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Zarqawi used Swiss cellphone
25/11/2004 22:17 - (SA)
Geneva - Investigators believe terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi used a Swiss-based cellular phone to communicate with Muslim extremists worldwide before the Iraqi war, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
The Geneva daily Le Temps said it had seen a copy of a confidential report by the federal police office showing that al-Zarqawi used a Swiss SIM card in his phone to stay in touch with individuals in Europe, as well as Hong Kong and Chile.
Just before the Iraqi war, Swiss investigators traced al-Zarqawi to Syria by tracking his calls, according to the newspaper. It said he stopped using the card in spring 2003.
Al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda-linked movement has claimed responsibility for many of the suicide bombings and beheadings of foreign hostages in Iraq. It is believed to have used Fallujah as headquarter.
Swiss authorities previously have said they tracked senior Islamic militants through their cellphone cards, but have refused to confirm their names.
When a person makes or receives a call with the phone outside Switzerland, computers record the calling and receiving numbers and the cellphone user's location. Swiss investigators can obtain the data if they open a formal criminal inquiry.
Last year, Swiss lawmakers closed a legal loophole that allowed customers to purchase SIM cards anonymously. That change came into force in August.
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