A8


The World


9 suspects reportedly found inspiration on Yemen-based Web site


BY KARLA ADAM AND EDWARD CODY


london—Ninemen arrested in Britain on terrorism charges last week found inspiration and bombmaking instructions in an English-language Internetmaga- zine published by the group al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, British investigators reportedly said. The revelation, relayed by Brit-


ish newspapers, provided the first purported link between the nine British-based suspects, some of Bangladeshi origin, and an anti-Western terrorism cam- paign being waged by Yemen- based jihadists of Yemeni, Saudi, U.S. and other nationalities un- der the aegis of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. With the founding al-Qaeda


leadership inPakistanunder con- stant U.S. pressure, the Yemen- basedgroupinrecentmonthshas become themost active branch of al-Qaeda, launching attacks on Western targets. In response, the United States has deployed drones to conduct surveillance in Yemen and has launched cruise missile attacks in remote areas in repeated attempts to kill the


EZ SU


KLMNO An al-Qaeda link in British terrorismcase?


group’s leaders. Despite the assaults, the


group’s outreach magazine, In- spire, published a first issue in July, including the article “Mak- ing a bomb in the kitchen of your mom,” and has come outwith two issues since then. All three were written in easily accessible Eng- lish, as opposed to the heavily theological Arabic-language screeds of other jihadist sites, according to Mathieu Guidere, a terrorism specialist who teaches at the University of Geneva and concentrates on monitoring Isla- mistWeb sites. A statement issuedMonday by


British police said that between Oct. 1 and Dec. 20, the day of the arrests, the nine suspects were “researching, discussing, carry- ing out reconnaissance on, and agreeing potential targets” for a terrorist bombing as well as “ig- niting and testing incendiaryma- terial.” A State Department offi- cial in Washington said the U.S. Embassy in London was among the targets under discussion. In a series of coordinated raids


in three cities that appeared to be based on precise information, British police arrested 12 men in the early-morning hours. They later released three and kept nine in custody, charging them Mon- day with preparing to carry out the bombings. Authorities are scheduled to bring the nine to court Jan. 14 to seek an order to have thembrought up for trial.


The arrests on charges of Isla-


mist-inspired terrorism came as Italy confronted a spurt of home- grown bombings attributed to European anarchist under- grounds. A false alert was report- edWednesday at the U.S. Embas- sy to the Vatican. Two men were injured Dec. 23 when letter bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome. Danish and Swedish authori-


ties, meanwhile, announced that they had arrested five Muslim suspectsWednesdaywho alleged- ly were planning to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Pos- ten. It has been the target of extremists since it published car- toons of the prophetMuhammad in 2005 that were considered offensive bymanyMuslims. Guidere said the fact that Ban-


gladeshis in Britain, likely more familiar with English than Ara- bic, were consulting Inspire was “proof that themagazine works.” The second issue offered in-


structions onhowto builddeadli- er bombs, designed to inflict heavier casualties, Guidere not- ed. One article suggested that an effective attack could bewaged in urban areas by equipping a four- wheel-drive vehiclewith protrud- ing blades and plowing into a crowd. Specialists have suggested that


Inspire is being edited by Samir Khan, a Saudi-born U.S. citizen raised in Queens, N.Y., and Char- lotte before traveling to Yemen to


SATURDAY, JANUARY1


SALE ONLYON


join al-Qaeda in the Arabian Pen- insula. Khan, they have said, probably operates under the di- rection of Anwar al-Aulaqi, a U.S.-born cleric who also has found refuge in Yemen’s isolated hill country and who officials have said was in contact with Nidal Malik Hasan, a disaffected U.S. Army officer facing murder charges in the November 2009 shootings at FortHood, Tex. Peter Neumann, a terrorism


specialist at King’s College in London who is teaching this year at Georgetown’s Center for Peace and Security Studies, said there wasnoknownindicationthat any of the nine suspects had traveled to Yemen, Pakistan or Afghani- stan for direct contact with al- Qaeda leaders. But the Internet- born motivation and instruction — such as what they allegedly acquired from Inspire — he not- ed, was an increasing worry among antiterrorism officials in Europe and the United States. Guidere, whose recent book


“The New Terrorists” sought to underline the increasing role played by Internet sites, wrote: “Generally the only link with the terrorist organization is virtual; thanks to the Internet, the sym- pathizer radicalizes all by himself and learns howtomake bombs at home.”


codyej@washpost.com


Adamis a special correspondent. Cody reported fromParis.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2010 Where states must improve


In working with states to revise their plans, the Environmental Protection Agency added more stringent goals. The final plan includes these measures:


SARAH L. VOISIN/THE WASHINGTON POST


Awaterman on Smith Island, inMaryland’s portion of the Chesapeake, prepares for work as the sun rises.


lCommitting to more stringent nitrogen and phosphorus limits at wastewater treatment plants, including on the James River in Virginia. (Virginia, New York and Delaware)


lPursuing state legislation to fund wastewater treatment plant upgrades, urban storm-water management and agricultural pollution programs. (Maryland, Virginia,West Virginia)


lReducing storm-water pollution by increasing green roofs, tree plantings, pervious surfaces and street sweeping. (the District)


lDramatically increasing enforcement of and compliance with state requirements for agricultural pollution. (Pennsylvania)


lCommitting state funding to develop and implement state-of-the-art- technologies for converting animal manure to energy for farms. (Pennsylvania)


lConsidering mandatory programs for agriculture by 2013 if pollution reductions fall behind schedule. (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New York)


Source: Environmental Protection Agency


EPA toughens stance on cleanup of Chesapeake


epa from A1


“rigorous accountability meth- ods, ranging from challenging operating permits for wastewa- ter treatment plants or farms to prosecuting polluters for violat- ing the CleanWater Act.” The agency identified three


areas that need particular atten- tion over the next decade: waste- water treatment in New York, West Virginia’s agricultural sec- tor and Pennsylvania’s storm-wa- ter treatment. In those areas, Garvin said, the EPAmay have to “place additional controls on permitted sources of pollution.” West Virginia estimates it will


have to spend $136 million on upgrades to its sewage treatment plants, said Scott Mandirola, who directs the the Division of Water andWasteManagement at West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection. “We don’t feel that we’re con-


tributing a tremendous amount [of pollution] to the bay,”Mandi- rola said. And although the fed- eral government has pledged fi- nancial assistance, he said, “the honest truth is West Virginia [and] the headwater states are not seeing a lot of thatmoney.” Glenn Rider, director of the


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Bureau of Watershed Manage- ment at the Pennsylvania De- partment of Environmental Pro- tection, noted his state has al- ready imposed regulations tar- geting its storm-water runoff, which accounts for 6 percent of the bay’s annual pollution load.A 2006 study indicated it could cost the state $2 billion to make some of the improvementsEPAis seeking. He said computer mod- els indicate Pennsylvania is meeting its targets for nitrogen and sediment pollution but not for phosphorus, all of which affect water quality in the Chesa- peake. Rider said he was waiting for


details from the EPA. But “it would be difficult” to meet the agency’s pollution targets over the next decade and a half, he said. The federal government has


not calculatedwhat itwill cost to implement its overall plan, Garvin said, but is prepared to devote hundreds of millions of dollars to help farmers and af- fected groups cope with more stringent pollution controls. The Agriculture Department alone plans to spend $700million over the next five years on bay restora- tion efforts. The pollution limits, known as


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the total maximum daily load, identify how much nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment can flow into the Chesapeake each day from farms, sewage treat- ment plants, urban and subur- ban streets, parking lots and lawns. It calls for a 25 percent reduction in nitrogen, 24 percent reduction in phosphorus and 20 percent reduction in sediment by 2025. That translates into 185.9 million pounds of nitrogen, 12.5 million pounds of phosphorus and 6.45 billion pounds of sedi- ment per year. Sixty percent of the pollution cuts are to bemade by 2017, Garvin said. “This is a very historic mo-


ment in the history, and the future, of the Chesapeake Bay,” he said at an afternoon news


conference. The goal of a cleanChesapeake


was first promised by the year 2000, then by 2010. Now the tactics have changed, but also the deadline, pushed back to 2025. William C. Baker, president of


the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, praised the EPA for making its proposal final. He added: “It is clear, however, that the hardest work is still to come. The states and the District of Columbia must implement the plans through new laws, regulations, funding and enforcement, and EPA must hold all jurisdictions accountable.” Some states, especially those


closest to the bay, expressed confidence they could deliver what they had promised to do in their federal submissions, known as Watershed Implemen- tation Plans. Virginia Gov. Robert F. Mc-


Donnell (R) issued a statement Wednesday saying his state, which has committed to finaliz- ing a newstorm-water rule and a bay-wide limit on applying fertil- izer to urban lands, could “achieve significant cost-effec- tive reductions in pollution to the bay.” “We feel it is a stringent but


workable plan that demonstrates Virginia’s commitment to clean- ing up the Chesapeake Bay while providing for continued econom- ic growth in the commonwealth,” McDonnell said. “Aftermuch dis- cussion with the EPA, the ap- proved plan balances the impor- tant environmental protection concerns with the need to pro- tect jobs in agriculture and farm- ing. While we maintain our con- cern about aspects of the EPA watershed model and enforce- ment authority, as well as the significant additional public and private-sector costs associated with plan implementation, we believe Virginia’s plan will make a significant contribution to im- provingwater quality in the bay.” And Maryland Gov. Martin


O’Malley (D),who has pledged to explore steps such as requiring cover crops on farmland vulnera- ble to runoff and a potential statewide fee system to improve storm-water utilities, said it made economic sense to invest in the restoration effort. “A healthy Bay will benefit


Maryland’s tourism, recreation, agriculture, and fisheries indus- tries; it will improve the value of our homes, farms, and business- es; and itwill create green jobs— all while protecting our drinking water and improving waterways across the state,”O’Malley said in a statement. Tom Farasy, past president of


the Maryland State Builders As- sociation, predicted battles over environmental goals will shift to individual states. “Maryland is going to have to find the funding to meet its obligations, and this is going to be a challenge in this current economy,” he said. Garvin emphasized that even


if the entire mid-Atlantic region meets the pollution targets, “we’re not saying the bay will be fully restored by 2025.” The final recovery date, he said, will be determined by “Mother Nature” rather than federal and state authorities.


eilperinj@washpost.com


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