticated Al-Qaeda communiques so far received, one quarter
referenced the petroleum industry, Williams said. He said the motivation for
targeting the oil industry was to inflict harm on the economies on the Western
world and to cause them to spend money to secure their infrastructure.

--Cathy Landry, cathy_landry@platts.com

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