Al-Qaida, Hizbullah in Brazil Reportedly Planning Attacks Abroad

Al-Qaida operatives and Hizbullah members are in Brazil planning attacks, raising money and recruiting followers, a leading Brazilian news magazine reported over the weekend.

Veja magazine said that at least 20 people affiliated with the al-Qaida terrorist network as well as Hizbullah and Hamas have been hiding out in the south American country.

The report said that 41-year old Lebanese Khaled Hussein Ali, currently living in Sao Paulo, has coordinated al-Qaida operations in over 17 countries.

He was briefly arrested in Brazil in March 2009 after a police investigation that found videos and texts directed at al-Qaida followers.

One email found on Ali’s computer and sent as spam to email addresses in the U.S. incites hatred against Jews and blacks, Veja said in its online edition.