NZer arrested at Al Qaeda stronghold
NZPA report:
Pakistani security forces have detained a 35-year-old New Zealander who was trying to enter an al Qaeda and Taleban militant stronghold on the Afghan border.
Pakistani intelligence officials who declined to be identified have said they suspected he might have links with Islamist militants.
The man, identified on his passport as Mark Taylor, was detained at a paramilitary checkpost on the outskirts of Tank town, about 280km southwest of Islamabad, which is the gateway to South Waziristan.
The top government administrator in Tank, Barkatullah Khan, told Reuters, the man had told the soldiers who detained him that he was going to South Waziristan to get married.
“He was travelling in a passenger van. He has a beard and was wearing a shalwar kamiz as a disguise,” Khan said, referring to a traditional baggy trousers and tunic outfit worn by men.
This may be totally innocent, but South Waziristan isn’t exactly a popular tourist destination.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:19 am
My apologies for commenting off-topic but are you likely to write a piece on the government’s plan to extend the DNA database? I’m sure as a classical liberal you agree that it is a dangerous extension of the power of the state into people’s private lives.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:42 am
You do get a cracking exchange rate there, so might be entirely innocent.
Tui
February 12th, 2009 at 8:45 am
“This may be totally innocent”
Yeah of course, I was thinking of taking the wife and kids there for a holiday myself.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:52 am
My old boss was a guy called Mark Taylor.
Recently his shops have been closed down, which he operated for quite a while.
When I worked for him, he was 29.
That was six years ago.
…………………
I hope not……
February 12th, 2009 at 9:03 am
My father had a similar expereince when one of his former navy mates turned up getting done for smuglling and piracy Christopher.
Funny how people go off down the paths without apparent cause.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I flatted with a guy called Mark Taylor back in the late 90’s and I have met about 4 other guys named Mark Taylor. Searching for Mark Taylor on facebook yields over 500 results – it is a very common name, I suspect their will be shit loads of people all over NZ thinking to them selves “could it be the Mark I know”.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:16 am
is it too late to send this guy to gitmo?
Dime thinks 4 years in gitmo without being charged would give him time to reflect
February 12th, 2009 at 9:37 am
What to believe?
1. He really was going to get married.
2. He is an undercover journalist.
3. He is a western intelligence agent attempting to infiltrate the northern tribes traveling on a fake NZ passport to reduce suspicion.
4. His passport is real and he was recruited to join the militants, perhaps even Al Qaeda providing a useful white face for later terrorist activities in the West.
If the last option is the correct one then someone may have recruited him here or over the net. If true then the brown stuff is about to hit the fan in a big way.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:44 am
A report from the Singapore based centre for strategic studies in 2007 detailed 10 known Islamist groups recuriting and fund raising in New Zealand. And not to forget the terrorist cell arrested down the road from Helens house in 1999, or the passport factory in Parkistan that yielded over 100 fake NZ passports. Or why were those guys on the Tampa so keen to get into Australia in August 2001… what comes after August again? Its ok we took them and now they have NZ passports so they have visa free access to Oz anyway :0)
Benign strategic environment people, nothing to see here.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
just wait till large groups of disgruntled Maori embrace Islam. it will happen.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:08 am
So KFC will be doing Halal Fried Chicken, and Halal Gravy ‘n Mash.
‘fffin Wonderful.
The mind boggles really.
Anyway, Auntie Helen wanted many more Islamic refugees to spice up our benign strategic enviroment.
OT, who bought the Skyhawks that Labour were adamant were about to be sold, AGAIN!
February 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Te Amorangi Izhaq Kireka-Whaanga
February 12th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Te Amorangi Izhaq Kireka-Whaanga who has been converting Maori inmates to Islam
February 12th, 2009 at 10:21 am
For some time now in fact.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:47 am
“And the award for ‘The Most Brain Damaged Undertaking Of The Week’ goes to……Mark Taylor!”
February 12th, 2009 at 10:49 am
The fact that the Pakistani Intelligence people detained this guy (and I know a Mark Taylor too, and it’s not him); is prima facie evidence that he is NOT an Al-Qaeda recruit; Paki Intelligence is notorious for working more WITH those people, than against them.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I’m still thinking Mark Taylor himself is just as likely to be a hero or a fool, as he is to be a traitor, but you wait for the nexus between the hate-our-own-culture Left and militant Islam to really kick in; Te Aro Che Guevara types in cahoots with Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah; to use an NZ example; but this stuff is a looming problem all over the world.
“In The Shadow Of Swords” by Sally Neighbour, is a book about the Jihad problem in Australia. One of the things that struck me forcibly was that terrorist recruiting of Muslims who had been living in Aussie, was not successful, but the people they DID unearth who were prepared to carry out seriously murderous stuff, were twisted white guys named “Reid” and “Thomas” and “Roche”.
Another point that has been swept under the carpet in NZ, is that Islamic militants from Osama down, regard East Timor as the Easternmost part of the “Jihadis versus Crusaders” thing; Indonesia has hundreds of millions of Muslims, and it only needs an easily-recruited few thousand of them to make NZ’s “strategic environment” not very benign at all. Then NZ will have to choose between their notions that we are “right” not to offend Muslims by not supporting one invasion, and we have a dividend of goodwill from Al Qaeda on that account; but we were still “right” to involve ourselves in East Timor.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I would check for any Taylor related to the Locke surname, sounds like something up Keith’s alley.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Please don’t say Keiths alley, none of us need that mental picture at lunch time.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Mossad agent u/cover.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Fundamentalist Muslims are a security risk to the west.
Turn them back at the air ports.
We didn’t have them in the sixties, seventies, eighties. Why do we want them now.
Using them for a broader tax base is going to cost us dearly later.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
This guy could’ve been a journalist trying to get a story.
Hope my man was from Wintec
February 12th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Mark Taylor could have just been a dumb tourist. The New York Times recently had a story about an Eyetie visiting Fallujah of all places.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
An Italian probably would’ve looked the part
February 12th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
And over at No Right turn Idiot/Savant is demanding that the NZ government step in to stop this man being tortured.
Now if Mark Taylor is an innocent idiot then I suppose torture is not a good idea but if he is one of these demented lefties who thinks that he might like the idea of blowing up a few hundred innocent Kiwi’s then I say torture the bastard for as long as you like.