Swedish-Lebanese Terror Suspect Explains Himself: Thailand

[webfact]

Swedish-Lebanese Terror Suspect Explains Himself

"I am 100 percent not guilty in the terror crimes, I am accused of," says Atris Hussein, who was last week arrested in Bangkok suspected of preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in Thailand.

In an interview with the Bangkok based Swedish report Jan Kallman of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, who visited him in prison, the 47 year old Hussein says he became a Swedish citizen in 1994. But in 2005, he and his family moved back to Lebanon where he has lived since.

He claims the chemical ingredients that was found in the house that could be used to make bombs was placed there by the Israeli secret service Mossad.

"Much of the material police found in my store had been placed there, probably by the Israeli secret service Mossad," said Atris Hussein to Aftonbladet's reporter Jan Kallman.

Jan Kallman met Hussein early on Thursday morning local time in Bangkok Remand Prison which lies with the huge prison complex Klong Prem in the northern outskirts of Bangkok.

Atris Hussein was wearing blue prison clothes, sat down behind the armored glass, took the phone and looked surprisingly fresh.

"I feel pretty good inspite of the situation. And I miss contact with my family in Lebanon. It is only now here in the prison that I have been able to read some papers and get to know more details of my arrest. I have been treated well by the Thai police. But this is a conspiracy. I deal only with ordinary business operations."

Hussein was arrested last Thursday at Bangkok International Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport when he was going to fly back to Lebanon. He was placed in the Immigration Department custody, interrogated, and on Monday he showed police his warehouse, where - among other things - there turned out to be fertilizer and ammonia that can be used to manufacture explosives.

On Tuesday Hussein was placed in remand prison for another twelve days. This detention period can be extended six times with another 12 days before the public prosecutor must either bring charges against him or he will be released by the court.

Hussein explained in Swedish his own version of the events and a few so far unknown details.

"One evening I was taken out of prison, was placed in a car that drove off with me to a house somewhere. In there, I was interrogated by three men who apparently came from the Mossad. I have their first names. They claimed that I lied about various things," says Atris Hussein.

Israel warned already on 18 December last year, both the U.S. and Thailand that Bangkok might be a target for terrorists. One possible reason was America's deteriorating relations with Iran, writes Aftonbladet.

Israel then received information that the group Hezbollah in Lebanon was about to attack U.S. interests in Thailand seen as a close US ally.The speculation that Aftonbladet presents is, that the attacks would be a revenge for the murder of a nuclear scientist in Iran. Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of being behind this.

Atris Hussein believes Mossad pointed him out because of his religious and political sympathies.

"I am a Shiite Muslim, but not part of the Hezbollah. However, I live in an area outside Beirut where they are strong. I also have sympathy on the left, I also voted for the Social Democrats when I lived in Sweden. Maybe it made me suspicious in Mossad's eyes. They kept an eye on me."

When did you come to Sweden?

"I moved there in 1989 and became a Swedish Citizen in 1994. I was married in Lebanon and my family then later also came to Sweden. I worked as a hairdresser for ten years in Gothenburg."

"The whole family moved back to Lebanon in 2005. I have four children, two boys who are 15 and 12 years, two girls who are 17 and 7."

You have dual citizenship?

"Yes, in Lebanon and Sweden. I got a new Swedish passport in 2005, which was then valid for ten years. I traveled to Sweden in 2010 to obtain a passport with fingerprints.

What did you do in Lebanon after the move from Sweden?

"I started my own business of selling miniature trees, like Japanese bonsai. I imported them from Pakistan. But it was not so good. I started looking for other business opportunities."

It was in this way you ended up in Thailand?

"Yes, I had a partner in Lebanon who imported goods from Asia. But his Lebanese passport created a lot of trouble for him when going on purchasing trips. I had a Swedish passport and was able to travel freely without the hassle. Three years ago we started doing business in Thailand. I have rented a store here for two years now."

What type of business do you do?

"We bought goods in Asia and exported them to other countries, including Lebanon. It was fans, photocopier paper and cool-packs used to relieves pain. These bags contained ammonia. It wasn't more complicated than that. We have never dealt with chemical fertilizers. It must have been placed in our store room by someone, probably the Mossad."

Why were you in Thailand at this time?

"Firstly, I had to check the warehouse after the floods in November and December, and secondly I should arrange a shipment to Liberia, that we had problems with. The cargo is now booked on a freighter. In addition, I was sick three days with a bad stomach."

What happened last Thursday when you were arrested?

"I was just about to fly home. When I went through all the controls and got my bag, I was x-rayed. They took me to a detention center at the airport and interrogated me. I only had a bag with some clothes and gadgets like fake iPhones, some USB flash drives, hard drives and memory sticks with me. I usually sell them in Lebanon. And then I was accused of being a terrorist. But I am 100 percent innocent."

Swedish readers can read the full interview with Atris Hussein in Swedish language in the source link below.

Original news source: http://www.aftonblad...icle14234940.ab

Source: http://www.scandasia...37&coun_code=se

-- scandasia.com 2012-01-20

[Ulysses G.]

"And then I was accused of being a terrorist. But I am 100 percent innocent."

Yeah, sure.

[OzMick]

Mossad put 4 tonnes of fertilizer in my warehouse. That ranks right up there with 'my dog ate my homework'.

[Buchholz]

Mossad put 4 tonnes of fertilizer in my warehouse. That ranks right up there with 'my dog ate my homework'.

My dog ate 4 tons of my homework.

[elshaheen]

Don't judge the man, because he's an Arab.

[IMA_FARANG]

Interesting story. Don't know whether to believe it or not.

If it is true then he would be what is often known as a "cutout"...an otherwise innocent person who is involved in something without his or her knowledge...and who, if something goes wrong, can be quickly "cutout" of the operation and thrown away. In short, they are expendable.

I do find it hard to believe that he could have that much "fertilizer" making chemicals in his warehouse however without his knowledge. It is possible, but it seems hard to believe. Maybe he just believed some of his partners to much?

The reason his business partners wanted him to travel on his Danish passport and not his Lebanese passport...for their convienance...ought to have set off alarm bells when they told him that. But again, maybe he was too trusting.

Anyhow, we shall see, won't we.

Either way, for him, the fecal matter has impacted with the rotating air circulation device.

Oops, sorry that should have been Swedish passport not Danish passport.

Edited January 20, 2012 by IMA_FARANG

[Scott]

One troll post has been removed.

Since some posters get their collective knickers in a knot over minor, pedantic things, I will as well. The man is a Lebanese-Swedish national.

[Credo]

I would almost believe him, if he hadn't fingered Mossad. If I found 4 tons of fertilizer in my house, I wouldn't have the faintest idea how it got there. I certainly wouldn't think about some foreign intelligence agency.... unless, of course, I was up to something.

[coma]

sounds like a plausable explaination to me. Israel have more than enough means to move large volumes of anything, anywhere anytime so it is not beyond the realms of possibilty that he was set up by spooks. Yes. Just for being an Arab with' suspicious movements and lifestyle'. Give him and me a break.

[coma]

I would almost believe him, if he hadn't fingered Mossad. If I found 4 tons of fertilizer in my house, I wouldn't have the faintest idea how it got there. I certainly wouldn't think about some foreign intelligence agency.... unless, of course, I was up to something.

Unless you are an Arab abroad that is the victim of a terror accusation in Thailand where the Thai authorities got their warning from the Israeli government. If one was an Arab in this situation then that may well be the first thing that would come to one's mind." If you are an Arab".

[geriatrickid]

Why would Mossad plant the material? There is nothing to be gained for Israel or Mossad by framing someone like this. If anything it brings unnecessary attention to Mossad.

Why would his voting social democrat, upset Mossad? What does he think Labour or the Communists are in Israel? The social democrats and lefties are still an important political component of Israel.

This chap is grasping at straws and his excuse/explanation is feeble.

[geriatrickid]

sounds like a plausable explaination to me. Israel have more than enough means to move large volumes of anything, anywhere anytime so it is not beyond the realms of possibilty that he was set up by spooks. Yes. Just for being an Arab with' suspicious movements and lifestyle'. Give him and me a break.

This isn''t about Israel. It is about an individual engaged in illegal activities.

Did he have a visa to engage in this activity? No.

Does he have a history of having engaged in illegal activity? Yes.

Is he credible based upon his previous dishonest acts and lying? No.

Do you think the purchase of undeclared counterfeit products, the attempt to export the fertilizer in fan boxes, the intentional mislabeling of the products, the violation of his visa are all indicative of an honest man given to telling the truth? I don't. Perhaps for those that have a hatred for all things Israeli, it doesn't matter. However, for those of us that can look at the big picture it does. Many arabs are in Thailand and they follow the rules and are law abiding. How is it that they can do that, while this chap cannot?

[laurentbkk]

any body is still innocent until proven guilty ... so in this case it works also .... I doubt the mossad is involve in this but you never know ....

[Thailion]

He came to Thailand to check his warehouse after the floods and DIDN'T notice 4 tons of crap that was stored there??? A product that they have never dealt with before???

[giddyup]

I would almost believe him, if he hadn't fingered Mossad. If I found 4 tons of fertilizer in my house, I wouldn't have the faintest idea how it got there. I certainly wouldn't think about some foreign intelligence agency.... unless, of course, I was up to something.

I think his explanation is so much fertiliser.

[wxyz]

when in doubt blame a jew, terrorists handbook, lie, lie and lie some more,

obviously a proud member of the totalitarian cult of deceit and lies

who was financing this hair dresser terrorist?

why these thugs are allowed to travel let alone fly is beyond me

had it been mossad, he would be dead, who does he think he is kidding

one morning i found all this fertilizer in my locked wharehose with no signs of forced entry

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know." - Groucho Marx.

Edited January 20, 2012 by wxyz

[theanimaster]

The guy obviously doesn't know much about Thailand and face-saving, does he? It wasn't the Mussad that planted all that stuff there. It was most probably.... tun-tun-tuuuuuuuunnnnn... guess-who-has-to-save-face-here?

[steelepulse]

He's had some time to fabricate a (semi) plausible story, but I'm not buying it. He's throwing so many things out there hoping one of the excuses/reasons he's given will work to free him.

[Centrum]

I believe him.

Israel has just assassinated a scientist in Iran and they want to throw the spotlight somewhere else. This guy will probably end up falling out of an plane door of the Gulf of Thailand late one night.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been deleted.

[jybkk]

sounds like a plausable explaination to me. Israel have more than enough means to move large volumes of anything, anywhere anytime so it is not beyond the realms of possibilty that he was set up by spooks. Yes. Just for being an Arab with' suspicious movements and lifestyle'. Give him and me a break.

This isn''t about Israel. It is about an individual engaged in illegal activities.

Did he have a visa to engage in this activity? No.

Does he have a history of having engaged in illegal activity? Yes.

Is he credible based upon his previous dishonest acts and lying? No.

Do you think the purchase of undeclared counterfeit products, the attempt to export the fertilizer in fan boxes, the intentional mislabeling of the products, the violation of his visa are all indicative of an honest man given to telling the truth? I don't. Perhaps for those that have a hatred for all things Israeli, it doesn't matter. However, for those of us that can look at the big picture it does. Many arabs are in Thailand and they follow the rules and are law abiding. How is it that they can do that, while this chap cannot?

This guy sure is shady.

But there are a lot of other stuff going on about Thailand, the US, Israel that make almost any theory possible.

For example, this could be related: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-thailand-recognises-state-163950684.html

I emphasize on the "could".

[moe666]

any body is still innocent until proven guilty ... so in this case it works also .... I doubt the mossad is involve in this but you never know ....

Innocent until proven guilty tends to be a US thing since he is in a Thai jail it may not apply.

[grantbkk]

He may not be a full blown terrorist but his is facilitating terrorism. He is also a liar. Without the assistance of outside agencies the Thai intelligence apparatuses would simply believe his "dog ate my homework" story and send him on his way.

[yumidesign]

I would almost believe him, if he hadn't fingered Mossad. If I found 4 tons of fertilizer in my house, I wouldn't have the faintest idea how it got there. I certainly wouldn't think about some foreign intelligence agency.... unless, of course, I was up to something.

but what if it was put there by someone else at the direction of someone else in an attempt to make a quick arrest and the problem of terrorist activity affecting tourism gouging begone - the man mentions mossad because he perceives them as an enemy which if i were he perhaps i would too.

ps how refreshing to see a reporter asking questions and not just repeating line for line spin press releases from politicians or what spills out of the mouths

Edited January 20, 2012 by yumidesign

[Wanderlust]

sounds like a plausable explaination to me. Israel have more than enough means to move large volumes of anything, anywhere anytime so it is not beyond the realms of possibilty that he was set up by spooks. Yes. Just for being an Arab with' suspicious movements and lifestyle'. Give him and me a break.

This isn''t about Israel. It is about an individual engaged in illegal activities.

Did he have a visa to engage in this activity? No.

Does he have a history of having engaged in illegal activity? Yes.

Is he credible based upon his previous dishonest acts and lying? No.

Do you think the purchase of undeclared counterfeit products, the attempt to export the fertilizer in fan boxes, the intentional mislabeling of the products, the violation of his visa are all indicative of an honest man given to telling the truth? I don't. Perhaps for those that have a hatred for all things Israeli, it doesn't matter. However, for those of us that can look at the big picture it does. Many arabs are in Thailand and they follow the rules and are law abiding. How is it that they can do that, while this chap cannot?

I'm not saying I believe or disbelieve this guy, but how do you know the things you have just posted? How do you know that he didn't/doesn't have a visa to do what he says? What is the history of illegal activity you mention as I see no mention of it in this article or any others I have seen so far? What previous dishonest acts and lying have you got evidence of? Also, I don't know if you are aware of this, but you don't have to declare any products when you leave a country, only when you arrive.

The 'confession' that the Thai police have purported to have got, which 'led them' to the place where this stuff was could just be not a confession at all, but this guy telling them that he did business here and gave them the address, which they then searched, and reportedly found this fertiliser and liquid ammonium nitrate; as someone posted on another thread, just having those materials isn't proof that a bomb was going to be made, and it is entirely feasible that it was planted to back up the warning.It isn't completely out of the realms of possibility that evidence has been manufactured to ensure an arrest. I'm not saying it was, but I trust groups like the Thai police, government, Mossad and the CIA as much as I trust a chocolate teapot. There is a lot of spin being put on this story by whichever side you read - the Thai government, the Thai media, the US government and press and of course now the Swedish press and probably the Lebanese and Iranian media, and there are so many contradictions and misinformation I don't think anyone on here can really 'know' anything. We don't know about any deals that may have been done between the Israeli's, US and Thai governments, or even Lebanese and Swedish and we never will; it all seems like a big show being staged and whenever that happens I always wonder if there is something else going on somewhere else that our attention is being diverted away from.

[Mitker]

Quote:

Atris Hussein believes Mossad pointed him out because of his religious and political sympathies.

If Israel has to place 4 tons of chemical in the house of every citizen with different religious and political sympathies on the planet, it's time to invest in the fertilizers market.

[wxyz]

charge him with the multiple visa and work permit violations that any one of us would be charged with if we tried to conduct business in thailand

It is illegal for foreigners to work in Thailand without a work permit. This includes unpaid work, volunteer work (even for charitable causes), and work in exchange for room and board. If you work in Thailand without a work permit, you are subject to arrest, fine, and deportation. Before traveling to Thailand for work -- whether or not you will receive compensation -- you should check with a Royal Thai Embassy to ensure that your plans are consistent with Thai law. Several U.S. citizens are arrested each year due to work permit violations.

http://travel.state....s/cis_1040.html

Edited January 20, 2012 by wxyz

[Orac]

charge him with the multiple visa and work permit violations that any one of us would be charged with if we tried to conduct business in thailand

It is illegal for foreigners to work in Thailand without a work permit. This includes unpaid work, volunteer work (even for charitable causes), and work in exchange for room and board. If you work in Thailand without a work permit, you are subject to arrest, fine, and deportation. Before traveling to Thailand for work -- whether or not you will receive compensation -- you should check with a Royal Thai Embassy to ensure that your plans are consistent with Thai law. Several U.S. citizens are arrested each year due to work permit violations.

http://travel.state....s/cis_1040.html

He would probably be quite happy to be charged with visa/work permit violations and then blacklisted and put on a plane back to Sweden at the moment.

[theanimaster]

The US warning stands. I don't think the Americans believe the Thais have "their man". The Thais have an excuse to say "Everyone go back to their business and pretend nothing's happened and tell all your farang friends to come on over and continue to give us money through tourism" but we ain't buying it.

Or are we?

[TheFishman1]

I believe him.

Israel has just assassinated a scientist in Iran and they want to throw the spotlight somewhere else. This guy will probably end up falling out of an plane door of the Gulf of Thailand late one night.

And ever body in jail is innocent right. How people jump from a guy in Thailand to a scientist in Iran.REALLY,Why not just say I DON't Know