Wikileaks: Al-Qaeda 'has obtained a global list of sensitive sites'

Rome, 9 Dec. (AKI) - Thanks to secret documents released by the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website, Al-Qaeda has obtained a global list of sensitive websites, according to the Israeli-US 'Internet Haganah' intelligence network.

Al-Qaeda obtained the list through the Wikileaks website hosted by a French server, claims 'Internet Haganah', which works to counter suspected terrorists and jihadists' online activities.

The network's Internet experts criticise the alleged refusal of French authorities to take significant action to block the Wikileaks site. They also claim Abu Yousif Al-Bashir, a member of the 'Shumukh Al-Islam' jihadist web forum, earlier this week set up an online 'workshop' to gather, catalogue and flag up all US interests in the world which have been cited in documents made public by Wikileaks.

The Middle East Media Research Institute has also made this claim, explaining that Al-Bashir cited the US State Department as noting that if these interests were attacked, this would represent a major blow to US security.

Al-Bashir also supplied direct links to download documents from Wikileaks and urged other members of 'Shumukh Al-Islam' to collaborate on the translation of these documents.

Among the objectives signalled by members of the jihadist web forum are the as-Saffaniyah and Tanaqib industrial plants in Saudi Arabia and that of Zannah in the Unted Arab Emirates.

The alarm sounded by 'Internet Haganah' and the Middle East Media Research Institute confirms the interest of Al-Qaeda and jihadist groups with links to the terror network in the secret documents released by Wikileaks.

Intelligence experts have stepped up their monitoring of jihadist websites in a bid to intercept any plans to go beyond the gathering and study of information and commit terrorist acts.

Wikileaks has in recent weeks published over 300 out of 250,000 secret cables sent between US diplomatic missions around the world, drawing criticism from governments on security grounds. Some of the cables include details of sensitive sites.