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04 March 2010

Terrorists Moving Into Piracy?

The pirates off the coast of Somalia are annoying, but not really tied into the global "jihad" that AQ is riling up. However, the Straits of Malacca near Singapore, may be targeted by terrorists hoping to disrupt world oil trade, according to the Singaporeans (Singaporese?)

Singapore's Navy warned that a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Straits, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Terrorists may also be targeting other vessels in the shipping lane off Malaysia's east coast, according to an advisory issued Wednesday by the Navy's Information Fusion Centre seen by The Associated Press.
"The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that it remains a viable group," the Navy advisory said. "However, this information does not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels with dangerous cargo."
The Navy did not say which terrorist group is planning the attacks. Spokesmen at the Defense Ministry and the Information Fusion Centre were not immediately available for comment.
The Malacca Strait is the favorite route of oil shippers between the Persian Gulf and Asian Pacific markets. The strait, just 1.7 miles at its narrowest point, was the second-busiest shipping lane of crude in 2006, with 15 million barrels a day passing through, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.



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By: Brant

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