BRUSSELS: Massoud was one of 14 people arrested on Thursday in Belgium. Investigators described Malika el-Aroud as "a Qaeda living legend," CNN reported.
Six of the arrested have been charged by Belgian prosecutors with belonging to a terrorist group. "Five men and a woman have been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation and have been placed in preventive detention," Lieve Pellens, a prosecutors office spokeswoman, said.
Massoud, known as "the lion of the Panshir," was a leader in the fight against the Soviet Union and later against the Taliban. He was killed two days before the terrorist attacks of 2001 by two men posting as journalists. Belgian investigators said they believed Malika el-Aroud was planning to travel to Afghanistan to support the Taliban insurgency.
Aroud had been open about her support of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. "Most Muslims love Osama. It was he who helped the oppressed. It was he who stood up against the biggest enemy in the world, the United States. We love him for that," she told CNN then in a 2006 interview."Its the pinnacle in Islam to be the widow of a martyr. For a woman its extraordinary."
"He had said goodbye to his loved ones, because he wanted to enter paradise with a clear conscience," Delmulle added.
Suspects visited Pakistan Most of those arrested Thursday had Belgian passports, the police source said. All 14 are of Moroccan descent. Three of the suspects had travelled to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region to participate in fighting or training camps, and were in contact with an unnamed suspect who had direct links to important Qaeda figures, police said. Two of those three returned to Belgium several months ago and started surveillance operations, and the third returned to Belgium a week ago, police said. Intelligence showed that third person was ready to carry out a suicide attack, police said.
Information showed the suspect who was to carry out the attack had received the green light to execute the operation, police said. Investigators noted the suspect had said goodbye to his family "because he wanted to go to paradise with a clear conscience," police said. Authorities also found a video meant for the suspects family, which police said was probably a farewell tape. They did not find any explosives, the police said.
