Somali Groups Plan to Attack US During World Cup 2010

Al Qaeda groups in East Africa are believed to have a plan to attack American interests at next year’s FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa. Newspapers here say they might even try assassinating US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama at the opening ceremony.

The Citizen newspaper says there was a ”credible threat” to attack American government agencies in South Africa last month and that Al-Qaeda’s East African proxy organisations aimed to strike at America during the World Cup.

The Sunday Tribune, meanwhile, says Al Qaeda-linked groups in East Africa are turning to US targets in South Africa. The newspaper quoted an unnamed intelligence source stating that intercepted phone calls to the US Embassy in Pretoria last month came from Cape Town. The newspaper added that the source revealed:

"What has been established is that the Cape guys are linked to Al-Qaeda cells in Somalia, who are connected to the group in Afghanistan. We have established that most Al-Qaeda operatives are relocating from Afghanistan to Pakistan, attracted by increased lawlessness in Pakistan.”

The source added: "Our information is that there is a trail that links Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and, most interestingly, Mozambique, where Somalis have formed an anti-US cell already.

Mozambique lies on the South East African coast between South Africa and Kenya, and can easily be linked to Somalia. There are also thousands of Somali refugees living in South Africa.

"The interception revealed that these people plan to move en masse from Mozambique to here (South Africa) in 2010 to attack American interests. Their point is that South Africa is not a target, but if South Africans are caught in the crossfire, then that would be unfortunate.”

Neither the US Embassy, nor South African intelligence officials would comment.