Radical Islam in Latin America

1. Radical Islam in Latin America Dan Murdough PSC 336 29 NOV 07

2. Overview • Muslim Demographics in Latin American countries • Islam’s Footprint in Latin America • March 1992: Bombing of Israeli Embassy 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?

3. 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%)

4. Islam’s Footprint in Latin America • Islamic influence in Latin America has grown significantly since the end of the 20th 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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 1994.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 2001-2002: 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. References • Radical Islam in Latin America http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369844 • Understanding Islam and Its’ Impact on Latin America • https://research.maxwell.af.mil/papers/ay2004/affellows/Connell.pdf • Latin America: Terrorism Issues • http://leahy.senate.gov/issues/foreign%20policy/PDFS/LatinAmericaTerrorism.pdf • Islamist Terrorist Threat in the Tri-Border Region • http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_16a.html • CNN.com: South America's 'tri-border' back on terrorism radar November 8, 2002 • http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/11/07/terror.triborder/

12. Questions?