Liquid explosives found in Palestinian Refugee Camp

The Blog israel matzav reports that "liquid explosives have been found (at least some of them have) "in the vicinity" of a 'Palestinian' 'refugee camp' in southern Lebanon."

naharnet first had the story: Liquid Explosives Hunted Across the Atlantic Busted in Lebanon

Nearly six months after feverish search by U.S. and European intelligence agencies for lethal "liquid explosives" Lebanese police confiscated the first batch of such deadly weapons, sources told Naharnet Tuesday.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said each of the 31 confiscated explosive devices is made up of two tubes filled with blue liquid, fitted on a board and connected to a timer-detonator.

A police communiqué said a squad of its intelligence branch carried out a "swift operation during which it confiscated 31 explosive sets."

The communiqué said the confiscated sets included "sophisticated electro-chemical timers-detonators that can be timed to explode after as late as 124 days."

The sets were confiscated in an area "in the vicinity" of the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern port city of Sidon, 45 kilometers from Beirut, the communiqué said.

The sets were to be "smuggled and used in terrorist acts," the communiqué added.

In other news, the Telegraph of London reports that in the past five years, US arrests 200 young Israelis in spying investigation.

UP to 200 young Israelis, some of them former members of military intelligence units, have been arrested in America in the past year, a leaked government report disclosed yesterday.

Some had used cover stories to gain access to sensitive government buildings and the homes of American officials. The report said the actions of some of the Israelis, most of whom had outstayed tourist visas, "may well be an organised intelligence-gathering activity".

None of the Israelis, about 140 of whom are believed to have been detained before the September 11 attacks, has been charged and most have been deported, according to the US government.

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Yaffa Ben-Ari, said it was "nonsense" that they had been spying on America. There has been no formal American allegation of spying by Israel although Tel Aviv has launched espionage operations against its principal ally in the past.

The leaked report was compiled by the Drug Enforcement Administration after some of its offices were allegedly targeted by Israelis posing as art students. "That these people are now travelling in the US selling art seems not to fit their background," the DEA report said.

On Oct 31, the FBI and Immigration and Naturalisation Service officers arrested about 60 young Israelis in San Diego, Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston and St Louis. All had been selling toys at kiosks in shopping centres across America and the FBI is reported to have been investigating this as a front operation for espionage activities.

Before that date, about 140 young Israelis had been detained, some for long periods, by the FBI and other federal agencies.