lennart
28-06-03, 14:28
'Al-Qaeda' arrests spark Malawi riot
Police in the Malawi city of Blantyre have fired tear gas at Muslims protesting against the arrest and deportation of five suspected al-Qaeda members.
The Muslims, coming from Jumm'ah, or obligatory Friday prayers, chanted slogans against the government and their own association, the Muslim Association of Malawi (Mam).
They accused the government of losing sovereignty by secretly handing the suspects over to American CIA agents, despite a High Court ruling ordering the government to charge or release the men.
They also accused their association of failing to protect fellow Muslims, despite the fact that Muslims hold powerful positions in Malawi.
President Bakili Muluzi, Inspector General of Police Joseph Aironi and Director of Public Prosecutions Fahad Assani are all Muslims.
Offices attacked
Violence erupted when, after the 200-strong demonstration was broken up by police, the protesters regrouped and descended on the Mam offices.
The association's public relations officer, Saiti Jambo, told BBC News Online that irate Muslims demanded to see the association chairman, Sheik Omar Wochi.
"But Sheik Wochi was not in the office and this angered them," Mr Jambo said. "We watched helplessly as they decided to vent their anger on the offices."
All window panes in the office were smashed, while furniture, stationery and computers were burnt.
Two cars, parked outside, were also vandalised, as were two motorcycles that were burnt to ashes.
A small mosque within the office building, used by workers who cannot find time to attend prayers, was also vandalised.
Caught by surprise
Smoke was still smouldering from the motorbikes and office papers almost two hours after they were torched.
Workers at the offices looked on, helpless.
Police officers at the scene said two people were arrested.
Mr Jambo said nobody was hurt during the violence. He confirmed that the arson attack was carried out by fellow Muslims.
"Perhaps we were not hurt because we did not challenge them," he said.
Mam's secretary-general, Muslim scholar Ronald Mangani, said the association has been taken by surprise by the turn of events.
He said as far as he was concerned the association had done all it could to intercede on behalf of the arrested Muslims.
"We are shattered at what's happening," he said.
Mr Mangani, a lecturer at the University of Malawi, said he knew almost all those involved in the violence and would meet them to find out what the motive for the attack was.
'Watch list'
The five suspected al-Qaeda members - two Turks, a Kenyan, a Saudi and a Sudanese - were arrested last weekend in a joint American CIA and Malawi National Intelligence Bureau operation.
Despite an injunction blocking the deportation, Malawi authorities handed the suspects over to the Americans, who spirited them away on a chartered Air Malawi flight on Monday night to an American army camp in Botswana.
American officials have not yet commented on the al-Qaeda suspects.
Intelligence sources say the five Muslims - who were running charitable organisations in Malawi - have been on the CIA watch list on suspicion that they were using their charitable organisations to funnel money to fund al-Qaeda terrorist operations in Africa and beyond.
The current whereabouts of the five is not known.
But lawyer Shabir Latif, who is leading a five-man team defending the suspects, told the High Court in Blantyre that the Americans wanted to take them to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where suspected al-Qaeda members are held
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3027768.stm
Police in the Malawi city of Blantyre have fired tear gas at Muslims protesting against the arrest and deportation of five suspected al-Qaeda members.
The Muslims, coming from Jumm'ah, or obligatory Friday prayers, chanted slogans against the government and their own association, the Muslim Association of Malawi (Mam).
They accused the government of losing sovereignty by secretly handing the suspects over to American CIA agents, despite a High Court ruling ordering the government to charge or release the men.
They also accused their association of failing to protect fellow Muslims, despite the fact that Muslims hold powerful positions in Malawi.
President Bakili Muluzi, Inspector General of Police Joseph Aironi and Director of Public Prosecutions Fahad Assani are all Muslims.
Offices attacked
Violence erupted when, after the 200-strong demonstration was broken up by police, the protesters regrouped and descended on the Mam offices.
The association's public relations officer, Saiti Jambo, told BBC News Online that irate Muslims demanded to see the association chairman, Sheik Omar Wochi.
"But Sheik Wochi was not in the office and this angered them," Mr Jambo said. "We watched helplessly as they decided to vent their anger on the offices."
All window panes in the office were smashed, while furniture, stationery and computers were burnt.
Two cars, parked outside, were also vandalised, as were two motorcycles that were burnt to ashes.
A small mosque within the office building, used by workers who cannot find time to attend prayers, was also vandalised.
Caught by surprise
Smoke was still smouldering from the motorbikes and office papers almost two hours after they were torched.
Workers at the offices looked on, helpless.
Police officers at the scene said two people were arrested.
Mr Jambo said nobody was hurt during the violence. He confirmed that the arson attack was carried out by fellow Muslims.
"Perhaps we were not hurt because we did not challenge them," he said.
Mam's secretary-general, Muslim scholar Ronald Mangani, said the association has been taken by surprise by the turn of events.
He said as far as he was concerned the association had done all it could to intercede on behalf of the arrested Muslims.
"We are shattered at what's happening," he said.
Mr Mangani, a lecturer at the University of Malawi, said he knew almost all those involved in the violence and would meet them to find out what the motive for the attack was.
'Watch list'
The five suspected al-Qaeda members - two Turks, a Kenyan, a Saudi and a Sudanese - were arrested last weekend in a joint American CIA and Malawi National Intelligence Bureau operation.
Despite an injunction blocking the deportation, Malawi authorities handed the suspects over to the Americans, who spirited them away on a chartered Air Malawi flight on Monday night to an American army camp in Botswana.
American officials have not yet commented on the al-Qaeda suspects.
Intelligence sources say the five Muslims - who were running charitable organisations in Malawi - have been on the CIA watch list on suspicion that they were using their charitable organisations to funnel money to fund al-Qaeda terrorist operations in Africa and beyond.
The current whereabouts of the five is not known.
But lawyer Shabir Latif, who is leading a five-man team defending the suspects, told the High Court in Blantyre that the Americans wanted to take them to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where suspected al-Qaeda members are held
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3027768.stm