CT Studies | Counterterrorism News for August 26-September 1, 2007

Intelligence & Counterterrorism News for the week of:

August 26-September 1, 2007

Three dozen members of one Christian church in Iraq disappeared over the course of a week, and only one returned, according to a minister who is warning of the increase of persecution of Christians in that violence-ridden nation. The warning from Rev. Canon Andrew White is being reported by Voice of the Martyrs, the ministry to persecuted Christians around the world…..(World Net Daily, 1 Sep 07)

FBI Looks Overseas After Threats Phoned to Stores, Banks in U.S.

The FBI is looking overseas for suspects who have phoned bomb threats to more than 26 grocery stores, banks and discount stores in 17 states, including Virginia. The callers have threatened to set off a bomb unless store employees wire money to an account abroad. At a Dillons grocery store in Hutchinson, Kan., the caller ordered customers and workers to take off their clothes and threatened to force them to cut off a manager's fingers. Store workers have been so frightened in at least five cases that they've wired thousands of dollars to the caller…..(AP, 1 Sep 07)

Easier Detention for Terror Suspect

A federal judge has ordered a terrorism-support suspect transferred from solitary confinement to more typical pretrial detention. Mohammed Warsame, a Canadian of Somali descent, was attending college in Minneapolis in 2003 when FBI agents questioned him about time he allegedly spent in two terrorist training camps in Afghanistan three years earlier. He was arrested as a material witness and indicted on charges of conspiring to provide material support to Al-Qaida and of lying to federal agents about traveling to Afghanistan and sending $2,000 to an associate there….(AP, 1 Sep 07)

Minnesota-based Website Tells How to Join Al Qaeda, Kill High Value Targest

The Middle East Media Research Institute has a disturbing and interesting new report on an Islamist website hosted in Minnesota telling people how to join al Qaeda, how to attack high value targets and how to form a functioning cell. As has previously been discussed here and elsewhere, the decentralized nature of the current incarnation of al Qaeda is stressed, including the ability to form a jihad cell wherever one is, without ever meeting anyone from the formal al Qaeda structure. The document is aimed at recruits outside the United States, possibly those seeking to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan. “You feel that you want to carry a weapon, fight, and kill the occupiers, and that it is our duty to call for jihad as much as to call for prayer… All that is required is a firm personal decision to fulfill this obligation, and participation in jihad and the resistance,”…..(Douglas Farah, 31 Aug 07)

Islamist Websites Hosted in Minnesota on How to Join Al-Qaeda, Form a Jihad Cell, and Select a Western Target – '[Is] Assassinating the American Ambassador... Difficult For Someone Who Has Already Crushed America in Her Own Home?'

On August 26, Islamist websites hosted in Minnesota [SiteGenie, LLC, Rochester, MN] posted an item titled "How to Join Al-Qaeda." It is not clear when the item was written; it was produced by the website Al-Thabitoun 'Ala Al-'Ahd, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Egypt and is currently inactive. The item calls on every Muslim to regard jihad as a personal duty and to take initiative to establish a jihad cell without waiting for recognition from Al-Qaeda….(MEMRI, 31 Aug 07)

Indicted USF Student has Terror Past in Egypt

…Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives. According to officials familiar with the case, Mohamed has been arrested previously in Egypt on terrorism-related charges. He is said to have produced an Internet video showing how to build a remote-controlled car bomb. Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, also an engineering student, were stopped for speeding Aug. 4 in Goose Creek, S.C., where they have been held on state charges. Police found pipe bombs in their car near a Navy base in South Carolina where enemy combatants have been held…..(IPT, 31 Aug 07)

Indictment: US vs Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed & Youssef Samir Meghed

Taleban vows to abduct more foreigners
Taleban militants vowed to abduct more foreigners after ending a six-week hostage drama by releasing the last seven of a group of kidnapped South Koreans under a deal with the Seoul government. We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful,’ Taleban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told the Associated Press via cell phone from an undisclosed location…..(AP, 31 Aug 07)

Marriages split al Qaeda alliance

Iraq's Sunni tribes began turning against al Qaeda when the largely foreign-run terrorist organization tried to arrange forced marriages with local women to secure their foothold in the country, according to a top counterterrorism adviser to the U.S. coalition in Iraq. Australian Col. David Kilcullen, who just completed a tour as senior counterinsurgency aide to U.S. commander Gen. David H. Petraeus in Baghdad, said in an extensive analysis that the decision by the Sunni tribes to break with al Qaeda could prove a major — if unanticipated — boost to President Bush's surge strategy in the country……(Washington Times, 31 Aug 07)

Europe at the center of mullahs’ spy ring

In an interview with the Luxemburger Wort, a national daily in Luxemburg, the chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Mohammad Mohaddessin called on EU to put pressure on the mullahs’ regime instead of imposing restrictions on the Iranian opposition…The Luxemburger Wort in its article titled: “Europe at the Center of the mullahs’ spy ring,” wrote about the warnings of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran on the conspiracies of the regime against the Iranian Resistance in Europe where the high ranking German politicians also affirm Mohadesin’s claims on the spread of disinformation by the Iranian regime. At the beginning of the world cup games in Germany, Gunther Beckstein, the Interior Minister of Bavaria province stated that it is a classical intelligence method of the Iranian regime to blame the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) for terrorist activities. ….(NCR-Iran, 31 Aug 07)

Report Showing Rise in Iran’s Nuclear Activity Exposes Split Between U.S. and U.N.

A report released Thursday showing a slow but steady expansion of Iran’s nuclear technology has exposed a new divide between United Nations arms inspectors and the United States and its allies over how to contain Tehran’s atomic program. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in its report that Iran was being unusually cooperative and had reached an agreement with the agency to answer questions about an array of suspicious past nuclear activities that have led many nations to suspect it harbors a secret effort to make nuclear arms…..(New York Times, 31 Aug 07)

IAEA: Iran Cooperating In Nuclear Investigation

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency gave an upbeat assessment of Iranian cooperation with international inspectors in a new report Thursday that could make it more difficult for the United States to win tougher U.N. sanctions against Iran. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna also concluded that while Iran continues to enrich uranium in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, its fuel enrichment plant has produced "well below the expected quantity for a facility of this design." The quality of the uranium also was lower than expected…..(Washington Post, 31 Aug 07)

Moroccan immigrant files lawsuit against prosecutor in Detroit terrorism case

...Karim Koubriti, 28, who was held for three years, is alleging violation of his federal civil rights as a result of malicious prosecution by Richard Convertino…..(AP, 31 Aug 07)

Republicans slam Islamic Society convention

Republican lawmakers are urging the Justice Department not to participate in a convention held by the Islamic Society of North America — a group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an ongoing terrorism-financing case. In a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Reps. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sue Myrick of North Carolina called the Justice Department's involvement a "grave mistake."….(Washington Times, 31 Aug 07)

Definition of terrorism

Last month, a former British National Party (BNP) candidate was sentenced to jail for two-and-a-half years after being convicted of amassing an arsenal of explosive chemicals in anticipation of a future civil war. Robert Cottage, 49, who was not charged under Britain’s terrorism laws nor even described as a terrorist, pleaded guilty to possession of 21 different chemicals, including potassium nitrate and sulphur to manufacture gunpowder, but was earlier cleared in two failed trials of conspiring to cause explosions. What was particularly noted was that the sentence was less than those passed a week earlier against three of five Muslim students, who were commonly labeled as terrorists, for possessing terrorist material downloaded from the internet…..(Muslim News, 31 Aug 07)

Lebanese helicopters step up raids on Islamic militants after 5 soldiers die

Lebanese army helicopters stepped up raids Friday on al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded in a Palestinian refugee camp in the country's north, after five soldiers were killed, a senior military official said. A soldier died overnight Thursday and four other soldiers died in renewed fighting with Fatah Islam gunmen over the past two days in the besieged Nahr el-Bared camp…..(AP, 31 Aug 07)

Middle East: Terrorism Expert Calls For Ban On Hizballah In Europe

Alexander Ritzmann, senior fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels, is leading a campaign to have Hizballah declared a terrorist organization in Europe. A specialist on the radicalization of Muslims in Germany and Europe, as well as on Hizballah and Hamas, he is a former member of the Berlin State Parliament and a senior member of the Free Democratic Party in Germany…..(RFE/RL, 31 Aug 07)

2 arrested in letter bomb case

Police arrested two men in a high-risk takedown last night in a parking lot near the East York Town Centre Mall in Don Mills… One letter recipient sustained minor injuries. The other noticed an odor and called police. A letter bomb was also sent to a Guelph residence earlier this month, but police do not believe it is connected to the two incidents…..(Star, 31 Aug 07)

Germany Bans All Arms Exports to Iran

The German government has banned firms from importing goods to Iran that could be used for military purposes, thus reinforcing an earlier EU decision to tighten sanctions against Tehran in the ongoing nuclear row. In April this year, the European Union decided to step up sanctions against Iran amid growing concerns in the international community that the country was covertly enriching uranium to build a nuclear bomb. At the time, Tehran proclaimed "industrial" enrichment capacity, a level starting with 3,000 centrifuges running at supersonic speed…The move comes amid warnings by Germany's domestic intelligence services of a new spying offensive in the country by foreign secret services, including from Iran…..(Deutsche Welle, 31 Aug 07)

Iraq Gov't Asks Militias to Halt Attacks

The Iraqi government called on armed groups to follow the lead of the biggest Shiite militia and freeze their operations, while the U.S. military on Friday reported the deaths of two more American service members in fighting against Sunni insurgents. A statement by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office welcomed Wednesday's decision by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze attacks by his Mahdi militia for up to six months as a step toward "affirming security and stability."….(AP,. 31 Aug 07)

Public Debate in Kuwait Following Switch to Friday-Saturday Weekend
The Kuwaiti parliament recently passed a law, effective September 1, 2007, designating Friday and Saturday as the official days of rest in Kuwait, instead of Thursday and Friday as it has been until now… The new law has sparked widespread debate in Kuwait, with proponents arguing that the change would boost the economy, and opponents - primarily religious scholars and Islamist MPs - condemning it as an attempt to imitate the West and to be like the Christians and Jews…..(MEMRI, 31 Aug 07)

Panel Will Urge Broad Overhaul of Iraqi Police

An independent commission established by Congress to assess Iraq’s security forces will recommend remaking the 26,000-member national police force to purge it of corrupt officers and Shiite militants suspected of complicity in sectarian killings….(New York Times, 31 Aug 07)

Chavez steps into Colombia's hostage fray

…Chavez steps into a bitter deadlock between President Alvaro Uribe, a U.S. ally popular for his hard-line stance against rebels, and Latin America's oldest guerrilla group resisting attempts to end a 40-year conflict. At stake in the talks in Bogota is the freedom of hundreds of kidnap victims wasting away in rebel jungle camps, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt snatched in 2002 and three U.S. contract workers captured a year later……(Reuters, 31 Aug 07)

Analyst: Enemy is 'radical Islam'

America's isn't in an armed conflict against terrorists, says retired Air Force General Thomas G. McInerney, it's in a struggle against "radical Islam," and the sooner politicians on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that, the better for the nation. McInerney, who stepped down as assistant vice chief of staff in 1994 after a 35-year career and is currently a military analyst for FOX News, made those comments on Thursday during an interview with The Citizen….(Citizen, 31 Aug 07)

Bomb targets Germans in Afghanistan

A suicide car bomber targeting a patrol of German soldiers detonated the vehicle outside the gates of Kabul’s airport Friday, killing an Afghan soldier and wounding four Belgian troops…The latest violence came as 19 South Koreans freed by Taliban kidnappers prepared to fly home Friday, while their government denied allegations that it had paid a ransom to end the six-week hostage standoff…..(AP, 31 Aug 07)

Taliban Ambushes Pakistani Convoy, Seizes 100 Troops
In an audacious display of force, Taliban fighters on Thursday ambushed a convoy of military vehicles in a remote tribal area and took more than 100 Pakistani troops hostage, local officials said. The convoy of more than a dozen vehicles was traveling between two towns in the South Waziristan area, near the Afghan border, when it was overtaken by fighters….(Washington Post, 31 Aug 07)

Ransom paid for S Korean hostages: report

South Korea paid two million dollars to Taliban extremists in Afghanistan to secure the release of 19 hostages, a Japanese newspaper reported Friday. Citing unidentified sources in Afghanistan, the respected Asahi Shimbun said Afghan mediators persuaded South Korea's ambassador in Kabul that there was no other way to end the six-week kidnap ordeal…..(Agence France-Presse, 31 Aug 07)

Suicide bomber strikes near Kabul airport

A suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives near an entrance to the Afghan capital's airport early on Friday, killing at least one Afghan and wounding several other people, police and witnesses said….(Reuters, 31 Aug 07)

Government rests in Holy Land trial

The government rested its case Thursday in the nation's largest terrorism financing trial after jurors heard six weeks of testimony on more than 700 pieces of evidence. The former Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation and five of its former organizers are accused of sending millions of dollars overseas to support Hamas, a banned terrorist organization…..(Dallas Morning News, 31 Aug 07)

Terror trial jury sees footage of 'execution'

Footage of a dead US navy officer being robbed by Islamic extremists and video of what appeared to be a soldier's execution were found on a CD hidden in the house of a terror suspect, a court heard yesterday. The clips were shown during Mohammed Siddique's trial at the High Court in Glasgow…..(Scotsman, 31 Aug 07)

Britain defends Iraq role on U.S. editorial pages

…The opinion-editorial, jointly signed by the defense and foreign ministers, follows weeks of commentary, largely in the American press, in which military analysts, former generals and unnamed administration sources have suggested that British forces have failed in Basra and are set to flee. The barrage has built up since Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair, Washington's staunchest ally, as British prime minister in June, and spurred the response from Defense Secretary Des Browne and Foreign Secretary David Miliband……(Reuters, 31 Aug 07)

Canadian man convicted of terror attacks returning to Canada

A Windsor, Ont., man, convicted by an Israeli military court for his involvement with Hamas, has been released after almost four years in an Israeli prison and is expected to fly to Montreal today. Jamal Akkal, 27, who was born in Gaza but lived in Windsor, Ont., maintains his innocence despite pleading guilty to planning attacks on Jewish targets in North America. He was sentenced in November 2004 to four years in prison after pleading guilty in a plea bargain to charges of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and taking part in military training…..(CanWest, 31 Aug 07)

The colonial mistake

Since the attacks of 11 September, terrorism has come to be identified with Islam. Whenever there is a plane crash, a train accident, a gas pipeline explosion or a university campus shooting, investigators first ask if it is an act of terrorism and secondly whether it is the work of Muslim fundamentalists. . The definition is all- inclusive and it makes no distinction between attacks on school children in Moscow, hotels in Amman, a suicidal attack on a coalition force patrol in Afghanistan, a roadside bomb blast against US occupation forces in Baghdad, or a shootout with Israeli troops in occupied Palestine…..(Ahram, 31 Aug 07)

Thousands defy Hamas in Gaza prayer

More than 10,000 Palestinians defied Hamas Friday, to pray outside in the biggest protest in the Gaza Strip since the radical Islamist movement captured control of the territory two months ago. Eleven protesters were lightly injured at demonstrations in Gaza City and Rafah, as was a French journalist working for the Arte television channel……(Agence France-Presse, 31 Aug 07)

Ex-terror suspect sues Convertino

Karim Koubriti, the Detroit man whose terrorism-related conviction was tossed out as a result of alleged wrongdoing by former federal prosecutor Richard Convertino, filed a $9 million federal lawsuit Thursday against Convertino and two other men. Koubriti, 28, who is represented by Detroit lawyer Ben Gonek, is alleging violation of his federal civil rights as a result of malicious prosecution by Convertino. Convertino was indicted in March 2006, accused of conspiring to obstruct justice and lying to a federal judge in connection with the government's first terrorism prosecution following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks……(Detroit News, 31 Aug 07)

Fla. Students Face Explosives Indictment

…Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives. He and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, an engineering student, were stopped for speeding Aug. 4 in Goose Creek, S.C., where they have been held on state charges.The two men were stopped with pipe bombs in their car near a Navy base in South Carolina where enemy combatants have been held. They were held on state charges while the FBI continued to investigate whether there was a terrorism link…..(AP, 31 Aug 07)

US Wants UAE to Set Tougher Trade Limits

The Bush administration is pressuring the United Arab Emirates to crack down on foreign companies the White House believes are smuggling equipment to nearby Iran to build explosive devices killing American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The UAE's legislative body, the 40-member Federal National Council, is quietly considering such a proposal, but its prospects are uncertain… The UAE is among the world's largest shipping hubs for international commerce, and is located just across the narrow Strait of Hormuz from Iran. The countries have been trading partners for centuries. ….(New York Times, 31 Aug 07)

India: Madrassa raids in southern state irk Muslim clergy

The madrassas or Islamic seminaries in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have accused the state government of being anti-Muslim after police raided a well-known Islamic seminary in Hyderabad late on Wednesday night. Two more madrassas, including a girls’ seminary, were raided on Thursday afternoon. The police, however described the raids as exercises undertaken as part of the investigation into the twin blasts in Hyderabad earlier this month in which 42 people were killed and more than 60 wounded…..(AKI, 31 Aug 07)

Sweden 'regrets' Prophet cartoon

Sweden's embassy in Pakistan has expressed regret over the publication of a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a Swedish newspaper. Pakistan had complained about the cartoon, which depicted the head of the Prophet on the body of a dog. Sweden's government said it regretted any hurt but could not apologize as it was not responsible for the drawing and could not prevent its publication…..(BBC, 31 Aug 07)

Faithless Defender

After a Danish newspaper published 12 cartoons of the prophet Mohammed last year, leading to riots and up to 100 deaths across the Muslim world, European media divided about whether to republish the images. Much of the French press reprinted them or ran new cartoons defending free speech, whereas - vive la difference! - no British newspaper did so…..(Sydney Morning Herald, 31 Aug 07)

Ex-FBI agents to talk about terrorism in U.S.

Former FBI special agents Terry D. Turchie and Kathleen Puckett will speak on domestic terrorism at 1 p.m. Sept. 9 at Barnes & Noble, Route 9, Poughkeepsie. Turchie will lecture on the expectation of terrorism in the United States. Puckett, a clinical psychologist, will discuss the psychology of terror and how to understand the terrorist mind….Poughkeepsie Journal, 31 Agu 07)

The Islamist

During the past six months, more than 300 Muslims have been arrested in five European countries, and charged with involvement with terrorism. Most are young, often aged between 16 and 30. Almost all were born in Europe and hold the nationality of the European country in which they were plotting terrorist operations… What is happening? Why are these young European Muslims drawn to terror? What should Europe do to integrate them into its pluralist culture? All those pondering such questions would find Ed Husain's autobiographical book, "The Islamist", an interesting read…..(FrontPage, 31 Aug 07)

Islam's history is not all blood-soaked

The Mughal Emperors And The Islamic Dynasties Of India, Iran And Central Asia, 1206-1925 by Francis Robinson

…if the Mughals represented Islamic rule at its most powerful and majestic, they also defined Islam at its most tolerant, pluralistic and eclectic. Their empire was effectively built in coalition with India's Hindu majority and succeeded as much through conciliation as by war. This was particularly true of the Emperor Akbar (1542-1605), who issued an edict of universal religious tolerance, forbade forcible conversion to Islam and married a succession of Hindu wives. At the same time that Jesuits - and those who sheltered them - were being hanged, drawn and quartered in London, when most of Catholic Europe was given over to the Inquisition….(Telegraph, 31 Aug 07)

Review: 'The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda'

"Terror is the curse of man," wrote Dostoyevsky in "The Devils," a novel portraying the multifarious political climate of 19th century Russia. This often-overlooked period, which presaged the Communist Revolution, saw Russia experiencing unprecedented levels of terrorism by an assortment of groups such as anarchists, nihilists, populists and socialists. The discussion of this tumultuous and critical period is among the most engaging passages in "The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda," edited by Gérard Chaliand and Arnaud Blin. The book, which includes essays by the editors as well as other scholars, provides a useful and levelheaded survey of a subject that is regularly understood and often manipulated…..(San Francisco Gate, 30 Aug 07)

Course to show terrorism fact of life

If there is an overarching message in the class about terrorism being taught for the first time this fall at the Community College of Baltimore County's Hunt Valley campus, it is this: Global terrorism is a fact of life and will no doubt be a fact of life for decades, so it's essential to understand its roots and causes. That's why instructor Barry Leven -- a former analyst and deputy department head for the Office of Naval Intelligence and a retired CIA intelligence officer and division chief -- uses a familiar quotation from Winston Churchill to preface his course outline for "Terrorism and Counterterrorism Part I: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."….(My Web Pal, 30 Aug 07)

Pakistan: Christian group asks govt. for protection

The Christian Action Committee, in the restive south-western Pakistani province of Baluchistan, has asked the government to provide security at churches. They have also demanded the arrest of all the people who attacked a church in the provincial capital Quetta on 26 August…..(AKI, 30 Aug 07)

NO NYC JIHAD: NYPD terrorist report brings strong reactions from Muslims

The New York City Police Department intelligence division issued a 90-page report on August 15 entitled “Radicalization in the West and the Homegrown Threat,” which describes the trajectory of radicalization and follows the path of “non-radicalized” individuals to those who may be willing to commit acts of terror. In the preface of the report, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly wrote that the bottom line of the report was to give a better understanding to local law enforcement agencies concerning the process by which Muslims become “radicalized,” which he said was one of the department’s priorities. “This report paints with such a broad brush and casts suspicion on every Muslim,” Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told the AmNews….(AmNews, 30 Aug 07)

Christ-like bin Laden image stirs debate in Australia

Artworks depicting Osama bin Laden in a Christ-like pose and a statue of the Virgin Mary covered in a burqa have caused a stir in Australia after they were showcased in a prestigious religious art competition… The artworks were among more than 500 entries in the Blake Prize for Religious Art, and have been included in an exhibition at the National Art School in Sydney……(Reuters, 30 Aug 07)

Terror accused 'had videos urging jihad on laptop computer'

Videos featuring the 9/11 attacks on the United States and Osama bin Laden were found on the computer of a student accused of terrorism charges, a court heard yesterday. The images and documents were found in a folder on the laptop belonging to Mohammed Atif Siddique, which was seized at Glasgow Airport. Siddique, 21, from Alva in Clackmannanshire, denies a total of five charges including distributing terrorist materials through websites and claiming to be a member of the al-Qaeda terrorist network…..(Scotsman, 30 Aug 07)

Taliban release all remaining S. Korean hostages in Afghanistan

Taliban insurgents released Thursday the seven remaining Korean Christian volunteers held hostage since July 19 in central Afghanistan, witnesses said. The last three were released hours after the militants released a group of four Koreans. On Wednesday 12 were set free, out of 23 originally held. In late July, two of the male hostages were killed by the Taliban. None of the Koreans released Wednesday and Thursday, who were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, spoke to reporters. An agreement was reached to release the remaining captives at face-to face talks between South Korean and Taliban negotiators two days ago. Indonesian diplomat Heru Wicaksono mediated in the talks. It remains unclear whether South Korea paid a ransom for the hostages……(RIA Novosti, 30 Aug 07)

Germany Joins Vocal Criticism of South Korea in Hostage Release

A German politician has joined in the chorus of criticism of the circumstances surrounding the release of the last 19 South Koreans hostages who were held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly six weeks. Opposition Green Party defense spokesman Winfried Nachtwei said he was pleased the hostages had been freed but at a political level it was nothing less than "a political triumph for the Taliban." ….(Deustche Welle, 30 Aug 07)

Egypt's 'disappeared' Islamists resurface, in custody

… The Islamists, missing since July 18, are accused of belonging to a jihadi group with links to Al-Qaeda and are now being questioned by the examining magistrate for state security, the source said. The Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition group, said on August 6 that police had tortured and then "disappeared" the four men: Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed Imam and his brother Mustafa, Mohammed Ali Farid Suleiman and Mohammed Mohammed Assem Mohammed…..(Agence France-Presse, 30 Aug 07)

Chhattisgarh Naxal attack: Bodies of 5 cops recovered

Bodies of five policemen were on Thursday recovered from Balmeta area of Dantewada district where a police party was ambushed by Naxals…..(Times of India, 30 Aug 07)

al-Qaida: We Killed U.S. 'Official'

An al-Qaida front group claimed Thursday on an Islamic Web site known to be used by extremists that it had executed an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The veracity of the claim could not be independently verified and the U.S. Embassy said it was looking into the report but had no immediate comment…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

FBI Investigates String of Store Threats

Large grocery and discount stores across the country have been targeted by a caller who threatens to blow up shoppers and workers with a bomb if employees fail to wire money to an account overseas, authorities said. Frightened workers have wired thousands of dollars _ and in one case took off their clothes _ to placate a caller who said he was watching them but may have been thousands of miles away. The FBI and police said Wednesday they are investigating similar bomb threats at more than 15 stores in at least 11 states _ all in the past week…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Planned Crackdown on Immigrants Denounced

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO this week separately assailed a new White House-backed crackdown on illegal immigration, warning of massive disruptions to the economy and headaches for U.S. citizens if the proposal goes ahead as planned in the coming days. The Bush administration intends to begin writing to 140,000 employers on Tuesday regarding suspect Social Security numbers used by an estimated 8.7 million workers, as a way of pressuring them to fire illegal immigrants. President Bush disclosed the plan three weeks ago as part of a repackaged, 26-point enforcement program after Congress failed to overhaul U.S. immigration laws this summer……(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

Israeli professors tackle Guantanamo

A group of Israel law professors has submitted a brief to the US Supreme Court on behalf of petitioners who have been held at the Guantanamo Bay naval prison for several years without access to law courts or lawyers… In the summary of their argument, the professors wrote: "Judicial review of executive and military detention, the indispensable core of habeus corpus, need not be sacrificed to protect public safety and national security, even in the face of an unremitting terrorist threat. Israel has demonstrated that security detainees and prisoners of war, including alleged unlawful combatants, can and should be afforded the opportunity for prompt and independent judicial review of the factual basis for their confinement. Israeli experience demonstrates unambiguously that providing such review would not be 'impracticable and anomalous' [as quoted from US court decision - d.i.]."……(Jerusalem Post, 30 Aug 07)

Russian Supreme Court leaves verdict to terrorists in force

The Russian Supreme Court has left the previous verdict to terrorists Murat Shavayev, Maxim Panaryin and Tambiy Khubiyev in force. The terrorists were indicted for the terrorist acts staged in the Moscow metro between the Avtozavodskaya and Paveletskaya railway stations and near Rizhskaya metro station in February and August, 2004…..(Itar-Tass, 30 Aug 07)

Terror’s Purse Strings

…the counterfeiting rackets are run by crime syndicates that also deal in narcotics, weapons, child prostitution, human trafficking and terrorism. Ronald K. Noble, the secretary general of Interpol, told the House of Representatives Committee on International Relations that profits from the sale of counterfeit goods have gone to groups associated with Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist group, paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland and FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia……(New York Times, 30 Aug 07)

Richard A. Jewell; Wrongly Linked to Olympic Bombing

Richard A. Jewell, 44, a security guard portrayed as a hero, suspect and media victim of Atlanta's fatal Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, was found dead Aug. 29… In 1998, federal authorities charged anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph with the Atlanta park bombings. After a five-year manhunt, Rudolph was captured. He pleaded guilty in 2005 to the Olympic Park attack in addition to bombings of women's clinics and a gay nightclub, receiving a life sentence…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

United States not our friend

I wish to urge President Umaru Yar’Adua to be very careful with the United States of America. If he must deal with the US, it must be at arm’s length. Being in this attitude should not be seen as an act of cowardice, but a measure of wisdom. He cannot be too close to the US. This tact is now expedient in order to protect our sovereignty. The fact that the US is the biggest buyer of the Nigerian crude oil is not enough for the president to open all doors for the US……(Tribune, 30 Aug 07)

U.S.: Force Not Enough to Beat Taliban

Military force alone is unlikely to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan, a top U.S. commander said Thursday, noting that most insurgencies end with a political solution. Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, who is in charge of equipping and training Afghan security forces to take over from international troops, said the local units were making good progress, but declined to say when they would be strong enough to allow foreign forces to go home…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Bush's Lost Iraqi Election

Ayad Allawi, the former interim prime minister of Iraq, hinted in a television interview last weekend at one of the war's least understood turning points: America's decision not to challenge Iranian intervention in Iraq's January 2005 elections…. The CIA warned in the summer and fall of 2004 that the Iranians were pumping money into Iraq to steer the Jan. 30, 2005, elections toward the coalition of Shiite religious parties known as the United Iraqi Alliance. By one CIA estimate, Iranian covert funding was running at $11 million a week for media and political operations on behalf of candidates who would be friendly to Iran, under the banner of Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. The CIA reported that in the run-up to the election, as many as 5,000 Iranians a week were crossing the border with counterfeit ration cards to register to vote in Iraq's southern provinces…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

Yassin al-Qadi: the Hamas Connection

…excellent analyses of Yassin al-Qadi on these pages. To further flesh out Qadi's financing activities here in the United States, consider some of the material that came out of the federal civil trial in Chicago Boim V. Quranic Literacy Institute et al. Evidence produced at that trial revealed that FBI investigation concluded that al-Qadi played a central role in financing Hamas through a Chicago land deal and by paying the salary of a confessed Hamas operative. The trial, at which I served as an expert witness, led to a $156 million finding in favor of the Boim family and against QLI, Salah, the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) and others…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 30 Aug 07)

Yassin Qadi and the Failure of UN/US Sanctions

… Qadi, who denies any ties to funding al Qaeda, has, according to reporting by Glenn Simpson, used his close friendship with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other founders of the Islamist party, the Justice Development party, for protection and access. The main allegation against Qadi centers on his donations to Muwafaq Foundation, which the United States and United Nations listed as a terrorist-supporting entity and which the CIA alleges specialized in purchasing and smuggling arms for Islamic radicals…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 30 Aug 07)

ISNA and Jihad: Why DOJ's Involvement in ISNA Conference Sends The Wrong Message

From a counterterrorism perspective, there are five key facts that are the basis for why DOJ's involvement in the ISNA conference is wrong:….(Counterterrorism Blog, 30 Aug 07)

Plan for Terror Screening of Aid Groups Cut Drastically

The Bush administration has decided to sharply scale back its plan to screen U.S. foreign aid contractors around the globe for potential terrorism connections, deciding instead to begin with a pilot program involving aid recipients in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip before expanding it worldwide. The decision, announced Tuesday at a meeting of U.S. officials and representatives of nonprofit groups, was made after lawmakers and several large aid organizations said that the global screening requirements were onerous and unwarranted. An official of the U.S. Agency for International Development had earlier promised to defer the program, which initially was to have taken effect Monday. The global screening program, initially described in a July 17 Federal Register notice, would have required that all nongovernmental organizations seeking funds from the agency provide detailed information about key personnel, including phone numbers, birth dates and e-mail addresses…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

New terror attack would be costly for airlines

…Another terrorist attack against U.S. airlines would cost the air travel industry anywhere from $214 billion to $420 billion, the USC researchers concluded in a paper entitled "The Economic Impacts of a Terrorist Attack on the U.S. Commercial Aviation System." The paper appears in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed journal Risk Analysis, published by the McLean, Va.-based Society for Risk Analysis. In their study, which was partly funded by the Department of Homeland Security, the USC researchers modeled the effects on the U.S. economy of a seven-day shutdown of the country's air transport system after a terrorist attack….(Aviation, 30 Aug 07)

Airport Scrutiny of Headgear Raises Bias Claims From Sikhs

A new federal policy that subjects travelers who wear any type of head covering to possible additional screening at airport checkpoints has prompted vociferous protests from Sikh organizations, who say they are being singled out for ethnic profiling. Muslim women who veil their hair are also expressing concern that the change — particularly because further screening is at the discretion of each screener — will single out Muslims…..(New York Times, 30 Aug 07)

U.S. Pledges to Support Lebanon Army

The U.S. has pledged continued support for Lebanon's army, which has been fighting a vicious battle against al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militants. The pledge came during a visit by top U.S. commander in the Middle East, Adm. William Fallon, head of the U.S. Central Command, who met separately with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, Defense Minister Elias Murr and army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman in a brief trip to Lebanon on Wednesday…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Somali Government Fails to Tame Capital

The killings in Mogadishu, Somalia's bloodstained capital, are not going away. Nearly every day, the city endures street battles, roadside bombs, showers of bullets. This is not how it was supposed to be. Eight months after the U.N.-backed government supported by troops from neighboring Ethiopia rolled into Mogadishu promising peace, divisions over clan, politics and power are stronger than ever. The chaos is allowing a deadly Islamic insurgency to gain momentum in a region seen as a key battleground in the war on terror…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Extremists Are Enemies Of Islam

…At the historic Badshahi Mosque, Ambassador Patterson was received by Imam and Khateeb [prayer leader] Maulana Khabeer Azad. Ms. Patterson stressed that “the United States has no quarrel with Islam. Our quarrel is with those from any faith who attempt to misuse religion to justify violence or terrorism for political ends.” Ms. Patterson said she looked forward “to working closely with Islamic leaders in Pakistan,” because “dialogue with religious leaders from all faiths is critical.”….(VOA, 30 Aug 07)

Wanted Taliban leader killed in raid: Afghan ministry

A wanted Taliban insurgent leader in Afghanistan, Mullah Brother, was killed on Thursday in a U.S.-led raid in the southern province of Helmand, the Afghan Defense Ministry said, citing ground commanders. Brother served as a top military commander for the Taliban government until its removal from power in 2001 and was a member of the movement's leadership council led by its fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar…..(Reuters, 30 Aug 07)

Bomb haul in Topsia factory

City police have unearthed a huge stockpile of crude bombs from an abandoned soap manufacturing factory in the Topsia police station area on Tuesday night. Manjar (24) and Ibrar (25), known as notorious cable thieves, were arrested on the charge of storing the bombs. Police suspect that the duo was planning more heinous crimes. Naturally, the Kolkata Police top brass was alarmed by the huge stockpile….(Times, of India, 30 Aug 07)

Myanmar police raid homes as manhunt intensifies

Myanmar's military junta tightened the net around leaders of a rare string of protests on Thursday, raiding homes of known activists and their friends and distributing their photographs in a Yangon-wide manhunt. "I know they've been after me since our protest on Tuesday," Suu Suu Nway, an outspoken critic of the ruling generals…..(Reuters, 30 Aug 07)

Video: Iranians arrested

Prosecutors say Muslim charity in Texas got appeal to help fund holy war

An unknown Islamist militant appealed to a Texas-based Muslim charity for money to help fund a jihad, or holy war, against Israel, according to a letter that surfaced in the terrorist-financing trial of the charity's leaders. Other letters appeared to thank the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development for helping the children of martyrs — suicide bombers, prosecutors implied. The letters were among thousands of pages of documents that prosecutors claim show financial dealings between Holy Land, which was shut down in December 2001, and groups controlled by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Nuclear Agency Sees Progress on Iran

The U.N. nuclear agency said Thursday that Iran was producing less nuclear fuel than expected and praised Tehran for ''a significant step forward'' in explaining past atomic actions that have raised suspicions. The report is expected to make it more difficult for the United States to rally support for a new round of sanctions against Tehran…..(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Report Accuses Hezbollah of Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilians in '06 War

An international human rights group has concluded that Lebanon's Hezbollah movement indiscriminately attacked civilians during its conflict with Israel last summer, a finding that prompted denunciations from both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah. In that climate, New York-based Human Rights Watch canceled a news conference it had planned to hold Thursday in Beirut to release the report…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

U.S. Official: Expand Abbas Forces

The U.S. security coordinator in the Palestinian territories wants five new Palestinian battalions deployed across the West Bank in an effort to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a published report Thursday. The proposal by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton would require Israeli approval for arms and equipment to be transferred to the new force….(AP, 30 Aug 07)

Musharraf Agrees to Resign as Army Chief

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief as part of a broad and once-unthinkable agreement being finalized with his chief political rival, Benazir Bhutto, officials on both sides said Wednesday. The agreement, if completed, would probably permit Musharraf to continue as president and allow Bhutto to return to Pakistan after eight years of exile to try to win back her old job as prime minister…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

Pakistani Leader to Exit Army Job, His Rival Reports

The exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said Wednesday that Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, had agreed to resign as army chief as part of a nearly completed deal that would allow him to serve another term as president if he is re-elected and allow her to return to Pakistan to run for prime minister. “Our understanding is that he will contest elections as a civilian,” Ms. Bhutto said in a telephone interview from London…..(New York Times, 30 Aug 07)

France-Libya deal includes military hardware

France intends to sell military hardware to Libya and train up its special forces as part of a confidential defense accord struck with Tripoli last month…..(Agence France-Presse, 30 Aug 07)

Karzai blasts west over opium policy

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, on Wednesday launched a powerful attack on the international community’s failure to come up with a coherent counter-narcotics strategy for his country, blaming the west for Afghanistan’s explosion in opium poppy cultivation. In the aftermath of a United Nations report showing that opium production soared in Afghanistan by 34 per cent last year, Mr Karzai said there was insufficient co-operation among members of the international community in the fight against drug production in Afghanistan…..(Financial Times, 30 Aug 07)

Man pleads guilty to plot to sell weapons to Iran

A West Hills man has pleaded guilty to an audacious plan to buy as many as 100,000 Uzis in the United States and sell them to officials in Iran's government. Under a plea agreement reached this week, Seyed Mostafa Maghloubi, 49, acknowledged that he tried to obtain submachine guns and night vision goggles and ship them to Iran, in violation of U.S. laws prohibiting such transactions…..(LA Times, 30 Aug 07)

Well Connected, A Saudi Mogul Skirts Sanctions

Yassin Qadi is a well-known multimillionaire, founder of a large supermarket chain here and a close friend of the Turkish premier. "I trust him the same way I trust my father," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on national television last year. But the Saudi businessman also is a major financier of Islamic terrorism with close business associates who are members of al Qaeda, according to the U.S. Treasury and the United Nations Security Council. At Washington's request, the Security Council ordered Mr. Qadi's assets frozen a few weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. The asset freeze has largely crippled Mr. Qadi's international business empire. But previously undisclosed records show he has managed to free up millions of dollars of holdings in Turkey, in apparent violation of the Security Council sanctions -- and without incurring punishment by Turkish authorities…..(Wall Street Journal, 29 Aug 07)

Latin America warms to Iran amid anti-U.S. sentiment

Iran is gaining influence in Latin America as the region turns away from Washington and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad courts new allies to counter U.S. efforts to isolate his government. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and other leftist leaders from Cuba to Ecuador, many of them sympathetic to Chavez's anti-U.S. rhetoric, have struck energy, trade and investment deals with Iran……(Reuters, 29 Aug 07)

Thai PM says peace talks fruitless in Muslim south

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Wednesday that separatists fighting in Muslim-majority provinces have refused to take up his offer to launch peace talks. "As of now, there has been no progress on starting negotiations, because that would require the agreement of both sides. So there are no talks for now,"…..(Agence France-Presse, 29 Aug 07)

U.S. hints at flexibility on N. Korea terror listing

The U.S. pointman on North Korea on Wednesday left open the possibility Pyongyang could be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism before it completely gives up its nuclear programs. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill was speaking ahead of weekend talks with North Korean officials in Geneva that are expected to focus on how North Korea will carry out its commitments to abandon all its nuclear programs……(Reuters, 29 Aug 07)

Report Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals

Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration…..(Washington Post, 30 Aug 07)

Cleric freezes activities of his militia

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, an aide said Wednesday. The aide, Sheik Hazim al-Araji, said on Iraqi state television that the goal was to "rehabilitate" the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions…"We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr….(AP, 29 Aug 07)

Riots at Iraqi Religious Festival Leave Dozens Dead

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared an indefinite curfew in the holy city of Karbala today following vicious riots that left at least 49 people dead. Touring the city, home to two shrines central to the beliefs of Shiite Muslims, Maliki declared that order had been restored. But he also sacked the commander in charge of security for the city, according to wire service reports, and imposed the lockdown after rival Shiite groups battled during an annual religious festival…..(Washington Post, 29 Aug 07)

‘Intelligence warning on terror plot failed to spark police action’

…Issued by the Intelligence Bureau, the written warning — an Unofficial Order, or UO in government terminology —recorded that a cell commanded by Karachi-based Islamist Abdul Sahed Mohammad had put plans in place for a major attack in the city. The UO provided an outline of available intelligence on the cell and its members. A former resident of Hyderabad’s Moosarambagh neighborhood who is commonly referred to by his aliases Bilal and Shahid, Mohammad is alleged to have been responsible for at least four past terror strikes, and is wanted by the international police organization INTERPOL….(Hindu, 29 Aug 07)

Police ignored intelligence warnings

The Andhra Pradesh police top brass is under fire for failing to react with adequate response to specific intelligence warning of an imminent terror strike in Hyderabad received just five days before Saturday's (August 25) twin Bombings… Reports claim that the Hyderabad police had failed to sanction standard emergency-response procedures like large scale searches, raids on homes of suspected associates and fundamentalists, fearing a communal backlash…..(Times Now, 29 Aug 07)

Understanding and Disrupting Terrorist Financing: Funding Capacity

…This article focuses on funding capacity, which is the ability to raise, move and disburse funds. Terrorist financing is extremely challenging to identify and deal with. Understanding that varying organizations have unique operational considerations, requiring different financial infrastructures, sets the foundation for understanding and developing methodologies to counter these infrastructures and disrupt the flow of funds. Terrorist groups require financial support in order to achieve their goals. They must have effective financial infrastructures. In order to succeed, a terrorist group must have the capacity to raise funds, the means to launder funds and the availability of funds to operate…..(Counterterrorism Blog, 29 Aug 07)

Delights Of Open Source: Al Qaeda's Recruiting On YouTube, Secret Agents Are Crowdsourcing

An Al-Qaeda-linked group from the Philippines managed to publish excerpts of a recruitment film for over 24 hours on YouTube, raising questions about online safety. YouTube took the video off the site after pressure from security officials. But is that a bad idea? Terrorists resorting to YouTube surely increase transparency? One way to answer these questions is to review what we're missing out on after YouTube owner Google removed the video due to pressure from the Philippine army and US security officials…The transparency issue is what is most interesting in this development. Abu Sayyaf's publicity stunt might be considered an isolated example of a u-turn in terrorist use of the web, but on the part of the US secret agents hunting them down online, a profound change has been taking place during the last few months. The intelligence community is starting to adopt open source technology. This development is evidence of a new kind of logic that is growing in the world; the success of open source has led people to believe that anything is possible, including crowdsourcing by spies. New questions arise. Where is the logic in secret services' singing the praises of open source? And what bearings does this have on our idea of what is healthy openness? Among the people that are pondering these issues are Eliot A. Jardines, the Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source. He has been in the job since December 2005, responsible for developing a strategic direction, establishing policy and oversight of fiscal resources for open source exploitation..….(Global Politician, 29 Aug 07)

Biodefense lab draws high level of support

Many at meeting say K-State perfect fit for federal facility. More than 250 people gathered Tuesday at a public hearing on a proposed $450 million Homeland Security biodefense laboratory that could be built in Kansas. Most expressed support for the project, while some opposed it and others sought more information….(LJWorld, 29 Aug 07)

Project on Terrorism Launches Groundbreaking Website

The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), one of the world's largest storehouses of archival data and intelligence on Islamic terrorist groups, announced today the launch of its new website which will feature exclusive reports and breaking news related to counterterrorism. The website will also serve as a one-stop research shop for anyone -- media, law enforcement, and the public -- on the subjects of terrorism and radical Islam…..(Press Release, 29 Aug 07)

Taliban release eight South Korean hostages

The Taliban freed eight of their 19 South Korean captives on Wednesday as the six-week hostage crisis in Afghanistan neared resolution. The Islamic extremist movement handed over seven women and one man to tribal elders in two separate releases outside the central town of Ghazni. The aid workers were then driven to safety in Red Cross vehicles…..(AP, 29 Aug 07)

Two who planted bombs in Hyderabad identified

Security agencies and police have been able to identify at least two men who are suspected to have planted the bombs that went off in Hyderabad on Saturday last.Raids were taking place in various parts of Hyderabad to nab the duo who could have planted the bombs that were believed to have been assembled by Mohammad Sharifuddin, a Bangladeshi nat