Radicalism Among Muslim Professionals Worries Many

…The question being asked in many educated and official circles is this: How could such acts be committed by people who have supposedly dedicated their lives to scientific rationalism and to helping others? The answer, some scientists and analysts say, may lie in the way that a growing movement of fervent Muslims use science as reinforcement of religious belief, rather than as a means for questioning and exploring the foundations of the natural world…..(New York Times, 14 Jul 07)

Canadian, Afghan troops kill at least 15 Taliban

Canadian troops drove Taliban insurgents into an Afghan army ambush on Saturday and then called in air strikes to hit the fleeing militants, killing at least 15….(Reuters, 14 Jul 07)

President warns mosque, madrassah not to be used for terrorism
President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday expressed the government's firm resolve to fight extremism and terrorism and warned that no other mosque or madrassah would be allowed to be misused like Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa…..(Tehran Times, 14 Jul 07)

Area to Get More Anti-Terrorism Funds

The Department of Homeland Security will increase a key anti-terrorism grant for the D.C. area by one-third this year, to $61.6 million, but local officials said the amount still doesn't reflect the grave risk facing the region…..(Washington Post, 14 Jul 07)

Feds Work to Raise Terror Readiness

National security officials worry about a possible attack against the United States in the months ahead even though the government's leading terrorism experts have not found concrete information about an imminent strike…..(AP, 14 Jul 07)

Sunni Insurgent Leader Paints Iran as 'Real Enemy'

…Over the course of a 90-minute interview, a leader of an armed Sunni group in western Baghdad described his hatred for Iran and the current Iraqi government, while outlining the dimensions of an armed insurgency that extends well beyond al-Qaeda in Iraq, the organization that U.S. officials routinely identify as their central enemy. Abu Sarhan, as the 37-year-old insurgent wished to be known, said Iraq's Sunnis are deep into an entrenched and irresolvable civil war against Iranian-backed Shiites….(Washington Post, 14 Jul 07)

Pakistan intelligence agencies blamed for Lal Masjid arms dump

…Contrary to their primary role of doing espionage for the security of the country, the intelligence agencies here have been repeatedly caught napping as they have been more concerned with spying on judges, politicians, bureaucrats and even journalists….(Malaysia Sun, 13 Jul 07)

Mosque Siege Exposes Rift In 'Mullah-Military' Alliance

…The alliance between the military and the religious establishment has long had a stranglehold on power here, with each side using the other to advance its own aims and cement its own influence. But the showdown at the Red Mosque, which lasted nine days and cost more than 100 lives before army commandos declared victory over extremist fighters, demonstrates that the so-called mullah-military alliance may be fast unraveling….(Washington Post, 13 Jul 07)

Musharraf vows to crush Islamic extremists

President Pervez Musharraf, in his first public comment since his troops stormed a radical mosque in the heart of the capital, yesterday defended the government's decision to seize the compound by force and vowed to fight Islamic extremists "in every corner" of Pakistan….(LA Times, 13 Jul 07)

Call for protests over Pakistani mosque assault

A leader of an alliance of Pakistani religious parties condemned on Friday an army assault on a radical mosque, which he described as the darkest chapter in the country's history, and called for protests….(Reuters, 13 Jul 07)

Prosecutors Are Wrapping Up Case Against Padilla; Arresting Agents Testify

After questioning nearly two dozen witnesses and casting scores of wiretapped calls in an ominous light, the government is expected to rest its case against Jose Padilla on Friday and give defense lawyers a chance to prove he was not out to “murder, kidnap and maim.”….(New York Times, 13 Jul 07)

Senate doubles Bin Laden reward

The US Senate has voted 87-1 to double the reward for the death or capture of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden to $50m. The Senate vote comes amid warnings that al-Qaeda has rebuilt its capacity to mount attacks and is trying to insert agents into the US. "It has been six years, and al-Qaeda is now rebuilding its terrorist training camps," said Senator Byron Dorgan. Intelligence analysts told Congress on Wednesday that al-Qaeda had created a safe haven in remote parts of Pakistan. A leaked draft of a new US intelligence report says al-Qaeda is at its strongest since just before the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US…..(BBC, 13 Jul 07)

Deadlocked Sunni, Shiite Factions Block Political Progress, Iraqis Say

Iraqi politicians on Thursday struck a more pessimistic tone about Iraq than did the White House assessment, and said the deadlock between warring Sunni and Shiite factions makes major political progress unlikely in coming months. Some Iraqi leaders, including members of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shiite alliance, added that U.S. officials have set unrealistic goals that the Iraqi government cannot achieve at a time of such instability and violence…..(Washington Post, 13 Jul 07)

Report: Al Qaeda renewing efforts to sneak terror plotters into U.S.

…The draft National Intelligence Estimate is expected to paint an increasingly worrisome portrait of al Qaeda's ability to use its base along the Pakistan-Afghan border to launch and inspire attacks….(CNN, 13 Jul 07)

al-Qaida Works to Plant US Operatives

…..(AP, 13 Jul 07)

CAIR & Hamas: Implications and an Illustration

…Musa Abu Marzuq, currently the deputy chief of Hamas’ political bureau, earned his Ph.D. in industrial engineering in the United States. Living in the United States from 1981 to 1992 he worked for Hamas. In 1989 he was elected head of Hamas’ political bureau and after Hamas founder Sheikh Yassin’s 1989 arrest he effectively ran Hamas from the United States (see Terror By Remote Control by Yehudit Barsky, Middle East Quarterly, June 1996.)….(Counterterrorism Blog, 13 Jul 07)

Newly Appointed French Arab Justice Minister to Promote 'Renaissance' of Values of French Republic
In a nomination that one member of the Chancellery described as a "small shock," Rachida Dati, 41, was appointed justice minister by President Nicolas Sarkozy following the latter's recent electoral victory…(MEMRI, 13 Jul 07)

Justice Dept. Reviewing FBI Terror Cases

Government attorneys are scrutinizing the FBI's terror investigations and national security cases more closely because continuing violations and sloppy mistakes are jeopardizing people's privacy rights…A new Justice Department oversight office, which still must be approved by Congress, will "give a lawyer's scrub" to the cases, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein told reporters. FBI general counsel Valerie Caproni said the tougher review should help restore public trust in the FBI….(AP, 13 Jul 07)

U.S. Refuses More Money for New York in Terror Fight

…Though the New York region will receive $134 million, up 7.6 percent from last year’s $124.5 million, officials who represent the state are not happy, especially in light of the 2005 grant of $207.5 million….(New York Times, 13 Jul 07)

Bomb Squads Are Left Lacking

Many local bomb squads in the Washington area are under-equipped to respond to the kind of simultaneous attacks being attempted by terrorists around the world, most recently in London….(Washington Post, 13 Jul 07)

UK mulls travel bans to prevent terror training

Criminals in Britain could be barred from traveling to countries suspected of harboring terrorist camps after officials confirmed the leader of a 2005 bombing plot had been allowed to go to Pakistan despite facing minor charges in Britain. Failed bomber Muktar Said Ibrahim was an Eritrean refugee given a British passport in 2004 - a fact that has fueled debate in Britain over border controls and immigration…..(AP/Jerusalem Post, 13 Jul 07)

Security tightened in Pakistan

Security was tightened Friday outside mosques and government facilities across Pakistan, after Islamic radicals threatened protests over a government assault that left more than 100 dead at a mosque in the capital…The security measures came a day after a six-member coalition of religious parties endorsed a call by 13,000 religious schools for a nationwide protest against the attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad…..(AP, 13 Jul 07)

Morocco detains 15 terror suspects: minister

Moroccan police have detained 15 radical Islamists on suspicions of plotting terror attacks in the North African country, the justice minister said."Arrests had been made, according to the information from the Kingdom's public prosecutor. Fifteen detainees are in custody, three of them had been extradited by Libya,"….(Reuters, 13 Jul 07)

Australia Police End Bid to Hold Suspect

…Australian Federal Police withdrew their application to a magistrate to extend the detention of Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef beyond Friday under counterterrorism laws….(AP, 13 Jul 07)

Indian doctor in Australia linked to U.K. terror suspects

The police in Australia have established links between an Indian doctor they arrested last week, Mohammed Haneef, and the suspects in the failed London and Glasgow bombings, but not enough evidence so far to charge him with a crime…(International Herald Tribune, 13 Jul 07)

New Anti - Terror Law Raises Hackles In Philippines

The Philippine government, already under fire for a poor human rights record, is coming in for more criticism as it implements a new anti-terror law many fear could be used against political opponents…..(Reuters, 13 Jul 07)

Germans Weigh Civil Rights and Public Safety

Germany, fearful of being the next major target for Islamic terrorists, is edging away from its deep aversion to intrusive and harsh enforcement tactics, provoking a storm of protest from those who recall the official brutality of Nazism and Communism in decades past…..(New York Times, 13 Jul 07)

U.S. forces kill 6 Iraqi police

U.S. forces battled Iraqi police and gunmen Friday, killing six policemen, after an American raid to capture an Iraqi police lieutenant accused of leading a cell of Shiite militiamen, the military said. Seven gunmen also died in the fight….(AP, 13 Jul 07)

Ex-spy boss in call over borders

The former head of MI5 has called for stricter border controls to combat the threat from terrorists. While warning against the introduction of "draconian" terror laws such as detention without trial, Dame Stella Rimington delivered a stark assessment of the threat facing Britain…She called for improved border checks, a demand that will resonate strongly in the light of revelations that July 21 bomber Muktar Said Ibrahim was able to attend a jihad training camp in Pakistan despite being suspected of terrorism…..(Luton Today, 13 Jul 07)

U.S. Army report analyzes Karbala attack

A previously undisclosed Army investigation into an audacious January attack in Karbala that killed five U.S. soldiers concludes that Iraqi police working alongside American troops colluded with insurgents…..(USA Today, 13 Jul 07)

Focus on Hamas: Terror by Remote Control

…Musa Abu Marzuq was arrested at Kennedy Airport in July 1995 on charges of murder and attempted murder for Hamas,2 the other fundamentalist Islamic group that repeatedly engages in terrorist acts against Israel. At the time of his arrest, Abu Marzuq--a permanent resident of the United States for five years--headed a Washington-area think tank called the United Association for Studies and Research…..(Middle East Quarterly, June 1996)

Right-wing extremist injured while building a bomb

…The 20-year-old man, whose name was not given, was using various highly explosive chemicals to make the bomb at his home late Wednesday when the device exploded, said Petra Kirsch…He suffered serious burns over his entire body and was taken to the hospital where he was being kept in an artificial coma….(AP, 13 Jul 07)

Five policemen killed, 12 injured in attack on Iraqi Interior Ministry

Five Iraqi policemen were killed and 12 others were injured when unknown gunmen attacked the heavily guarded Iraqi Interior Ministry headquarters early Friday….(KUNA, 13 Jul 07)

Turkish soldier killed, another wounded in landmine explosion

...A press release issued by the governor's office of Erzincan province said the explosion targeted a military vehicle that was hunting down rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the province's Kemah town….(KUNA, 13 Jul 07)

UN hails Iran nuclear agreement

…Tehran will allow inspectors into Arak heavy water plant and agree safeguards at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant, the UN nuclear watchdog said. The agency's deputy director described the deal as a framework for resolving a range of nuclear issues with Iran. Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, not bomb-making….(BBC, 13 Jul 07)

IAEA chief in Iran attack warning

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that resorting to military action against Iran over its nuclear programme would be "an act of madness". Mohammed ElBaradei also said Iran was close to reaching large-scale levels of uranium enrichment without providing assurances its programme was peaceful. Enriched uranium can be used to fuel nuclear reactors but can also be made into nuclear weapons material…..(BBC, 13 Jul 07)

N Korea's military seeks US talks

North Korea's military has called for direct talks with US forces to discuss "peace and security on the Korean peninsula", state media reports. The talks, to be attended by a UN representative, could take place at a mutually acceptable place and time…(BBC, 13 Jul 07)

India to develop advanced missile system with Israel

India has started a 2.5-billion-dollar joint venture with Israel to develop an advanced range surface-to-air missile capable of detecting and destroying hostile aircraft, missiles and spy planes…..(DPA, 13 Jul 07)

The Upcoming Elections in Turkey (1): General Background
The AKP's refusal to seek a consensus presidential candidate, its uncompromising effort to appoint "a religious [i.e. Islamist] president" from the AKP ranks, the secrecy surrounding who their candidate would be, and the last-minute announcement of Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul from the Islamist Milli Gorus movement as the candidate, have all pushed Turkey into a political crisis….(MEMRI, 13 Jul 07)

Bush Distorts Qaeda Links, Critics Assert

…Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia did not exist before the Sept. 11 attacks. The Sunni group thrived as a magnet for recruiting and a force for violence largely because of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, which brought an American occupying force of more than 100,000 troops to the heart of the Middle East, and led to a Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad…..(New York Times, 13 Jul 07)

French President Sarkozy Says Hizbullah Not A Terrorist Group

The French Foreign Ministry in an apparent about-turn Thursday night quoted President Nicolas Sarkozy as saying that Hizbullah is part of Lebanese politics and must not be regarded as a terror organization…..(RTT News, 13 Jul 07)

Senators to bar Libya ambassador nominee

Four U.S. senators say they intend to block the confirmation of President Bush's choice for U.S. ambassador to Libya… they will invoke a Senate procedure to delay the nomination until Libya pays compensation for terrorist attacks in the 1980s. Libya was held responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, which claimed 270 lives, most of them American….(AP, 13 Jul 07)

Sting Reveals Security Gap at Nuclear Agency

…The investigators obtained the license within 28 days from officials at the NRC, the federal agency that in addition to regulating nuclear power plants oversees radioactive materials used in health care and industry, the report by the Government Accountability Office says. NRC officials approved the request with a minimal background check that included no face-to-face interview or visit to the purported company to ensure it existed and complied with safety rules, the report says. Using a post-office box at Mail Boxes Etc., a telephone and a fax machine, the undercover investigators from the GAO obtained the license…..(Washington Post, 12 Jul 07)

Video: Should we worry about a ‘dirty bomb’?

‘Dirty bomb’ danger at home?

Undercover federal agents were easily able to fool the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) into providing them with a license to obtain radiological material that could be used to make a “dirty bomb,” NBC News has learned. The undercover agents, who work for the Government Accountability Office, filled out forms online and were able to obtain an NRC license to buy several radiological "sources," according to several sources familiar with the GAO report…Within four weeks, the NRC mailed a license to the undercover GAO officials, who had posed as a construction company based in West Virginia and never needed to leave their offices to get the license….(MSNBC, 12 Jul 07)

Afghan governor on resurgent Taliban

…NEWSWEEK's Dan Ephron sat in recently on meetings Murad held with U.S. military officers coordinating reconstruction projects in his province. American-educated and a veteran of the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Murad worked under President Hamid Karzai, who later signed his appointment as governor. After his meetings, Murad sat down with Ephron for this interview. Excerpts….(Newsweek, 12 Jul 07)

Behind the Summer Terror Warning

…Although in recent years, terror experts had believed that the U.S.-led military ouster of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had scattered al-Qaeda and forced it to assume a more decentralized form, there is now growing concern that Bin Laden's network has managed to regain its footing. "These groups feel somewhat freer to plot and plan along the Afghan-Pakistan border, where they have what amounts to a refuge…..(Time Magazine, 12 Jul 07)

Somali presidential palace targeted as fresh violence kills four

At least four people were killed in new violence in Mogadishu which saw the presidential palace come under attack days before a national peace meeting…(Agence France-Presse, 12 Jul 07)

Eleven killed as insurgents bomb house in western Iraq

At least 11 people were killed on Wednesday when insurgents herded them into a house in the western village of Karmah and then blew it up….(Agence France-Presse, 12 Jul 07)

Maoists blow up TV, power sites in southeast India

Maoist rebels destroyed TV and power sites near a major port in southeast India on Thursday, less than a week after they killed 24 troops in an ambush in a nearby state.…( Agence France-Presse, 12 Jul 07)

Afghanistan hit by twin attacks

At least eight people - six Afghan policemen and two civilians - have been killed in two bomb explosions in Afghanistan, police say. The policemen were killed in the eastern province of Khost, when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle patrolling with foreign forces…..(BBC, 12 Jul 07)

Rebels Say They're Behind Pipeline Blasts in Mexico

…A rebel group, the People's Revolutionary Army, has asserted responsibility for the explosions at a key pipeline owned by Mexico's national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, in the state of Guanajuato last week and in the state of Queretaro on Tuesday. The group is demanding the release of two of its members….(Washington Post, 12 Jul 07)

Al Qaeda's Strength 'Undiminished' in Iraq

A military intelligence report that concludes al Qaeda has largely restored itself to pre- 9/11 strength will be the focus of a meeting at the White House today. The meeting was called to discuss a pending National Intelligence Estimate. While the military has maintained that al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, by any number of measures the terror group and its affiliates are as strong as ever, and June was the most violent month since the start of the war…ABC News has learned the most recent military intelligence assessment of Iraq also shows that the overall level of violence in the country -- measured as the number of "violent incidents" -- hit its highest level in June since the war began….(ABC, 12 Jul 07)

Terror Watch: The Return of Al Qaeda

A new National Intelligence Estimate presents a sobering analysis of terrorism threats to the United States, concluding that Al Qaeda has reconstituted its core structure along the Pakistani border and may now be a stronger and more resilient organization today than it appeared a year ago…the activities of Al Qaeda’s leadership along the Afghan-Pakistani border are only one component of an overall threat environment that is worrying officials both in the United States and Europe. The stepped-up movement of suspected Islamic militants between Iraq and Europe has proven so troubling that the German government recently set up a special interagency team to track the flow of suspected jihadi recruits to and from that worn-torn country….(Newsweek, 12 Jul 07)

16 intelligence agencies' report bleak on chances of U.S. success in Iraq

The Shiite Muslim-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has made only "halting efforts" to end the power struggle fueling the war between Iraq's religious and ethnic communities…The report, reflecting the consensus of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, cast new uncertainty about the chances of success for President Bush's plan to contain the war through the deployment of an additional 28,000 U.S. troops, mostly in and around Baghdad…(McClatchy Newspapers, 12 Jul 07)

Sectarian rivalries blight Iraqi intelligence 'services'

In a further sign of Iraq's deepening sectarian divisions, security chiefs in Iraq's Shia-dominated government have formed a shadow intelligence service to rival the Iraq National Intelligence Service (INIS), created and funded by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and that is manned largely by Sunnis and former members of Saddam Hussein's mukhabarat (secret police). The head of the INIS is General Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani. The hostility between these two services is intense….(Jane’s, 12 Jul 07)

$282 Million Stolen in Heist at Private Bank in Baghdad

In an astonishing heist, guards at a bank here made off with more than a quarter-billion dollars on Wednesday, according to an official at the Interior Ministry…..(New York Times, 12 Jul 07)

White House Isn't Backing Iraq Study Group Follow-Up

Despite an overwhelming House vote last month to revive the Iraq Study Group, the White House has blocked reconvening the bipartisan panel to provide a second independent assessment of the military and political situation in Iraq, said several sources involved in the panel's December 2006 report…..(Washington Post, 12 Jul 07)

Iraqi politicians ponder US move

…"The political system is completely paralysed", says Ala Abdul Razzak from the Tawafuq Front, the main Sunni group boycotting both the cabinet and the parliament. "Either the government is unable to do anything, or they want it to be like this", he says. "The end result is: we are not moving". The parliament hasn't been sitting for most of this week. Its members plan to take the whole of August off….(BBC, 12 Jul 07)

UN concerned over US Iraq policy

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern about worsening violence in Iraq and where US policy on Iraq might be heading. He told the BBC that he was making contingency plans in case of a sudden change of direction in American policy…..(BBC, 12 Jul 07)

Iraq violence: Monitoring the surge

…The BBC World Service is monitoring its effects, week by week, by looking at military casualty figures, the pressure on hospitals and quality of life for ordinary civilians. The graphics and analysis are based on figures from the US and Iraqi authorities, Baghdad's hospitals and three families from different neighborhoods in the capital…..(BBC, 12 Jul 07)

July 2005 London Bombing Links Still Murky

British security services have yet to find a direct link between four suicide bombers who hit London's transport network in July 2005 and a group of Islamists jailed this week for a failed copycat attack two weeks later…although police and intelligence officials acknowledge there are similarities, and have discovered a link between the July 7 ringleaders and a third British bomb plot, they say clear evidence connecting the July 7 and 21 plotters remains elusive…..(Reuters, 12 Jul 07)

The Crisis in Iranian-Russian Relations over Iran's Nuclear Project
The current crisis in Iranian-Russian relations focuses on two areas: a) the delay in the construction and activation of the nuclear reactor at Bushehr; and b) Iran's missile project. Russia's suspicions regarding Iran's intentions have reached new heights…(MEMRI, 12 Jul 07)

Iraq: Al-Qaeda video shows US offensive at Diyala

A video released by an Iraqi al-Qaeda cell purports to show for the first time images of one of the biggest military campaigns undertaken by the US in Diyala, north of the capital Baghdad. The video, entitled 'Joyful Response to the Arrow of Fire', runs for six minutes and has been distributed on the web by the "Islamic Iraqi State", a local branch of al-Qaeda….(AKI, 12 Jul 07)

Lebanese Army Pounds Islamic Militants

The Lebanese army pounded a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery fire on Thursday, but the military denied reports that the action was part of a final assault on the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants barricaded inside…..(AP, 12 Jul 07)

U.S. to donate 186 aircraft to Afghanistan by 2012

The United States will provide six helicopter gunships to Afghanistan's fledgling air force in August this year, part of a plan to supply 186 aircraft to the country, the head of the Afghan air force said on Thursday. The shipments, which will come in several batches to be completed by 2012, do not include jet fighters…..(Reuters, 12 Jul 07)

Syria open to altering ties with Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas

Syria has signaled to the UN's Middle East envoy a willingness to change its relationship with Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas if progress were made towards a peace deal with Israel …..(Jerusalem Post, 12 Jul 07)

Another foreigner gets a UK passport every five minutes

More than a million British passports have been issued to immigrants over the past decade according to new Government figures… Under current rules, even heinous criminals - including murderers and rapists - can be approved for a passport if they wait for a "clear period" before applying. …(Daily Mail, 12 Jul 07)

Al Qaeda evil is spreading like a virus

Terrorist cells are spreading across the UK so fast that an MI5 security map pinpointing them has "gone off the scale." The shocking updated map — showing hotspots of extremist groups — has now extended into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland…..(News of the World, 12 Jul 07)

Military Files Left Unprotected Online

Detailed schematics of a military detainee holding facility in southern Iraq. Geographical surveys and aerial photographs of two military airfields outside Baghdad. Plans for a new fuel farm at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan…In a survey of servers run by agencies or companies involved with the military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Associated Press found dozens of documents that officials refused to release when asked directly, citing troop security… among the documents the AP found were aerial photographs and detailed schematics of Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run facility for detainees in Iraq. One of the documents was password-protected, but the password was printed in an unsecure document stored on the same server. They showed where U.S. forces keep prisoners and fuel tanks, as well as the locations of security fences, guard towers and other security measures…..(AP, 12 Jul 07)

U.S. Warns Of Stronger Al-Qaeda
Six years after the Bush administration declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks, according to a new Bush administration intelligence report to be discussed today at a White House meeting…..(Washington Post, 12 Jul 07)

Gov rips ‘gut’ warning’: Chertoff should stick to facts, Deval says
Gov. Deval Patrick slammed U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday for scaring people with his “gut feeling” about an imminent terrorist attack without providing any evidence of new intelligence.  A Chertoff aide defended the security chief’s remark, while a leaked federal intelligence report yesterday suggested al-Qaeda has rebuilt its organization to pre-Sept. 11 levels…..(Boston Herald, 12 Jul 07)

21-month sentence for Salah

In a case that riveted Chicago's Muslim community, a Bridgeview businessman accused of aiding terrorists was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for lying in a civil lawsuit. Muhammad Salah, 54, spoke out afterward against the sentence...Salah, a U.S. citizen, had won a key victory in February when a federal jury acquitted him of conspiring to support Hamas extremists and found him guilty on a less serious charge of obstruction of justice….(Chicago Tribune, 12 Jul 07)

In Chicago, Alleged Hamas Operative Receives 21-Month Sentence

A federal judge in Chicago is sending an alleged Hamas operative to prison for 21 months, well short of the 10 years sought by prosecutors. Judge Amy St. Eve imposed the sentence yesterday on Muhammad Salah for lying in a civil suit brought by the family of an American student killed in a Hamas attack. "Telling the truth is the bedrock of our judicial system and a slap on the wrist will not provide a deterrent,"….(New York Sun, 12 Jul 07)

FBI Agent Calls Padilla Evasive

Jose Padilla gave evasive or vague answers about his activities in the Middle East shortly after arriving at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in May 2002, an FBI agent testified Thursday at his trial on a charge of supporting terrorism…..(AP, 12 Jul 07)

Man convicted of assisting terrorist

Tel Aviv district Court on Thursday convicted Ashraf Keisi, a 28-year-old Israeli Arab from Baka al-Gharbiya of five counts of murder and dozens of attempted murders for his part in a suicide attack at a Tel Aviv club, the "Stage", in February 2005, which killed five people and injured fifty more….(Jerusalem Post, 12 Jul 07)

Senior Member of FARC Narco-Terrorist Organization Found Guilty of Hostage-Taking Conspiracy

Juvenal Ovidio Ricardo Palmera Pineda, a/k/a Simon Trinidad, 56, a senior member of the designated Foreign Terrorist Organization Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, has been found guilty by a federal jury in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to engage in the hostage-taking of three American citizens in the Republic of Colombia…..(DOJ Press Release, 12 Jul 07)

U.S. Warns Of Stronger Al-Qaeda

Six years after the Bush administration declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks…The report, a five-page threat assessment compiled by the National Counterterrorism Center, is titled "Al-Qaida Better Positioned to Strike the West," intelligence officials said. It concludes that the group has significantly rebuilt itself despite concerted U.S. attempts to smash the network…..(Washington Post, 12 Jul 07)

EU rejects assassination as tool to fight terrorism

The European Union does not support the idea of using assassinations in the fight against terrorism, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini was quoted as saying on Thursday…..(Reuters, 12 Jul 07)

US short-changed by Pakistan in anti-terror fight: intel chiefs

Pakistan must show greater returns for the billions of dollars it has received from the United States to hunt down Al-Qaeda and Taliban diehards…Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden are sheltering in Pakistan's lawless northwest, where tribal opposition to the US military presence in Afghanistan is hampering both Islamabad and Washington.…( Agence France-Presse, 12 Jul 07)

Editor of Kuwaiti Daily: Arab Countries Must Join Forces to Counter Iranian Threat

In an article published in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa and in the English-language Kuwaiti daily Arab Times, the editor-in-chief of both papers, Ahmad Al-Jarallah, wrote that Iran was increasingly taking control of countries in the Middle East - including Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and the Gulf states - in order to strengthen its position in future negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program. In his article, he said that Arab countries must convene a summit to counter this threat, and must "hit the head of the snake in Tehran." ….(MEMRI, 12 Jul 07)

Former Mosque Leader Warns Britain Top Target for Extremists

A former imam, or mosque leader, has warned that extremists are aiming to establish Muslim Sharia law in the UK - and that Britain has become the world “number one target” for Islamic strategists..…(Christian Today, 12 Jul 07)

“The Aggression Against Lal Masjid [Red Mosque]” – An Audio Speech by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri Produced by as-Sahab Media

Concerning the events at the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Pakistan’s military response during the siege by militants in the complex, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two leader in al-Qaeda, presents a speech titled, “The Aggression Against Lal Masjid”, produced in a video by as-Sahab, the multimedia wing of al-Qaeda…..(Site Institute, 11 Jul 07)

Pakistan: Lal Masjid crisis reopens madrassa reforms issue

…The Lal Masjid-run Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia madrassas may well be among a handful of seminaries directly involved in promoting the armed militancy and violence. The government has a serious challenge ahead to determine that how many of them could be brought on board. When the education ministry conducted its National Education Census last year, there were 13,000 madrassas running in every nook and corner of the country with over 1.5 million students enrolled with them. According to the NEC, Punjab takes lead with 5,459 seminaries followed by the North West Frontier Province, 2,843; Sindh, 1,935; Federally Administrated Northern Areas (FANA), 1,193; Baluchistan, 769; Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 586; the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), 135, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) with 77 madrassas…..(AKI, 11 Jul 07)

Checkpoints Key to Airport Security: Israeli Experts

Security experts say defenses like those at Tel Aviv's main airport could be used overseas to prevent a recurrence of an attack on Glasgow airport in which a fuel-laden car was rammed into a terminal. Members of a suspected al Qaeda cell drove largely unimpeded to their target in Scotland on June 30 without having to stop for any security check. That could not have occurred at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International airport….(Reuters, 11 Jul 07)

Counter-terrorism efforts 'fuelling UK extremism'

The combination of new legal powers to detain terrorism suspects and media scrutiny is worrying Muslim leaders in Britain. Some say the heavy-handed police approach is fuelling extremism. For Australians, it is a rare experience to see Dr Mohammed Haneef and other suspects held under new anti-terrorism laws without charge and to see their lives revealed in detail by the media….(ABC, 11 Jul 07)

Accountant in court on terrorism charges

…Arumugam Rajeevan, 41, of Old Toongabbie, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation and financing and providing assets to a terrorist organisation between 2002 and May this year….(Sydney Morning Herald, 11 Jul 07)

U.S. targets Iranian aid to militants on all sides

U.S. Special Forces are intensifying their efforts to root out Iranian agents who are said to be working in Iraq to further destabilize the fractured nation… The clandestine fight against Iranian agents is taking place in the midst of the more widely publicized U.S. and Iraqi troop "surge" against terrorists, insurgents and militia death squads — all of which are thought to be getting Iranian help…..(Washington Times, 11 Jul 07)

Key suspect's horrific injuries present quandary for British terror investigators

Investigators probing failed bomb attacks in Britain face an obstacle: A key suspect who is the main link to all members of the alleged terror ring is so horribly burned that doctors expect him to die. Even if Kafeel Ahmed survives, it's unlikely police will be able to question or charge him for the foreseeable future. Ahmed, 27, suffered third degree burns over 90 percent of his body when he set himself on fire following an attempt to ram a Jeep into Glasgow's airport…..(AP, 11 Jul 07)

Two men to face retrial over July 21st bomb plot

Two of the four men accused of involvement in the July 21st bomb plot in London two years ago will face a retrial, a court heard today. The jury in the case was discharged yesterday after failing to reach verdicts on the two men aged 24 and 34…..(Belfast Telegraph, 11 Jul 07)

Four July 21 plotters jailed for life

The four convicted July 21 bombers were today jailed for life for an al-Qaida-led plot to murder dozens of people on London's public transport network. Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman could not be considered for release for 40 years….(Guardian, 11 Jul 07)

British Jurors Fail to Reach Verdict for 2 in Botched Transit Attack

The trial of six men accused of conspiring to bomb the London transport system on July 21, 2005, ended inconclusively on Tuesday when the jury failed to reach a verdict on two of the defendants and was discharged….(New York Times, 11 Jul 07)

Chertoff Warns of Higher Risk of Terrorism

…On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a “gut feeling” about a new period of increased risk. He said he based his assessment on patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose. “Summertime seems to be appealing to them,” ….(AP, 11 Jul 07)

Congressional Agency Predicts War Costs Will Climb

…The Bush administration and Congress have allocated $577 billion to the conflicts through the end of the current fiscal year, but that amount is only a small down payment, the report suggested in examining the impact of various deployment scenarios. If today's troop level -- roughly 180,000 -- is cut by 85 percent by 2010 and remains at that level through 2017, the total cost of the two conflicts would be an additional $472 billion….(Washington Post, 11 Jul 07)

Report #6 in a NEFA Series, “Target: America”

A NEFA analysis of U.S. v. Ahmed

July 2007

The 'peaceful' group linked to radical Muslims

...Tablighi Jamaat, a powerful, grass-roots religious organization based in South Asia, is a common link to a string of attacks and conspiracies. One of the four men convicted this week of attempting to carry out suicide bombings on the London transport system attended a mosque run by Tablighi. The group has been linked to two of the suspects, both from India, arrested for last week's failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow. Tablighi has its European headquarters in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, where Shehzad Tanweer, one of the July 7 suicide bombers, attended classes after dropping out of university. Mohammed Sidique Khan, the leader of the July 7 cell, went to the Tablighi mosque in Dewsbury. A number of those suspected of involvement in last summer's alleged airline plot are believed to have been regular attendees at Tablighi meetings…..(Telegraph, 11 Jul 07)

Raid at Islamabad Mosque Turns Long and Deadly

A commando raid that was expected to be a quick operation to subdue Islamic radicals in the Red Mosque turned into a marathon battle Tuesday and Wednesday, with elite Pakistani forces sweeping through underground bunkers in more than 20 hours of intense combat…One major question left unanswered Wednesday morning was how the radicals had been able to build up such a massive arsenal. The mosque, only a few hundred yards from the president's house, is also close to the headquarters of Pakistan's main intelligence service…..(Washington Post, 11 Jul 07)

Red Mosque 'cleared of militants'

The Pakistani army says it has cleared a mosque compound in Islamabad of militants, a day after troops stormed the complex. At least 50 people inside the Red Mosque and eight soldiers died during the operation, the military said. The mosque's militant cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, and some of his supporters were among those who died…Students at the mosque and its attached religious schools had waged a campaign for months pressing for the imposition of strict Islamic Sharia law…..(BBC, 11 Jul 07)