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"Every terrorist attack is preceded by an intelligence collection attack by the terrorists."

Intelligence & Counterterrorism News for the week of:

November 12-18, 2006

More CT News

Syrian Officials and Iraq Study Group Met, Envoy Says

James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state who is now Republican co-chairman of a bipartisan group examining strategic options in Iraq, has met several times with Syrian officials to discuss how they might cooperate with the United States, the Syrian ambassador here said Friday…(New York Times, 18 Nov 06)

U.S. Plans $125M Gitmo Legal Compound

The U.S. military on Friday said it plans to build a $125 million compound at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base where it hopes to hold war-crimes trials for terror suspects by the middle of next year…(AP, 18 Nov 06)

Families Get $91M in Frozen Cuban Assets

A federal judge has ordered a bank to turn over $91 million in frozen Cuban assets to two families who won damages against the Cuban government for executing their relatives more than 40 years ago…(AP, 18 Nov 06)

Iraqi Arrest Warrant Revives a Sunni Cleric's Fortunes

Analysis: Harith al-Dari was in danger of drifting into obscurity until the Iraqi government ordered his arrest. Now he could emerge as the leader of Iraq's Sunnis….(Time Magazine, 18 Nov 06)

Dutch Consider Ban on Burqas in Public

Five days before a national election here, the center-right government announced Friday that it planned to introduce legislation to ban burqas and similar garments in public places, saying the full-body garb worn by a small number of Muslim women in the Netherlands posed a grave security threat….(New York Times, 18 Nov 06)

So How Come We Haven't Stopped It?

…The deepening intelligence-sharing relationship between Washington and Khartoum blunted any U.S. response to the state-sponsored violence that exploded in Darfur in 2003 and 2004. U.S. officials have told my colleague Colin Thomas-Jensen and me that access to Gosh's information would be jeopardized if the Bush administration confronted Khartoum on Darfur….(Washington Post, 18 Nov 06)

Jihadist Double Agent Writes of Derring-Do

Inside the Jihad: My Life With Al Qaeda, a Spy’s Story, by Omar Nasiri

…With its politically charged subject matter and a pseudonymous author whose job it was to deceive those closest to him, “Inside the Jihad” is an altogether new addition to the growing library of books about Islamic terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. The question is whether the account is true…..(New York Times, 17 Nov 06)

UK 'ignored spy's al-Qaeda fear'

UK intelligence services were warned of the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the mid-90s but did not act quickly enough, says a spy who infiltrated the network. …(BBC, 17 Nov 06)

Student Acquitted in 9/11 Perjury Case

A foreign student who was swept up in an FBI dragnet after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was acquitted Friday of lying to a grand jury to obscure his connections to two of the hijackers….(AP, 17 Nov 06)

Man with 9/11 ties found guilty in Germany

…In announcing the decision, Tolksdorf said that Motassadeq assisted the hijackers in carrying out the attacks "by making it easier and supporting them." The judge added that the accused "knew that one or more planes would be hijacked and crashed."….(LA Times, 17 Nov 06)

Kidnapping of Americans Linked to al Sadr

A senior Defense Department official told ABC News that Shiite militiamen tied to anti-American cleric Moqtada al Sadr were behind the abduction of four American security contractors and an Austrian co-worker seized in a brazen attack on a supply convoy near the southern Iraqi city of Basra….(ABC, 17 Nov 06)

Jihad's femmes fatales

…Cossor Ali, a young mother among two dozen suspects accused in a London-based plot to blow up U.S.-bound flights, intended to use her 8-month-old baby's bottle to hide a liquid explosive, authorities said. Counter-terrorism experts noted that 19 of the 41 Chechen militants in the 2002 siege of a Moscow theater were women, part of a group known as the "black widows." More than 120 civilians were killed. Experts said yesterday that female terrorists achieve martyr status among radicals…(New York Daily News, 17 Nov 06)

Germany's Struggle To Prosecute Terrorists

Germany has had little success in jailing suspected accomplices of Mohammed Atta, largely for lack of evidence. A risky foreign mission launched by its security services went badly awry….(Spiegel, 17 Nov 06)

Universities given 'how-to' guide for fighting violent Islam

The Government today issued explicit guidelines aimed at tackling violent Islamist extremism on Britain's university campuses.....(Times of London, 17 Nov 06)

Comment: why Islamic hate on campus needs to be tackled

Islamist groups first identified Britain’s universities as a fertile recruiting ground more almost two decades ago.....(Times of London, 17 Nov 06)

British Education Department issues guidance on Muslim extremism

The government on Friday published guidance for universities and colleges on dealing with attempts by Muslim extremists to recruit students….(AP, 17 Nov 06)

New Afghan police force deployed

The Afghan government has begun deploying more than 11,000 auxiliary police in the south of the country to combat worsening lawlessness….(BBC, 17 Nov 06)

NATO Chiefs to Urge World Re - Think on Afghanistan

NATO leaders meeting in Riga this month will call on the international community to revamp a haphazard strategy for rebuilding Afghanistan to plug shortcomings in aid efforts…(Reuters, 17 Nov 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 22

…(MEMRI, 17 Nov 06)

They may look like carefree students, but this campus is now a battleground

Once Western pop songs blared out, now only prayers are allowed as Iraqi extremists take over the universities....(Times of London, 17 Nov 06)

Al-Qaeda report focuses on 'Crusaders' in Afghanistan

…The 66-page document devotes great attention to Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the three countries supplying the vast majority of the NATO troops currently deployed in Afghanistan…The organization's latest publication - entitled 'An Analytical Study of the Crusader Forces Occupying Afghanistan' - covers the months of June and July this year….(Radio Netherlands, 17 Nov 06)

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Yahya Safavi on Iranian TV: 'The Americans Have Many Weaknesses'; 'We Have Planned Our Strategy Precisely on the Basis of Their Strengths and Weaknesses'; U.S. Forces in Iraq 'Are Very Cowardly'; 'We Never Reveal All Our Cards to the Enemy'

In an interview on Iran's Channel 2, that aired on November 12, 2006, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi stated that Iran had based its strategy on the U.S. military's strengths and weaknesses…..(MEMRI, 17 Nov 06)

Shiite-Led Iraqi Ministry Seeks Arrest of Top Sunni Cleric

…Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani declared on state television late Thursday that an arrest warrant had been issued for Harith al-Dhari, leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars, one of the most outspoken defenders of Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs after the U.S.-led invasion. "We have proof that he is involved in terrorism," said Brig. Abdul Karim Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman, without elaborating….(Washington Post, 17 Nov 06)

Iraq gov't distances itself from warrant for cleric

Iraq's Shi'ite-led government sought to distance itself on Friday from the issuing of an arrest warrant for the country's most prominent Sunni cleric after Sunni politicians warned it could fuel sectarian tension. Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the warrant for Harith al-Dari was issued by the judiciary, not the government….(Reuters, 17 Nov 06)

Key facts about Iraqi Sunni leader Dari

Five foreigners kidnapped in Iraq

Four Americans and an Austrian have been kidnapped from a convoy of civilians in southern Iraq, US and Iraqi sources have said. The convoy of 19 vehicles, operated by a Kuwaiti security service, was reportedly attacked near Basra as it headed towards Nasiriya on Thursday….(BBC, 17 Nov 06)

Suicide bomber dies attacking Pakistan police

A suicide bomber killed himself in an attack on a police van in the northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar on Friday, but neither of the policemen in the vehicle were hurt…(Reuters, 17 Nov 06)

Militant networks

....The Melbourne-based sheik Mohammed Omran headed the fundamentalist Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association, now regarded as the most radical Islamic group in Australia. His visitor was the Indonesian preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, future head of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah.....(The Australian, 17 Nov 06)

Group Will Sort Terrorism Alerts for Local Governments

A new plan to improve information-sharing about terrorism, signed by President Bush this week and delivered to Congress yesterday, establishes a Washington-based "threat assessment group" that includes federal, state and local officials. It also aims to reduce more than 100 restrictive and confusing categories of "sensitive" federal information to a half-dozen or fewer so local-level officials can better understand what they are told….(Washington Post, 17 Nov 06)

Muslim detained by CIA granted U.S. visa

A German Muslim whose detention and torture by the CIA prompted an apology from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be granted a visa to come to the United States, although he might still be refused entry. "Khaled el-Masri was found inadmissible to the United States on the basis of ... terrorist activities, and issued a visa on the basis of a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security,"…(UPI, 17 Nov 06)

33 Arrested in Visa Investigation
…The arrests, which resulted from an ongoing investigation, came more than a year after a Department of Homeland Security review of the religious worker visa program found widespread fraud….(Washington Post, 17 Nov 06)

NYPD Holds Conference On New Tactics Terrorists Use

NYPD intelligence analysts showed video by aspiring terrorists to private security officers Thursday to demonstrate the kind of detailed surveillance terrorists do before an attack…(New York1, 17 Nov 06)

Violence in Iraq Called Increasingly Complex

…Attempting to describe the enemy, Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, the DIA director, listed "Iraqi nationalists, ex-Baathists, former military, angry Sunni, Jihadists, foreign fighters and al-Qaeda," who create an "overlapping, complex and multi-polar Sunni insurgent and terrorist environment." He added that "Shia militias and Shia militants, some Kurdish pesh merga, and extensive criminal activity further contribute to violence, instability and insecurity."….(Washington Post, 17 Nov 06)

Why I Won’t Veil
I went to Egypt this summer to learn how to speak Arabic. What I learned instead was how to cover up, to be invisible, to preserve my “moral reputation.”....(Harvard Crimson, 17 Nov 06)

Franchising terror, mosque by mosque

....The mosques are recruiters for the jihad and play an important role in ideological subordination and cell discipline. In globalization terms, that's a perfect model. Unlike the Soviets, it's a franchise business rather than owner-operated; the Commies had "deep sleepers" who had to be "controlled" in a very hierarchical chain.....(National Post, 17 Nov 06)

China’s Hu set to offer Pakistan nuclear plants

Chinese President Hu Jintao is poised to unveil an ambitious expansion of nuclear power cooperation with Pakistan when he visits next week, testing China’s balance between Pakistan and its wary neighbor, India. On the first trip to Pakistan by a Chinese president in a decade, Hu is likely to announce that China will help the South Asian nation construct several nuclear plants in coming decades, said analysts and diplomatic sources.“ The political intent is quite certain. The specifics are less certain, but this will be a political gesture above all,” ….(Khaleej Times, 16 Nov 06)

VIDEO: Recruitment Hot Spot for Terror
Al Qaeda turns to the landscape of Pakistan to build their army of terror.

Red Flag

The quiet arrest of a former Iranian diplomat is raising new questions about whether Washington should try to involve Tehran in U.S. plans on Iraq….(Newsweek, 16 Nov 06)

Report: Iranian State Sponsorship of Terror-February 2005 [pdf]

Report: Gitmo Detainees Denied Witnesses

The U.S. military called no witnesses, withheld evidence from detainees and usually reached a decision within a day as it determined that hundreds of men detained at Guantanamo Bay were “enemy combatants,”…(AP, 16 Nov 06)

29 immigrants arrested for visa fraud

…The immigrants, arrested in Boston, New York City, Buffalo, Hartford, Atlanta, St. Paul, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, Va., face civil immigration charges and could be deported if they are found to have violated federal law, said Marc Raimondi, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)…(USA Today, 16 Nov 06)

The Shiite Zarqawi: A Profile of Abu Deraa

Depending on whom you ask, Abu Deraa is either considered a Shiite hero or the Shiite version of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The legendary militant, notorious for his brutal tactics and hatred for Sunnis, is known to operate out of Sadr City…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 16 Nov 06)

Yemen's Al-Iman University: A Pipeline for Fundamentalists?

… Initial reports suggested that the European and Australian suspects, who were accused of smuggling weapons to Islamist militias in Somalia, were students at al-Iman….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 16 Nov 06)

Top Muslim Leader slams U.S. ‘Imperialism’

A top Indonesian Muslim leader Din Syamsuddin has urged his country's government to ensure that the United States does not exploit its relations with Indonesia solely for its own benefit. "Washington treats Jakarta like an inferior partner and the United States' neo-imperialistic policies interfere in the internal affairs of Muslim nations,"…(AKI, 16 Nov 06)

Azeri newspaper chief editor to be jailed for insulting Islam

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office ruled Thursday that the chief editor of a local newspaper be jailed for two months for insulting the Prophet Mohammed in a November 1 article….( RIA Novosti, 16 Nov 06)

Life as a secret Christian convert

Abandoning Islam for Christianity is such a sensitive issue in Malaysia that many converts find themselves leading a secret, double life. "If people know that I've converted to Christianity, they might take the law into their own hands. If they are not broadminded, they might take a stone and throw it at me."…(BBC, 16 Nov 06)

Pakistan Moves Toward Altering Rape Law

After months of delay, the Pakistani government on Wednesday finally pushed legislation through the lower house of Parliament to amend rape laws that human rights advocates say have led to punishment for thousands of innocent victims….(New York Times, 16 Nov 06)

Al-Qaeda's 'satanic terror' on Shi'ites

Al-Qaeda is exerting an "almost satanic terror" among Shi'ite groups whose militias have greatly escalated violence in Iraq, the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency says….(AAP, 16 Nov 06)

UK's Blair to unveil terrorism measures in weeks

Britain will propose new anti-terrorism measures by the end of the year that may include a plan to extend the time police can hold suspects without charge, Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday….(Reuters, 16 Nov 06)

Turkey Fears New Homegrown Terror Threat

…More than 60 Turkish militants, including several snipers, are known to be fighting in Iraq, an intelligence officer and two senior police officials in charge of anti-terrorism efforts said in interviews with The Associated Press…(AP, 16 Nov 06)

Spain, France, Italy Push Mideast Plan

…The five-point blueprint closely mirrors a deal the moderate Palestinian president is offering Hamas to form a national unity government and makes no explicit reference to requiring Hamas to recognize Israel _ a key sticking point blocking the resumption of Western aid to the impoverished Palestinians…..(AP, 16 Nov 06)

APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force to focus on aviation security in 2007

The APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) will focus its work on ensuring aviation security next year, aiming to minimize terrorism risks, according to a press release issued on Thursday in Hanoi by the task force….(Xinhua, 16 Nov 06)

Pak-Russian consensus on strategy against terrorism

Pakistan and Russia Thursday agreed to further expand the cooperation in various fields including trade, economic, oil and gas and defense….(The News, 16 Nov 06)

Ideology Is Al Qaeda's Achilles' Heel: Study

…The 364-page study, published by the RAND Corp. think tank, described al Qaeda's Islamist ideology of violent resistance as a “global revolutionary creeda” akin to the Marxism-Leninism philosophy that the West defeated with “a robust political warfare” campaign during the Cold War….(Reuters, 16 Nov 06)

Beyond al-Qaeda: Part 1, The Global Jihadist Movement [pdf]

Beyond al-Qaeda: Part 2, The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe [pdf]

Resurgent Taliban strangles southern heartland

…But the prosperity is deceptive in the city where the Taliban was born, now a centre of violence amid a resurgence by the hardline Islamist group five years after it was toppled from power by U.S.-led forces…..(Reuters, 16 Nov 06)

Taliban, Al-Qaeda Resurge In Afghanistan, CIA Says

…Five years after the United States drove al-Qaeda and the Taliban from Afghanistan, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, director of the CIA, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that both groups are back, waging a "bloody insurgency" in the south and east of the country….(Washington Post, 16 Nov 06)

As Pressure for Talks Grows, Iran and Syria Gain Leverage

The White House is under growing pressure to talk to Iran and Syria to help stabilize Iraq, but mounting violence in Iraq and the Bush administration's political woes give the negotiating edge to Tehran and Damascus and complicate any U.S. outreach….(Washington Post, 16 Nov 06)

Sectarian Strife in Iraq Imperils Entire Region, Analysts Warn

...Whether the U.S. military departs Iraq sooner or later, the United States will be hard-pressed to leave behind a country that does not threaten U.S. interests and regional peace, according to U.S. and Arab analysts and political observers….(Washington Post, 16 Nov 06)

Pakistan Test - Fires Medium - Range Missile

Pakistan said it successfully test-fired a new version of its nuclear-capable medium-range missile Thursday -- a show of power a day after peace talks with India that were criticized by domestic hard-liners….(AP, 16 Nov 06)

Unleash the Shiites?

…A U.S. tilt toward the Shiites is a risky strategy, one that could further alienate Iraq's Sunni neighbors and that could backfire by driving its Sunni population into common cause with foreign jihadists and Al Qaeda cells….(LA Times, 16 Nov 06)

Afghan violence 'likely to rise'

A top American defense official has warned that the level of violence in Afghanistan will go on rising. General Michael Maples said that insurgents had expanded their operations and abilities even while incurring serious combat losses….(BBC, 16 Nov 06)

Casablanca Jihadist Cell is Busted

Authorities in Morocco say they have destroyed a Jiihadist cell consisting of 13 militants based in the city of Casablanca. In a raid on the safehouse used by the militants who called themselves "Group for Monotheism and Jihad"…(AKI, 16 Nov 06)

The Islamic State of Iraq Denies Capture of Leader in South Baghdad, and Warns of a Severe Response to America Actions in al-Ramadi

Responses to a claim by the “Crusader army” of arresting a Mujahid leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, and to the purported slaughtering of the citizens of al-Ramadi by American forces, were made by the Ministry of Information of the Islamic State of Iraq in two statements issued today, Thursday, November 16, 2006…(SITE, 16 Nov 06)

Pak hardliners attack joint terror deal

The hardliners in Pakistan have criticized the Indo-Pak agreement on anti-terror cooperation, saying that the Indian side is trying to point scores over Pakistan by giving an impression to the world that it was not an even-handed and equitable bilateral arrangement accord….(DNA India, 16 Nov 06)

Talks by India and Pakistan Make No Gains on Train Blasts

Peace talks between India and Pakistan, which had stalled after the bombings of commuter trains in Mumbai in July, limped forward this week, as senior officials from both countries met here for two days to discuss issues….(New York Times, 16 Nov 06)

Iraq minister says some hostages tortured, killed

…The comments from Abd Dhiab, who also said some 70 hostages were still missing, underlined the rifts in the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has insisted that all but a handful of around 40 hostages have been freed….(Reuters, 16 Nov 06)

Motassadeq Guilty on 246 Counts of Abetting Murder

Germany's highest appellate court on Thursday overruled a previous verdict against Hamburg terror cell suspect Mounir el Motassadeq. New charges were added to his conviction: 246 counts of abetting murder.….(Spiegel, 16 Nov 06)

Hamburg student guilty over 9/11 plot

Illegal immigration presents far less of a terrorist threat than its legal counterpart, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency said on Thursday, pointing to the patterns of attacks perpetrated in Europe and the US since the beginning of the decade…..(Financial Times, 16 Nov 06)

Indonesia: Muslim admits beheading Christian girls

A suspected Islamic militant told judges Wednesday he took part in the beheadings of three Christian girls on an Indonesian island wracked by sectarian violence because he wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims….(AP, Jerusalem Post, 15 Nov 06)

Qaeda Leaders Losing Sway Over Militants, Study Finds

...In a study billed as the “first systematic mapping” of an ideology sometimes called jihadism, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has found that Mr. bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, have had a relatively minor influence on the movement’s intellectual foundation. Among the network’s ideologists, they have come to be seen more as propagandists than strategic thinkers...The report found that radical Islam, sometimes called Salafism, is so deeply embedded in the Arab world that Salafis now constitute a “majority or significant portion” of the Muslim population in the Middle East and North Africa.….(New York Times, 15 Nov 06)

The Taliban are making effective use of training and recruitment videos as propaganda in the fight against NATO troops.

…In just one year, militants have issued thousands of copies of nearly 50 different video CDs designed to recruit suicide bombers for targeting NATO troops in Afghanistan….(Newsline, 15 Nov 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 21

….(MEMRI, 15 Nov 06)

$1 Billion from U.S. to Fight Terror

Pakistan received about 1.1 billion dollars last year from the United States for the logistical support it provided for the counter-terrorism operations, including its own military operation mainly in Waziristan and other tribal areas along the Durand line, according to a recent report of the Asian Development Bank….(AKI, 15 Nov 06)

US Spy Chief Warns of Long Commitment in Afghanistan

The head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency says it will take many years and billions of dollars to stabilize Afghanistan…(Voice of America, 15 Nov 06)

Iran tried to swap guns for Somali uranium

…A report given to the Security Council today finds that Iran is one of seven countries breaking a UN arms embargo by providing weapons to the Islamic radicals who control most of southern and central Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu….(Telegraph, 15 Nov 06)

U.N. Report Cites Outside Military Aid to Somalia's Islamic Forces

...The report asserts that a huge inflow of outside military assistance, in violation of a U.N. arms embargo, is contributing to the emergence of an alliance of militants called the Islamic Courts Union as the first Islamic government since the United States overthrew Afghanistan's Taliban in 2002. It warns that Somalia could become the site of insurgency tactics used in Iraq, including "suicide bombers, assassinations and other forms of terrorist and insurgent-type activities."…(Washington Post, 15 Nov 06)

Leading member of Muslim extremist group working at the Home Office

…Abid Javaid is a 'senior executive officer' in the IT department at the scandal-hit Immigration and Nationality Directorate which processes tens of thousands of asylum and visa applications every year. But he is also an activist in the fundamentalist Islamic group Hizb-ut Tahrir which believes in a worldwide Islamic state under Shariah law….(Daily Mail, 15 Nov 06)

Al - Jazeera's English Channel to Hit

Ten years after launching an Arabic-language network that angered leaders in the region and in Washington, Al-Jazeera on Wednesday was unveiling an English broadcast available in more than 80 million homes but lacking major U.S. distribution….(AP, 15 Nov 06)

U.N. Says Somalis Helped Hezbollah Fighters

More than 700 Islamic militants from Somalia traveled to Lebanon in July to fight alongside Hezbollah in its war against Israel, a United Nations report says. The militia in Lebanon returned the favor by providing training and — through its patrons Iran and Syria — weapons to the Islamic alliance struggling for control of Somalia, it adds. …(New York Times, 15 Nov 06)

Hate videos of Muslim group they failed to ban

A Muslim organization which the Government chose not to ban is preaching hatred and has infiltrated the Home Office…Hizb ut-Tahrir is showing inflammatory videos to small groups of followers then encouraging them to attack non-believers…..(Telegraph, 15 Nov 06)

Bakri 'supports terror on internet'

Exiled Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed is allegedly using a variety of pseudonyms to broadcast support for terrorism in the UK via the internet…Bakri, who was banned from the UK last August, apparently praised the July 7 bombers and, in a chatroom conversation, appeared to advocate an attack on Dublin airport…(Guardian, 15 Nov 06)

Azerbaijan Paper Investigated For Criticizing Islam

Azerbaijani prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into an Azerbaijani newspaper, after it published an article that said Islam was blocking humanity's development….(AP, 15 Nov 06)

Qods (Jerusalem) Day in Iran: 'The Nation of Muslims Must Prepare for the Great War So As to Completely Wipe Out the Zionist Regime and to Remove This Cancerous Growth'

On the occasion of Qods (Jerusalem) Day, which was observed this year in Iran on October 20, 2006, several conservative Iranian newspapers published editorials praising the resistance against Israel and urging Israel's destruction…(MEMRI, 15 Nov 06)

Iraqi Researcher Living in Europe on Al-Jazeera TV: The Nobel Peace Prize is Racist; 'Why Has the Prize Been Awarded to 167 Jews and Only 4 Arabs... All Considered Traitors?'; The Prize Stems from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion

The following are excerpts from an interview with Samir 'Ubeid, an Iraqi researcher living in Europe, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on October 31, 2006…(MEMRI, 15 Nov 06)

Car bomb in Baghdad kills 11 and wounds dozens

A car bomb exploded in a parking lot in central Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 11 people and wounding 32…(AP/Jerusalem Post, 15 Nov 06)

Dispute over Iraq hostage numbers

A dispute has broken out between Iraqi officials over the number of hostages seized by gunmen in a raid on government offices in Baghdad….(BBC, 15 Nov 06)

39 Are Released After Kidnapping, Iraqi Official Says

…Ali Dabbagh, the official spokesman for the Iraqi government, said that it appeared that far fewer people had been seized at the education ministry annex than had been originally feared Tuesday, when estimates of the number of victims ranged as high as 150…(New York Times, 15 Nov 06)

Chertoff, Democrats agree to weigh border fence alternatives

The House Homeland Security Committee's top Democrats and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday they will look at alternatives to building more fencing along the nation's borders…(Congress Daily, 15 Nov 06)

U.S. Intel Chiefs Paint a Grim Picture of Iraq

…General Michael Hayden, director of the CIA, warned at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the sectarian violence between Iraq's Shia and Sunnis has gotten so out of hand it "now presents the greatest immediate threat to Iraq's stability and future."…(Time Magazine, 15 Nov 06)

AM - Kiribati seeks Australian help to counter terrorism

The tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati wants Australia's help to counter terrorism after US authorities uncovered a bizarre plot to a set up a flight training school on one of its remote islands. The FBI suspects the man behind it, Wolfgang Bohringer, may have had links with 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta…(ABC, 15 Nov 06)

Man with Sept 11 links set up flight school

US authorities have uncovered a plot to set up a flight training school in the Pacific nation of Kiribati and suspect the man behind it may have had links to September 11 mastermind Mohammed Atta….(Australian, 15 Nov 06)

Countries not doing enough on terrorism: Interpol

…Ron Noble, Interpol's secretary general, cited a failure by security forces to check properly the passports of foreigners against its global database of stolen or fraudulent documents…(Reuters, 15 Nov 06)

India, Pakistan agree panel to tackle terrorism

India and Pakistan said on Wednesday they had finalized plans to set up a panel to tackle terrorism in the two countries, ending their first peace talks in nearly a year with hopes that the new system would curb tensions….(Reuters, 15 Nov 06)

Islamists in Tajik terrorism trial

A group of men accused of terrorism went on trial in Tajikistan on Wednesday in the latest crackdown on suspected members of an Islamist extremist group banned in Central Asia….(Reuters, 15 Nov 06)

Senate to Take Up Biological Threats
The Senate is moving to take up legislation as soon as this week revamping a struggling multibillion-dollar effort to counter bioterrorism threats with a national stockpile of new vaccines and other drugs….(Washington Post 15 Nov 06)

NBC: Where Taliban, al-Qaida cross-fertilize

…Jim Maceda is on assignment in Pakistan and Afghanistan reporting on the unruly tribal area between the two nations. In a Q&A, he discusses the threat presented by the resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistan and the organization's close ties to al-Qaida…..(NBC, 15 Nov 06)

Anti-Castro Activist Gets 4 Years

U.S. District Judge James Cohn imposed a 46-month term on wealthy developer Santiago Alvarez, a key benefactor of jailed Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles, for conspiring to possess arms including machine guns and a grenade launcher…(AP, 14 Nov 06)

Hezbollah Denounces Alleged Attempt to Turn Lebanon into a 'New Iraq'

Three months after the end of the Israeli/Hezbollah war, there is growing tension between Hezbollah and the "March 14" anti-Syrian political coalition that dominates the Lebanese government….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Nov 06)

British Terrorist Dhiren Barot's Research on Radiological Weapons

After returning from his militant adventures in Kashmir, recently sentenced British terrorist Dhiren Barot recounted his experiences in the book The Army of Madinah in Kashmir….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Nov 06)

A Rewarding Month for Al-Qaeda and its Allies

…The first half of November, however, provides an opportunity for at least a snapshot assessment that suggests that, at this moment, al-Qaeda and its allies are winning the larger conflict….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Nov 06)

Saudi Arabia Interdicts Large Quantities of Weapons at its Borders

According to a November 6 report in al-Sharq al-Awsat, Saudi authorities have recently made sizable seizures of large quantities of weapons and explosives at the kingdom's borders, including its border with Iraq….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Nov 06)

Witness Is Silent in Terror Probe

…Former Florida professor Sami al-Arian declined to answer questions before a federal grand jury in Alexandria last month, according to documents unsealed in federal court in Tampa. Arian, who was acquitted in one of the nation's highest-profile terrorism cases but then pleaded guilty to a single charge, believes his life would be in danger if he testified, his attorneys told a judge.….(Washington Post, 14 Nov 06)

U.S. Defends Legal Limits For Detainees

Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration argued yesterday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees….(AP, 14 Nov 06)

Gunmen Kidnap Government Staff in Baghdad

…Estimates of the number of kidnapped varied widely, with a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior putting the number at between 30 and 40 and the department of higher education saying anywhere between 70 and 150 men were missing.…..(New York Times, 14 Nov 06)

Bullet-riddled corpses found in Baghdad

Police around the Iraqi capital found 46 bullet-riddled corpses, many of them tortured, of men shot to death in apparent sectarian attacks…(Agence France-Presse, 14 Nov 06)

Mass kidnapping at ministry closes Baghdad universities

Armed men wearing military-style uniforms have kidnapped around 100 people from the higher education ministry in the Iraqi capital, bringing teaching at Baghdad universities to a halt. Higher Education Minister Abed Dhiab al-Ujaili said university professors would stop teaching after what he condemned as a criminal and terrorist act aimed at destroying higher education in Iraq….(Agence France-Presse, 14 Nov 06)

Iran plotting to groom bin Laden's successor

…Western intelligence officials say the Iranians are determined to take advantage of bin Laden's declining health to promote senior officials who are known to be friendly to Teheran…..(Telegraph, 14 Nov 06)

German criticises Lebanese terrorism inquiry
…Germany narrowly avoided its first major attack by Islamists when the two bombs on separate trains failed to explode on July 31. It arrested one chief suspect and Lebanon detained the other, Jihad Hamad….(DPA, 14 Nov 06)

Toll of Civilians NATO Killed Was Worst Since It Took Over

A joint NATO and Afghan investigation has found that a nighttime NATO air attack killed 31 civilians in southern Afghanistan last month, the highest civilian death toll since NATO took over security in the south in August….(New York Times, 14 Nov 06)

Anti-terror panel in focus at India-Pakistan

The two-day talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors are expected to set up a system to combat terrorism….(Reuters, 14 Nov 06)

Judith Miller Backs Israelis In Trial Over Aid to Hamas

…Salah, 53, and former Howard University professor Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, are charged in a federal racketeering indictment with providing money and fresh recruits to the Palestinian group Hamas in its campaign to topple the state of Israel…(AP, 14 Nov 06)

Australia repeats intent to seek Hicks return if charges not laid soon
The Australian government will request the return of Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks if the US fails to charge him under the revised military commissions framework, Australia's attorney general told a meeting of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) Monday….(Jurist, 14 Nov 06)

Pakistan Votes to Roll Back Islamic Law on Rape

Pakistan's lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to put the crime of rape under the civil penal code, curtailing the scope of Islamic laws that rights groups have long criticized as unfair to women….(Reuters, 15 Nov 06)

Iran 'is training the next al-Qa'eda leaders'

...Recent intelligence reports from Iran suggest the Iranians are particularly keen to promote Saif-al-Adel, a notorious al-Qa'eda operative who is wanted in the United States for his alleged role in training several of the September 11 hijackers. Al-Adel, 46, a former colonel in Egypt's special forces who joined al-Qa'eda after fighting with the Mujahideen against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, was named in the FBI's list of 22 most wanted terrorists that was issued after the September 11 attacks….(Telegraph, 14 Nov 06)

The battle of ideas within Islam

…Are Muslims more prone to violence? Indeed, are Muslims too sensitive about their religion? There certainly are those within the "Western world", particularly in the United States, who feel a stifled political environment and economic stagnation contribute to the broadening of the call to jihad, particularly in the Middle East….(Eureka Street, 14 Nov 06)

Islamic countries 'are being wrongly linked to terrorism'

Gulf Cooperation Council countries have decided to form a permanent Counter-Terrorism Committee to help further enhance coordinated efforts in the fight against terrorism….(Gulf-News, 14 Nov 06)

Is Apple Computer Insulting Islam?

…This "new insult to Islam" is a cube-shaped building where customers enjoy test-driving the various lines of Apple computers and peripherals in an ultramodern but cozy environment. Within the store, they can even stop by the "Genius Bar," not for a shot of scotch but to benefit from the knowledge of an expert Apple support rep….(TCS Daily, 14 Nov 06)

Hezbollah chief says Lebanon government "will go"
The Western-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will soon be ousted and replaced by a "clean" cabinet, the leader of pro-Syrian Hezbollah was quoted on Tuesday as saying….(Reuters, 14 Nov 06)

Pakistan Govt could challenge Taliban-style NWFP Bill in court

Pakistan Government could challenge in Supreme Court a controversial Bill passed by the North West Frontier Province Assembly to impose Taliban-style religious rules…(Zee News, 14 Nov 06)

Afghanistan heroin production soars

Heroin production has rocketed in Afghanistan over the past five years despite the presence of NATO troops. Afghanistan supplies almost 90 per cent of the world's heroin and a record opium harvest, the raw material for the drug, is expected this year….(ITV, 14 Nov 06)

World Leaders Release Plan for Resolving East-West Rift

Leaders from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds on Monday announced a United Nations initiative to resolve the conflict between the West and the Muslim world….(New York Times, 14 Nov 06)

Pakistan Link Seen in Afghan Suicide Attacks

Afghan and NATO security forces have recently rounded up several men like Hafiz Daoud Shah, a 21-year-old unemployed Afghan refugee who says he drove across the border to Afghanistan in September in a taxi with three other would-be suicide bombers….(New York Times, 14 Nov 06)

UBS, C.Suisse to end dollar deals with Iran -paper

Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse and London-based HSBC will suspend dollar-based transactions with Iran and individual Iranians within the next few days, an Iranian newspaper said on Monday. The United States has been trying to isolate Iran financially by pressing international banks to cut ties with Tehran…(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

Court Refuses Request in U.S. Man's Case

…Muhammad Munaf has been in military custody in Iraq since last year. He was sentenced to death last month by an Iraqi judge for his role in the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Baghdad. He claimed his trial was flawed and his confession was coerced….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Bid to get Hicks back if no charges laid

…if no charges were brought against Hicks, the Government would do the same as it did for fellow Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib and ask for him to be sent back to Australia….(Sydney Morning Herald, 13 Nov 06)

Vietnam Frees U.S. Citizen Convicted of Terrorism

A U.S. citizen convicted of terrorism in a Vietnamese court has been released and will arrive today in the United States, her daughter said yesterday. The case of Orlando resident Thuong Nguyen "Cuc" Foshee had complicated efforts by the Bush administration to pass a major trade bill with Vietnam…(Washington Post, 13 Nov 06)

Appellate panel to hear arguments in LAX millennium bomb plot sentencing

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are challenging aspects of the 22-year sentence imposed on Ahmed Ressam for plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the millennium….(LA Times, 13 Nov 06)

Calif. Suspect in Threats Due in Court

A man suspected of mailing more than a dozen threatening letters containing white powder to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Jon Stewart and other high-profile figures was in custody and awaiting a court appearance….(AP. 13 Nov 06)

New Figure Emerges in Spain Train Bombings

Spanish police say they have identified a Moroccan man who first claimed responsibility for the deadly 11 March 2004 bomb attacks on commuter trains in Spain's capital, Madrid, which killed 191 people and injured over 1,000, Spanish daily El Pais reported. The paper named the man as Mohammed Oulad Akcha….(AKI, 13 Nov 06)

U.S.: Senior al Qaeda leader captured in Afghanistan

…Abu Nasir al-Qahtani was among six people arrested last Monday during a raid by coalition and Afghan forces in Khost province…(CNN, 13 Nov 06)

Bomb kills 35 as Iraq presses US to withdraw

A double suicide bombing outside a Baghdad police base killed 35 people yesterday as a Shia MP revealed that the Iraqi Government had started to put pressure on United States forces to leave the capital. …(Times Online, 13 Nov 06)

Bus bomb kills 20 in Baghdad

….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Blasts Kill Dozens of Iraqi Police Recruits
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives Sunday as a crowd of men gathered in front of a police recruiting center in central Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and wounding 56 in one of the deadliest suicide attacks in Iraq this year….(Washington Post, 13 Nov 06)

Insurgent Activity Spikes in Afghanistan

Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year, and militants now launch more than 600 attacks a month, a rising wave of violence that has resulted in 3,700 deaths in 2006…(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Dial-in sex abounds in Taliban heartland

… The heaviest fighting in five years has slowed reconstruction to a crawl in the deserts and oases of Kandahar, where the strict Islamist Taliban movement began in 1994, but pornography, opium and illegal alcohol are flourishing….(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

Saddam and the History of Islam
Will there be a realization in the ummah of what has befallen it with death sentence for Saddam given by a court whose judges are appointed not by the people of Iraq but by an external aggressor?...(Kashmir Herald, 13 Nov 06)

APEC Set to Approve Counter - Terrorism Pact

…Achieving a consensus among the 21 nations of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on the measure was not easy, said Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung, who chaired a conference of senior officials preparing for this week's APEC meetings in Hanoi….(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

Security Tightened at Indian Airports

…The FBI informed Indian intelligence the threat, which said there were plans to hijack a U.S.- or Europe-bound flight from India, the CNN-IBN television station reported….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Prosecutors Deny Padilla Torture Claims

Federal prosecutors on Monday denied claims by suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla that he was tortured during his 3 1/2 years in military custody as an enemy combatant….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Guantanamo detention cases must be dismissed: U.S.

…In papers filed with a U.S. appeals court in Washington, Justice Department attorneys gave their most detailed argument yet that the cases must be dismissed because of the tough anti-terrorism law signed by President George W. Bush last month….(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

US 'open to Iran talks on Iraq'

The White House has indicated it will consider talking to Iran and Syria about the future of Iraq….(BBC, 13 Nov 06)

In New Middle East, Tests for an Old Friendship

…Although Israel was grateful to see Saddam Hussein overthrown, officials here have long focused on what they consider a much bigger concern: preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons….(New York Times, 13 Nov 06)

America Labels Iran, Hezbollah A ‘Global Nexus of Terrorism'

America kept up its verbal onslaught on Iran and Hezbollah over the weekend, describing the two as a "dangerous, global nexus of terrorism," but behind the scenes, the Bush administration is thought to be looking for ways to re-establish a relationship with Tehran….(Daily Telegraph, 13 Nov 06)

Envoy: Islamic Extremists Seek Weapons

Islamic extremists, including members of al-Qaida, have tried to acquire chemical or radiological weapons to use in attacks against Britain and other Western targets, a senior British diplomat said Monday….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

U.S. drops Vietnam from religious intolerance list

The United States on Monday dropped Vietnam from its list of nations that severely violate religious freedom ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush, citing improvement in its tolerance for religious expression….(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

As Taliban insurgency gains strength and sophistication, suspicion falls on Pakistan

Five years ago today the Taliban vanished from Kabul and a liberated city exploded with joy. As the turbaned Islamists scurried, whooping residents rushed on to the streets. Men queued to have their beards shaved, some women removed their burkas and Radio Kabul played music for the first time in years - announced by a woman…(Guardian, 13 Nov 06)

Lebanon crisis deepens, cabinet meets

…Environment Minister Yacoub Sarraf, a supporter of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, resigned after five Shi'ite Muslim ministers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, quit over the failure of talks on their demands for effective veto power in the government….(Reuters, 13 Nov 06)

Influence Rises but Base Frays for Iraqi Cleric

…For years an angry outsider, Mr. Sadr, 33, has moved deep into the inner sanctum of the Iraqi government largely because his followers make up the biggest and most volatile Shiite militia. Now, after more than a year in power, he and his top lieutenants are firmly part of the establishment, a position that has brought new comfort and wealth.…(New York Times, 13 Nov 06)

Islamic coalition proposes Taliban-style anti-vice department in northwestern Pakistan

…The law establishes a unit led by an Islamic cleric to promote virtue and eliminate vice, with a separate police force to implement its orders. According to the legislation, the department would help fight government corruption, eliminate child labor, and ensure rights for women and religious minorities….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

'Taleban law' passed in Pakistan

Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has passed a bill setting up a Taleban-style department under a cleric to enforce Islamic morality. It gives the new department the power to use the police and media for the promotion of Islamic values. …(BBC, 13 Nov 06)

al-Qaeda intensifies recruitment online
Student group voiced apprehensions on reports and observations that the al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist cells are increasing their use of the Internet, thus further "touching base and bridging the gap" with more terrorist organizations from other foreign soils…..(Sun-Star, 13 Nov 06)

Islamist Hackers to Target Airline Site

Islamic hackers are targeting the internet website of Morocco's aircarrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM), after it reportedly prohibited workers from praying within the company's premises during working hours and banned the veil for its female employees. Internet messages posted on Islamic fundamentalist websites called for an attack on the website of the airline…(AKI, 13 Nov 06)

Al-Qaida threatens to topple Lebanon govt.

Al-Qaida has purportedly issued a statement threatening to topple Lebanon's "corrupt" Western-backed government...The Al-Hayat newspaper reported that al-Qaida issued the statement from the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon….(AP, 13 Nov 06)

Terror groups vow to attack US targets

...The threat, the second of its kind in the past few days, was included in a statement issued by the Popular Resistance Committees, Fatah's Aksa Martyrs Brigades, Abu Rish Brigades [another Fatah militia] and a hitherto unknown group calling itself Brigades of Tawhid. The groups warned the Americans that "by supporting Israel's war crimes and massacres, you have turned yourselves into a legitimate target for all Palestinians and Muslims." …(Jerusalem Post, 12 Nov 06)

Violence in Iraq claims at least 159

The Shiite prime minister promised Sunday to reshuffle his Cabinet after calling lawmakers disloyal and blaming Sunni Muslims for raging sectarian violence that claimed at least 159 more lives, including 35 men blown apart while waiting to join Iraq's police force….(AP, 12 Nov 06)

75 Bodies Found in Baghdad, Baqouba

…The spiraling sectarian violence has put al-Maliki under intense pressure. Responding to questions from lawmakers during a more-than one-hour closed session, he ordered them to stop criticizing his government and declare their loyalty to a unified Iraq _ not their religious sects or political parties….(AP, 12 Nov 06)

Islamic Militants Claim Capture of Town

Islamic militants said they captured a town in central Somalia on Sunday after they came under attack from pro-government militiamen backed by troops from Ethiopia and a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia….(AP, 12 Nov 06)

Saudi Arabia: Iraq a Major Terror Base

Saudi Arabia's interior minister on Sunday called Iraq a major base for terrorism, a sign of growing alarm over the neighboring country where U.S. forces are struggling to prevent Sunni-Shiite violence from escalating into full-scale civil war. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif said the situation in Iraq is deteriorating daily and the country has become a threat to the whole region….(AP, 12 Nov 06)

New Clicks in the Arab World

…Farhan is part of a growing wave of young Arabs who have turned to blogging to bypass the restrictions on free expression in a predominantly authoritarian, conservative and Muslim region….(Washington Post, 12 Nov 06)

The stage of the world is all set for Islam

“The stage of the world is all set for Islam. The anti Islam culture is under final stages. Now the situation in American culture is coming to an end….(Sahil Online, 12 Nov 06)

Islamists infiltrate four universities

…Sheikh Musa Admani believes fundamentalists are bypassing campus bans on groups with radical links by presenting themselves as “ordinary Muslims” to fellow students or forming societies with alternative names. …(Times Online, 12 Nov 06)

UK's PM Blair to unveil law package

…Strengthening anti-terrorism powers, tackling lower-level crime, controlling immigration and cutting greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming will dominate his plans.…(Reuters, 12 Nov 06)

Iraq defends general U.S. says is sectarian

Iraq's Defense Ministry on Sunday rejected charges by U.S. military commanders that a general in the volatile Diyala province was targeting Sunni leaders and turning a blind eye to Shi'ite death squads….(Reuters, 12 Nov 06)

Hamas accepts peace conference proposal

The Hamas-led Palestinian government agreed Sunday to an international peace conference with Israel after the Arab League — angered by Israel's military offensive in Gaza — voted to end a financial blockade on the Palestinians….(AP, 12 Nov 06)

Pakistan PM: U.S. attacks within borders unacceptable

Pakistan is an ally of the United States in its war on terrorism but cannot abide U.S. strikes on militants within its borders, a Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday….(Reuters, 12 Nov 06)

Thirty years after Edward Said's groundbreaking "Orientalism," a British scholar responds.

DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE: Orientalism and Its Discontents, by Robert Irwin

....Said argued that it was, in fact, a highly politicized concept, the umbrella term for a kind of intellectual -- fostering racism, justifying Western interference in largely Muslim nations, and generally controlling how the West perceived the Middle East....The book proved wildly successful and made the young Said a star of the academy and of what has come to be called cultural studies.....(Washington Post, 12 Nov 06)

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