Christopher Brown of the Hudson Institute examines the ominous connections between Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda’s WMD program, and Abdul Qadeer Khan’s nuclear black market: WMD Mystery. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Zarqawi’s arrival in Jordan and his subsequent travel on a Syrian passport, which was the reason Iran refused to extradite him to Jordan in 2003, could also indicate a dangerous connection between the IRGC, al Qaeda, and the A. Q. Khan Network. The Pioneer, an Indian newspaper, reported that Dr. Khan agreed with Iraqi intelligence to smuggle unspecified Iraqi WMD-related materials from Syria to Pakistan for safekeeping before the return of U.N. inspectors. In October 2002 Dr. Khan had a plane that, after delivering nuclear material to Iran, flew on to Syria before returning to Pakistan. It is possible that the IRGC, which oversees Iran’s nuclear program and coordination with al Qaeda, used this flight to move Zarqawi and others to Syria.

Zarqawi entered Iraq in November 2002 and remained — traveling between the Ansar al-Islam bases near Al-Sulaymaniyah, where he was reportedly attempting to establish a WMD training camp and Baghdad — until February 2003, when in anticipation of U.S. combat operations he returned to Iran. At that time Zarqawi and Adil, in an IRGC safe house, developed al Qaeda’s strategy for Iraq. Part of that strategy involved Zarqawi’s taking personal charge of al Qaeda’s Iraqi operations. Zarqawi remained with Adil in Iran until August 2003, when he returned, with the aid of the IRGC, to Iraq. Since that time, Zarqawi, who appears now to be a direct subordinate of Adil, has continued with Adil to coordinate al Qaeda’s terrorist operations in Iraq. It should also be noted that in addition to his involvement in Iraq, Zarqawi has been implicated in planned attacks, potentially involving chemicals, in Rome and London as well as a poison cream produced in Chechnya and intercepted in Turkey, which it is believed was designed for assassinations.

Another point of consideration is that al Qaeda has named the front organization for its large-scale operations “Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades,” Atef’s al Qaeda name. This is interesting considering that Atef planned and oversaw every major attack against U.S. interests from 1996 until his death in 2001. In addition it was through this same front that al Qaeda claimed responsibility for attacks in Egypt, Turkey, and Spain. This was also the front with which al Qaeda chose to threaten resumption of operations against Europe and following the reelection of President Bush, saying “your choice is going to drag you into intolerable hell.”