SA: Adelaide company may have sold gear to al-Qaeda, Downer

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2005
SA: Adelaide company may have sold gear to al-Qaeda, Downer

The federal government says an Adelaide-based communications company appears to have
sold radio equipment to an al-Qaeda operative.

But Foreign Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER says Codan Limited clearly didn't deliberately
sell the equipment to an al-Qaeda operative in 2001.

Mr DOWNER says radios were exported to Mauritania and it looks as though somebody who
was listed as an al-Qaeda or Taliban operative may have obtained them.

Mr DOWNER says they could have been ordered through the use of an alias name.

ABC radio today reported it has documents that show al-Qaeda operative MOHAMEDOU SLAHI
ordered radio communications equipment from Codan Limited in 2001.

SLAHI is suspected of deep involvement in the September 11 attacks.

Codan Ltd managing director MIKE HEARD says company policy precludes him from confirming
whether SLAHI was a customer.

AAP RTV sl/jt/jv/drp

KEYWORD: TERROR AUST CODAN (ADELAIDE)

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