Bush Wants Terrorism Law Updated

…"This law is badly out of date," Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, provides a legal foundation that allows information about terrorists' communications to be collected without violating civil liberties…..(AP, 28 Jul 07)

Bombing, Mosque Riot Rock Islamabad

A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 13 people at a hotel Friday after hundreds of stone-throwing protesters clashed with police as the capital's Red Mosque reopened for the first time since a bloody army raid ousted pro-Taliban militants holed up there… Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the government had received intelligence about a possible suicide bombing in the Aabpara market where the attack happened about 5:15 p.m. Friday….(AP, 28 Jul 07)

Lawyers: Ex-Bangladeshi minister sentenced to 31 years in prison for aiding Islamic militancy
A court in northwestern Bangladesh on Thursday sentenced a former minister to 31 years in prison for aiding a group involved in Islamic militancy, lawyers said. Aminul Huq, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was found guilty of helping the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, which has conducted deadly bombings in recent years…..(AP, 27 Jul 07)

Charges dropped against doctor after terror case bungles

…The decision was taken by Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions, Damian Bugg, QC, who told reporters: "In the circumstances of this case I do not believe that evidence to prove the case to the requisite standard will be obtained. On my view of the matter a mistake has been made." Dr Mohamed  Haneef, who has been working at a Gold Coast hospital, was arrested at Brisbane airport on July 2 as he arrived to take a flight to India on a one-way ticket…..(Times Online, 27 Jul 07)

Australia drops charges over UK bomb plot

Australian authorities dropped terrorism charges against an Indian doctor on Friday, saying there was little chance of a conviction over his connection with a failed car bomb plot in Britain. The Australian government, however, said it would seek further legal advice on whether Dr Mohamed Haneef should now be deported, but released him from jail while his immigration status is clarified…..(Reuters, 27 Jul 07)

Travelers Face Greater Use of Personal Data

The United States and the European Union have agreed to expand a security program that shares personal data about millions of U.S.-bound airline passengers a year, potentially including information about a person's race, ethnicity, religion and health. Under the agreement, airlines flying from Europe to the United States are required to provide data related to these matters to U.S. authorities if it exists in their reservation systems….(Washington Post, 27 Jul 07)

US, EU Sign Deal on Air Passenger Data

The United States and the European Union signed an agreement Thursday that reduces the amount of information provided U.S. authorities about airline passengers before they arrive from Europe…The new deal limits covers 19 pieces of data, including passenger names, addresses, seat numbers, credit card information and travel details. The information is to be provided within 15 minutes of a flight's departure for the U.S. The data can be kept for seven years in an active file, then for eight more years in a dormant file accessible for specific, limited uses…..(AP, 27 Jul 07)

Dozens of Afghan civilians die in air raids: residents

Dozens of civilians, including women and children, have been killed in two foreign air strikes in southern Afghanistan, residents and a local member of parliament said on Friday. One of the raids by NATO hit houses in the Girishk district of Helmand province on Thursday evening, killing up to 50 civilians….(Reuters, 27 Jul 07)

Blasts Kill 5 in Somali Capital

Two separate explosions killed at least five civilians in the Somali capital, where the government is struggling to contain a lethal insurgency, witnesses said Friday.In one blast late Thursday, a gunman lobbed a hand grenade at a tea shop in the Hurwa district, a hotbed of support for an Islamic group that ruled much of southern Somalia for six months last year…..(AP, 27 Jul 07)

Senate OKs national security bill

The Senate on Thursday night approved a package of security measures recommended by the 9/11 Commission, shifting more federal money to high-risk states and cities and requiring more stringent screening of air and sea cargo…..(AP, 27 Jul 07)

DHS officer convicted of wrongly accessing computer

A Department of Homeland Security officer was convicted Thursday of illegally using a government computer and then trying to cover up the crime. Federal prosecutors said Customs and Border Protection Officer Kelly Bossinger encouraged other officers to run a computer check in 2004 to find out why her sister had been stopped and searched at the border while trying to re-enter the United States from Canada….(AP, 27 Jul 07)

U.S. Officials Voice Frustrations With Saudis’ Role in Iraq

…Bush administration officials are voicing increasing anger at what they say has been Saudi Arabia’s counterproductive role in the Iraq war. They say that beyond regarding Mr. Maliki as an Iranian agent, the Saudis have offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq. Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow…..(New York Times, 27 Jul 07)

Algeria: a strengthening of Islamic terrorism and internal political crisis

Algeria runs the risk of sinking into the hands of terrorists, suggesting a possible return to the days of the Islamic Salvation Front (ISF). A number of terrorist attacks registered in the last few months point to an unpredictable situation in the country, worsened yet by political crisis and a weakened President Abdelaziz Bouteflika….(Equilibi, 27 Jul 07)

Blast Kills at Least 25 in Long-Secure Baghdad Neighborhood
A car bomb tore through a crowded market in central Baghdad on Thursday evening, killing at least 25 people and injuring 110, police said. A cloud of black smoke rose over much of the city after the explosion, which set a three-story apartment building on fire. Police said many of the victims were women shopping for food or clothing…..(Washington Post, 27 Jul 07)

Taliban Negotiate for Korean Hostages

Afghan elders on Friday negotiated with Taliban militants to win the release of 22 kidnapped South Koreans, as the latest deadline passed without word on their fate or news of progress…..(AP, 27 Jul 07)

China arms both sides

Iraq's new government recently concluded a deal with China worth almost $100 million to outfit Iraqi police with Kalashnikov-design assault rifles and other small arms in a move that has U.S. defense and national security officials fuming…"Buying weapons from China will accelerate the alienation of America," the official said. "Iraq purchasing PLA weapons along with the emerging PRC oil deal will contribute mightily to end game Iraq for the United States." The PLA is the acronym for China's military……(Washington Times, 27 Jul 07)

Musharraf rules out U.S. strikes in Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday his forces were fully capable of dealing with al Qaeda militants and dismissed the possibility of U.S. forces taking anti-terrorism action on Pakistani soil…..(Reuters, 27 Jul 07)

Congress ties Pakistan aid to terrorism progress

Congressional negotiators have agreed on legislation that would tie U.S. aid to Pakistan to significant progress by Islamabad in cracking down on al Qaeda, the Taliban and other militants…The agreement, which must still be approved by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, reflects growing concern in Washington that al Qaeda has become entrenched in a safe haven in Pakistan's tribal region near Afghanistan…..(Reuters, 27 Jul 07)

David Miliband in Taliban policy split with US

…David Miliband, the newly-appointed Foreign Secretary, emphasised that a purely military solution to violence in Pakistan’s tribal areas would not alone quash the insurgency. “Britain has a strong interest in the stability of Pakistan, in defeating extremism and in the development of tribal areas,” said Mr Miliband after talks with President Pervez Musharraf. “Counter-terrorism is about military force but we also need economic and social development,”….(Telegraph, 27 Jul 07)

U.S.-India nuclear agreement left to interpretation
The Bush administration assured Congress in a classified briefing yesterday that its nuclear deal with India does not circumvent U.S. law, although the briefer conceded that some language is deliberately vague to help both sides save face… noted that India's aggressive "courting" of Iran could jeopardize congressional approval of the deal, despite the significant influence of Indian-American campaign contributors in Congress…..(Washington Times, 27 Jul 07)

US study portrays Guantanamo inmates as threat

A US military study portraying most detainees at Guantanamo as a "demonstrated threat" was criticized Thursday as a public relations exercise by the leader of another study that found that few detainees were Al-Qaeda fighters…The Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point was asked to analyze the same unclassified summaries used in a 2006 study by law students at Seton Hall University, and then to critique that study's findings. Denbeaux led the team at Seton Hall, which reached a starkly different conclusion….(Agence France-Presse, 27 Jul 07)

Is Osama bin Laden dead?

Osama bin Laden, charismatic founder of al-Qaeda, died of typhoid earlier this month in Pakistan, according to a highly classified intelligence brief given to the King of Saudi Arabia and President Chirac this week, and leaked to the French newspaper L'Est Republicain. The chief of the terror group was known to have been suffering from acute typhoid and seeking treatment in Pakistan in mid-August. This was picked up and tracked by Saudi intelligence services. The same sources, said by the French to be very reliable, believe he later died…..(First Post, 27 Jul 07)

“Islamophobic” or Informed?

… The prevailing view is that the Islamic Faith of today’s terrorists has nothing to do with their actions, and those who suspected otherwise are simply bigots who are drawing an unwarranted connection between Islam and terrorism. But it is some Muslims who are themselves making that connection, as the recent Pew Research Center poll of Muslims in America revealed: twenty-six percent of Muslims between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine affirmed that there could be justification in some (unspecified) circumstances for suicide bombing, and five percent of all the Muslims surveyed said that they had a favorable view of Al-Qaeda…..(Front Page Magazine, 27 Jul 07)

Radical phones home for sermons

One of the nation's most radical Islamic clerics has continued to influence young Muslim minds by delivering sermons by phone from overseas to a select group of his followers in Australia. Former Sydney imam Feiz Mohamed -- who has produced extreme DVDs urging children to die for Islam and calling Jews pigs -- also advises his students on non-Muslim issues and answers queries during his two 45-minute lectures each week. Sheik Feiz left Australia for Lebanon in 2005 before moving to Malaysia this year to complete his Masters in Islamic studies…..(Australian, 26 Jul 07)

Experts question U.S. strategy in Pakistan

The Bush administration's strategy for pursuing al-Qaida in Pakistan's tribal region could stoke support for the Islamic militants who are protecting the terrorist network's leaders and battling Pakistan's U.S.-backed military regime, some U.S. diplomatic and defense officials and experts warn… Some U.S. military and diplomatic officials and many independent experts, however, warn that military intervention could fuel greater instability, anti-U.S. hatred and opposition to the Pakistani regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf. "Military force will further complicate things," said Hassan Abbas, a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government who served as a mid-level police officer in the region…..(McClatchy Newspapers, 26 Jul 07)

Strike by U.S. in Pakistan Is an Option, Officials Say

Top Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday that U.S. Special Forces would enter Pakistan if they had specific intelligence about an impending terrorist strike against the United States, despite warnings from the Pakistani government that it would not accept U.S. troops operating independently inside its borders. The statements were the clearest assertion yet of the Bush administration's willingness to act unilaterally inside tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan where al-Qaeda's top commanders are believed to have taken refuge. But the officials also voiced strong support for President Pervez Musharraf, who they said has repeatedly backed U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in the region at great political cost…..(Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

Pakistan Defends Antiterror Efforts

Talk in Washington of a possible U.S. military strike against al-Qaida militants in Pakistan's tribal areas is ''irresponsible'' and undermines support for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday……(AP, 26 Jul 07)

Britain Lends Support to Musharraf's Terrorism Fight

Britain's foreign secretary has backed the Pakistan president's efforts to tackle Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants on a visit to the country that comes at a pivotal time in Pakistani politics. "Britain has a strong interest in the stability of Pakistan, in defeating extremism and in the development of tribal areas,"….(New York Times, 26 Jul 07)

Brown Seeks Tougher Anti-Terrorism Laws

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday proposed allowing police to detain suspected terrorists for up to 56 days without charge, reviving a highly controversial issue that led to a dramatic parliamentary defeat for his predecessor, Tony Blair. The plan, which would double the current 28-day detention limit, was part of a wide-ranging set of proposals that Brown announced in the House of Commons, his first major package of security and anti-terrorism legislation since taking office last month, Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

Al Qaeda in South Asia called top threat

Undercutting new assertions by President Bush, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Wednesday that Al Qaeda's organization in Iraq is overwhelmingly composed of fighters from that country, and that the terrorist network's ability to operate in Pakistan poses the greater danger to the United States…Testifying before the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, Edward Gistaro, the nation's top analyst for transnational threats, said the U.S. intelligence community's "primary concern" is Al Qaeda in South Asia, which he said is "organizing its own plots" against the United States.…..(LA Times, 26 Jul 07)

National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland

(July, 2007)

Anti-terrorism training campus planned in W.Va.

A training facility in Jefferson County where government agents have honed their protection and anti-terrorism skills for decades is being expanded into a 270-acre campus. The Summit Point Training Campus, which is next to a motorsports park where agents train on driving courses and shooting ranges, will offer additional firing ranges, classrooms, even canine training facilities for government agencies and private security firms alike, said Barbara Scott, whose husband's company, BSR Inc., owns Summit Point Motorsports Park…..(AP, 26 Jul 07)

Anti-terrorism bill advances

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Wednesday on a long-debated anti-terrorism bill as the Democratic majority in Congress scrambled to rack up accomplishments to boost its dismal job-approval ratings… One major provision would require screening of all cargo destined for U.S. ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, within five years, and steer more anti-terrorism funds to regions at the greatest risk of attack, which would probably bring more money to California's largest cities…..(LA Times, 26 Jul 07)

Administration Urges Full Warhead Funding

…The administration included the warning in a four-page statement on nuclear weapons signed by the secretaries of energy, defense and state and sent to Congress this week. The document defended the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead program, the funding for which is contained in fiscal 2008 authorization and appropriations bills still before Congress…..(Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

TSA to police: Look out for possible terrorist attack 'dry runs'

Police across the country should be on the lookout for what could be "dry runs" for a terrorist attack, the Transportation Security Administration advised after series of suspicious incidents occurred at U.S. airports. An unclassified advisory, sent July 20 from TSA to law enforcement agencies, raised the possibility that recent activity could be "pre-attack security probes."…"There is no intelligence that indicates a specific or credible threat to the homeland," the TSA said…..(CNN, 25 Jul 07)

Link to view TSA advisory

MSNBC Video:  Are terrorists rehearsing a U.S. attack?

CNN Video: Suspicious items at airports

U.S. says Qaeda safe haven may be inaccessible

…"I think our objective will be to neutralize, not eliminate, but certainly make this safe haven -- as we have the others -- less safe and less appealing for AQ," Clapper told a joint session of the House armed services and intelligence committees. But Clapper, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, presented the task of eliminating al Qaeda's influence in the region as a long-term project that would hinge on U.S. economic aid to the local populace and contributions of military assistance including sophisticated surveillance equipment to the Pakistani military. "This is going to be a long-haul process," he said. "I don't think we'll have any demonstrable change within (a) three-year time frame."….(Reuters, 26 Jul 07)

France to Build Nuclear Reactor in Libya

Now that the Bulgarian nurses have been released, the rush to do business with Libya has begun. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was first off the mark, flying to Tripoli to meet with Moammar Gadhafi and sign a number of agreements -- including a deal on building a French nuclear reactor in Libya…..(Spiegel, 26 Jul 07)

U.S. will help India to obtain nuke fuel

The Bush administration, in a major concession aimed at saving a civilian nuclear-energy deal with India, has agreed to help New Delhi secure fuel for its reactors, even if it conducts another atomic test, diplomats and knowledgeable nonproliferation specialists said yesterday…..(Washington Times, 26 Jul 07)

'US wants Israeli-Palestinian deal within year'

US President George W. Bush is looking to reach a final status Israeli-Palestinian agreement before he leaves office, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said in an interview published on Thursday. “The Americans are determined to push the parties into reaching an arrangement during President Bush’s current term,”….(Khaleej Times, 26 Jul 07)

Sunni Bloc in Iraq Threatens Boycott
Iraq's largest Sunni political group will end all participation in the national government next week unless the prime minister complies with a lengthy list of demands, the group announced Wednesday. The announcement by the Iraqi Accordance Front dealt another blow to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose desire to create a cohesive administration has been crippled by tensions between rival Shiite groups and a sense of alienation among Sunnis….(Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

Sudan ordered to pay $8 million to Cole victims' families

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Sudan to pay nearly $8 million to the families of 17 sailors killed in the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole. The families had sought $105 million, but U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar in Norfolk ordered Sudan to pay $7.96 million….(CNN, 26 Jul 07)

Country Reports on Terrorism

Chapter 6 -- Terrorist Organizations

Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) aliases cited are consistent with and drawn from the Specially Designated Nationals list maintained by the Department of Treasury…..(US Dept of State, 30 Apr 07) Full List and Report Home Page

More accurate Green Zone attacks aided by Iran-U.S.

Militia crews firing mortars and rockets have been hitting Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone with more accuracy in the past three months because of training from Iran, a top U.S. general said on Thursday. "In the last three months we have seen a significant improvement in the capability of mortarmen and rocketeers to provide accurate fire into the Green Zone and other places,"….(Reuters, 26 Jul 07)

Hamas leader claims UK has widened links

The British government has expanded its links with Hamas in recent weeks, according to the militant organisation's leader, Ismail Haniyeh.  Mr Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian prime minister until last month, claims that contacts between Hamas and Britain have increased since they worked together to free Alan Johnston….(Guardian, 26 Jul 07)

Abbas security chief Dahlan resigns

Palestinian security chief Mohammad Dahlan resigned on Thursday, six weeks after his forces were routed by Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip….(Reuters, 26 Jul 07)

In Divided Hebron, a Shared Despair
The barrier Israel is constructing in the largely rural West Bank is effectively separating Arab from Jew along much of its 456-mile length. But the broader project of disentangling the two peoples in the absence of a peace agreement is failing in urban areas such as Hebron, where the most radical elements of Islamic and Jewish nationalism are gaining strength…..(Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

Crisis warning on Iraq refugees

The scale of the exodus of refugees fleeing violence in Iraq has prompted a "humanitarian crisis", a conference in Jordan has heard. More than two million Iraqis have left their war-ravaged homeland…..(BBC, 26 Jul 07)

Egypt's Human Rights Organizations Object to Egypt Joining U.N. Human Rights Council

In May 2007, Egypt was elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council as a representative of North African countries, for a three-year term. Egyptian government circles presented this decision as an indication of Egypt's importance in the international arena, and as an acknowledgement of the weight Egypt assigns to protecting human rights…..(MEMRI, 26 Jul 07)

Buried Videos Surface in HLF Trial

A Northern Virginia man’s home landscaping chore became evidence Thursday in the terror-support trial of the Holy Land Foundation and five of its officials in Dallas. Marcial Peredo told jurors how he was leveling the yard at his new Falls Church home when he stumbled into a stash of videotapes buried in the ground. Jurors were not told what was on those tapes, but Peredo testified that he bought the house from Fawaz Mushtaha, an unindicted co-conspirator in the case….(Counterterrorism Blog, 26 Jul 07)

Indictment: US vs. Holy Land Foundation & for Relief and Development .pdf

Extremist students are sentenced

Four Bradford University students and a schoolboy who planned to fight British soldiers and die as martyrs have been sentenced by a court at the Old Bailey. The judge said they were "intoxicated" by radical Islamist propaganda. Mohammed Irfan Raja, 19, received two years' youth detention while Aitzaz Zafar, 20, and Awaab Iqbal, 20, received three years' detention.  Usman Ahmed Malik, 21, was sent to prison for three years and Akbar Butt, 20, was given 27 months' detention...They had all been found guilty of possessing material for terrorist purposes. According to the prosecution, the group were all planning to go to Pakistan for training before going to fight jihad…..(BBC, 26 Jul 07)

House votes to tighten terror, spy record probes

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday aimed at clamping down on the government's collection of telephone and financial records of people it suspects of terrorism or spying. By a vote of 281-142, the House approved a law enforcement spending bill for the fiscal year starting on October 1, which the Senate has not yet debated…..(Reuters, 26 Jul 07)

Companies Say DHS Must Share Info Faster
An energy company executive told lawmakers Thursday that cable TV news is better than Department of Homeland Security information in assessing terrorism threats.

"I have found a television tuned to a cable news network provides the most efficient, timely and accurate information to my company," said Lester J. Johnson, manager of investigations and crisis management at Scana….(Forbes, 26 Jul 07)

Accused terrorist faces trial in Germany

…The 37-year-old man -- identified only as Redouane E.H. in court documents-- holds German and Moroccan citizenship and lived in the northern city of Kiel. He was arrested in Hamburg in July 2006. Prosecutors said he made four money transfers worth a total of $6,800 to Egypt and Syria between August 2005 and July 2006. The funds, they said, were destined to supply equipment for "holy warriors," cover the cost of explosives training, and pay off a people smuggler…..(Boston Globe, 26 Jun 07)

Security Report Meant To Raise Awareness, Not Alarm, TSA Says

Passengers mentioned in a security report describing suspicious items at airports are not terrorism suspects and were included in the document only to help airport screeners think more broadly about potential threats, the nation's top aviation security official said yesterday. The report, issued by the Transportation Security Administration and titled "Incidents at U.S. Airports May Suggest Possible Pre-Attack Probing," was obtained by the news media….(Washington Post, 26 Jul 07)

Threat Forces Plane to Return to Seattle

A man who had missed his flight Wednesday said there was a bomb aboard the plane, forcing it to return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport even though authorities did not believe the threat was legitimate….(AP, 26 Jul 07)

Bill aims to protect terrorism tipsters

Terrorism tipsters will have immunity from lawsuits filed by individuals they report under legislation proposed by Rep. Peter King and included by a congressional conference committee in a homeland security bill….(Newsday, 25 Jul 07)

U.S. man gets 15 years for attending militant camp

A former paramedic and cab driver in the U.S. state of Maryland was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday after admitting he attended a militant training camp in the mountains of Pakistan. Mahmud Faruq Brent, 32, pleaded guilty in April to providing support to a terrorist organization. For three months in early 2002, he attended a camp operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, which the U.S. government has designated a terrorist group….(Reuter, 25 Jul 07)

Hamas uses charity for 'terror,' US court told

The militant Palestinian group Hamas uses charitable donations directed at social services to support attacks against Israel...That is because there is no distinction between the militant, political, and charitable wings of Hamas, said Matthew Levitt, an expert on Jewish and Islamic extremism. "In order for this Islamist-sanctioned jihad to be successful, it needs to propagate its version of Islamic consciousness on a mass level…If Muslims can't go and fight, they should donate to the cause and fund someone else who will do it."….(Agence France-Presse, 26 Jul 07)

Case Against Islamic Charity Opens
Federal prosecutors opened their case yesterday against what was once the nation's largest Islamic charity, arguing in a Dallas courtroom that the organization funneled at least $12 million to Palestinian militants. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation was shut down by President Bush three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It is accused of knowing that the money it sent to charities in the Middle East benefited Hamas, the militant Palestinian group officially designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government….(Washington Post, 25 Jul 07)

Pakistan feels pressure over al-Qaeda

…Concern has been expressed, particularly in Washington, about President Musharraf's ability to control the remote tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, in which, according to US officials, Osama Bin Laden is probably located and al-Qaeda is rebuilding its organisation in a "safe haven"......(BBC, 25 Jul 07)

Taliban Leader Once Held by U.S. Dies in Pakistan Raid

A top Taliban commander who became one of Pakistan's most wanted men after his release from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, died Tuesday as security forces raided his hideout, officials here said. Abdullah Mehsud had earned a fearsome reputation by orchestrating repeated attacks and kidnappings….(Washington Post, 25 Jul 07)

President Links Qaeda of Iraq to Qaeda of 9/11

Bush sought anew on Tuesday to draw connections between the Iraqi group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and the terrorist network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, and he sharply criticized those who contend that the groups are independent of each other…..(New York Times, 25 Jul 07)

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Is Part Of Network, Bush Says

President Bush argued anew Tuesday that the Sunni insurgent group known as al-Qaeda in Iraq is an integral part of the larger al-Qaeda terrorist network, as he attempted to rebut critics who say the war in Iraq has distracted the United States from a broader struggle against Islamic extremism…..(Washington Post, 25 Jul 07)

Pakistani tribesmen bury 'hero' militant commander

Around 2,000 tribesmen brandishing Kalashnikovs and baying for holy war buried a top Pakistani Taliban militant who blew himself up after being cornered by security forces.

Abdullah Mehsud, a one-legged former Guantanamo Bay detainee wanted for the 2004 kidnap of two Chinese engineers, committed suicide with a hand grenade a day earlier to evade arrest in a town near the Afghan border……(Agence France-Presse, 25 Jul 07)

Twin Treasury Actions Take Aim at Hizballah’s Support Network

The U.S. Department of the Treasury today targeted Hizballah's support network by designating the Iran-based Martyrs Foundation, including its U.S. branch, and the finance firm Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH) under Executive Order 13224. Two individuals were also designated today for the role they play in Hizballah's support network.  "We will continue to target those who form the financial backbone of Hizballah, Hamas, PIJ and other terrorist groups that are attempting to destabilize Lebanon and target innocent civilians,"

…The Martyrs FoundationThe Martyrs Foundation is an Iranian parastatal organization that channels financial support from Iran to several terrorist organizations in the Levant, including Hizballah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

…Al-Qard al-HassanHizballah has used AQAH as a cover to manage its financial activity. AQAH is run by Husayn al-Shami, a senior Hizballah leader who has served as a member of Hizballah's Shura Council and as head of several Hizballah-controlled organizations......(US Treasury Press Release, 25 Jul 07)

Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah (Lebanese Cleric)

Considered the leading Shi’ite Muslim Intellectual in Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah is a controversial figure known primarily for his support of the armed Shi’ite resistance movement, Hezbollah and for his uncompromising stance against the State of Israel….(Newsweek, 25 Jul 07)

General: al-Qaida Making New Cells in US

A top U.S. military commander said Tuesday he believes there are al-Qaida cells in the United States _ or people working to create them _ and the military needs to triple its response teams to counter a growing threat of attack. Air Force Gen. Victor "Gene" Renuart, who heads U.S. Northern Command, said that as the terrorism threat within the nation's boundaries has increased officials have strengthened intelligence sharing, particularly in an effort to shore up security at ports…..(AP, 25 Jul 07)

Sept. 11 Security Bill to Include Protections for Citizens Who Report Suspicious Activity

After nearly a week of intense, behind-the-scenes wrangling, congressional negotiators late Tuesday agreed to include in the pending Sept. 11 security bill sweeping liability protections for citizens who report suspicious activity they fear might be linked to terrorism. The provision is meant to address the so-called "Flying Imams" case, wherein six Muslim clerics sued passengers aboard a Northwest flight in March who reported them to authorities, leading to their detention. The clerics were cleared but their lawsuit, many lawmakers feared, would discourage future vigilance among the flying public…..(FOX, 25 Jul 07)

Syria Occupies Lebanon. Again.
A land grab proportionally equivalent to a foreign power occupying Arizona.
As of this minute, Syria occupies at least 177 square miles of Lebanese soil. That you are now reading about it for the first time is as much a scandal as the occupation itself. The news comes by way of a fact-finding survey of the Lebanese-Syrian border just produced by the International Lebanese Committee for U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, an American NGO that has consultative status with the U.N…..(Opinion Journal, 25 Jul 07)

Afghan Taliban say patience running out on Koreans

Taliban rebels were running out of patience with talks over 23 kidnapped South Koreans, a spokesman said on Wednesday, but there was no word on the fate of the hostages after a rebel deadline passed. Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said earlier militants would start killing the Korean Christian volunteers unless the Afghan government freed a similar number of Taliban prisoners by 0930 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday…..(Reuters, 25 Jul 07)

Overnight bomb blasts wound two in Mogadishu

At least two persons have been wounded after Somalia's suspected Islamist-led rebels hurled grenades at government police stations in Heliwa and Medina districts in southern and northern parts of the capital, Mogadishu, last night…..(Shabelle, 25 Jul 07)

Algeria: 'Al-Qaeda congress held in north'

Militants from the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb have in recent weeks held a "congress" in the northern Yakouren area of Algeria, according to the daily El-Chourok, citing unnamed sources close to local Islamist groups…..(AKI, 25 Jul 07)

German Journalist Said Freed by Taliban

A German journalist and two Afghans colleagues apparently kidnapped by militants have been freed, an Afghan governor said Wednesday, while a purported Taliban spokesman said negotiations for 23 South Korean hostages have stalled and that they planned to kill "a few" of the captives…..(AP, 25 Jul 07)

One more sentenced to death for 1993 Mumbai bombs

An Indian court sentenced on Wednesday a Muslim man to die over the country's worst bombings, making him the eleventh person to be condemned to death for planting explosives in India's financial capital in 1993. At least 257 people were killed in 13 blasts at several Mumbai landmarks, including the main stock exchange, a popular cinema and two crowded markets…..(Reuters, 25 Jul 07)

Funds Pressure Oil Companies on Iran Links

As American and European governments debate how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, some of the nation’s largest public pension funds are leaning on European and Asian oil companies to reconsider their investments in Iran. In letters citing the risk that international sanctions might jeopardize their investments, a coalition of funds from New York, California, North Carolina and Illinois has cautioned eight foreign energy companies working in Iran about investing there…..(New York Time, 25 Jul 07)

Work begins on new trilateral Iraq security panel

U.S. and Iraqi officials began working on Wednesday on how to set up a panel with Iran to ease Iraq's security crisis. An agreement to set up the security committee appeared to be the only positive outcome from talks between U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi-Qomi in Baghdad on Tuesday. The panel will investigate issues such as support for Shi'ite militias and al Qaeda in Iraq…..(Reuters, 25 Jul 07)

Australia reviews Indian doctor bomb-link charges

Australia's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday he will review the case against a detained Indian doctor, charged over links to a British bomb plot, after weeks of legal and political criticism that the case is weak. Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions, Damian Bugg, said he would review all the evidence against Dr Mohamed Haneef, 27, who has been in jail since he was detained on July 2 as he was about to fly to India…..(Reuters, 25 Jul 07)

Paper Gives Goldman Sachs Letter to FBI

A Tennessee newspaper is cooperating with authorities and has given the FBI a letter it received that threatened New York investment firm Goldman Sachs… At least 31 papers received a copy of the letter in early July. "Hundreds will die. We are inside. You cannot stop us," the letter said…..(AP, 25 Jul 07)

Airports Warned About Terror Dry Runs

Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September. The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies….(AP, 25 Jul 07)

Feds tie Dearborn charity to terror

U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday declared a Dearborn-based charity a front for the terrorist organization Hezbollah as FBI agents shut the group's offices and carted away boxes of records. FBI agents raided the offices of Goodwill Charitable Organization Inc. on West Warren Avenue near Schaefer Road. They also raided the nearby offices of the Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization on Schaefer, though the Treasury Department did not designate Al-Mabarrat as a Hezbollah front, and the FBI allowed its offices to remain open…..(Detroit News, 25 Jul 07)

Two Syrians accused of money laundering in Spain

Spanish police have arrested two Syrians on suspicion of laundering money for Islamic extremists, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. It identifie