Benin — The ingenuity of confidence tricksters called common by Americans, and in the Nigerian parlance "419", knows n bounds, as it already capitalizing on the situation generated by the suicide attacks on United States to milk some unsuspecting Moslems.

Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, and the retaliatory attacks threatened by US Islamic fundamentalists then followed it up with a warning to attack American interests if that country fulfilled its threat and attacked Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is believed to be hiding Saudi-born militant Osama Bin Laden suspected to be the brain behind the attacks.

But as Afghans prepare to defend themselves in the event of a US air attack, hundreds of letters are believed to have issued from Nigerian common using different name from ficticious Islamic organizations, soliciting money from several Moslem nation's soliciting for funds to wage a jihad against the West.

In one of such letters made available to The Guardian the fraudsters are sourcing for $100,000 "waging a holy war against the infidel Americans and their British collaborators."

According to the letter, the money would be used to buy "powerful encryption devices to enable them prosecute the war successfully.

Besides, they need the funds to go "on line" to enable them send coded maps and signals through regular websites.

The letter, laced with Quoranic quatations, added that the group have on their list, a great number of ex-service men and were even on the verge of setting up training camps in some states in Northern Nigeria.

They wrote in part: "We must let you know that we already have an Islamic army of over 50 men who will need to be properly trained, armed and accommodated. We have so far spent over $25,000 in the causes of Allah and have run short of cash.

That is why we will need your assistance.

"Now, for the remaining part of the project which will requires training in the handling of explosives, buying of computers, installing of telephone lines for efficient communication, we will need $100,000 so that we can start the jihad immediately."

Bring the name of the organization as the Hizbollah of Nigeria the letter, which was signed by the trio of Ayatollah Sa'ead, Millah Abdullah and Imam Musa, also stressed that the organisation has about 10 willing suicide bombers who are only waiting for the green-light from "our leader Osama bin Laden before launching a wave of devasting attacks against western interests all over the world."

Emphasizing the need for networking by all Islamic calls all over the world, the group called on all believes to rise up and resist Western "hegemonic plot" against the Afghanistan and Moslem people all over the world.

They also stressed on the need for the money to be immediately transferred to their Nigerian bank account so that they can swing into action.

"You must know that the money would have to be sent immediately so that we can twin on boys lose and start bombing. Without the money, there is no way we can start off." They added.

While praising bin Laden's Al Quaeda for the successful operation against America, the scammers said there is a need for the tempo of the attack to be sustained before it loses steam, adding that this is the reason why the money should be transferred now so that they can start off immediately.

They warned that the failure of these Arab and Islamic nations to act fast by immediately transferring the money for the terrorist operations could have die consequences in the impending clash of religious.

"This means that the crusaders who have been receiving million of dollars from America will triumph over the jihadists. The earlier the money is transferred so that we can act immediately, the better," they concluded.